Darian Kinnard's skillset is perfect for the Chiefs' new offensive line
The massive rookie out of Kentucky has the potential to be one of the steals of the draft, and has a legitimate chance to grab a starting job.
Sometimes “mean” is a skillset. Let’s circle back to that.
The offensive line was one of Kansas City’s pleasant surprises last season. With new starters (at least initially, until Andrew Wylie took over at right tackle) across the board, there was a question mark over the group assigned to protect Patrick Mahomes. However, as the year progressed the group of Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Andrew Wylie proved to be one of the more capable units in the league.
This happened partly due to huge investments (via trade and contract) in Brown and Thuney, but also due to rookies Humphrey and Smith playing at a much higher level than anyone expected (well, some of us expected it from Humphrey, but I digress). Humphrey was one of the best centers in the league, and Smith became a human highlight reel for pancakes of defenders week in and week out. The unit became known as a tough, strong group that protected the passer well and was also one of the best in the league at run blocking, with a mauling style in multiple spots and a pair of players (Humphrey and Thuney) who could do it all.
The lone question mark heading into the 2022 season is right tackle. Lucas Niang’s injury appears to be one that is lingering, and while Wylie is a decent player who can sub in at multiple positions, he’s not a high-level starter. Given the needs the Chiefs had elsewhere it seemed unlikely they would be able to do much at the position.
Then, a few trades later, the Chiefs had a 5th round draft pick to spend. In the meantime, Kentucky tackle Darian Kinnard had fallen far past his expected draft slot after an exceptional and consistent college career.
The Chiefs selected Kinnard with the 145th pick, and now the huge (he weighed in at 322 at the combine but likely played above that weight) tackle is a Chief.
Normally, a 5th round pick wouldn’t be expected to compete for a starting spot. But Kinnard was a longtime starter who performed at a high level against great competition in college who fell for somewhat inexplicable reasons. Does that sound familiar? He also plays in a way that’s best described as “cruel.”
Does that sound familiar too?
Of course, highlights do not make the lineman. What matters is what he does snap in and snap out. And as ever, the only way to determine that is to go to the film. In some cases, it is difficult to gauge a college offensive lineman due to the lack of high-level competition. Fortunately for us, Kinnard played against several future pros, including a whole bunch of them at Georgia (by far his most important film of 2021).
Let’s talk about Kinnard, a genuinely mean player on the field.