As we head to the midpoint of the NFL season TGH takes a look at the Kansas City Chiefs rookies. Here is a look at the Chiefs’ Mid Season Rookie Grades.
Isiah Pacheco – B
The seventh-round running back out of Rutgers has been one of the more interesting rookies this season. Pacheco was the recipient of a large amount of preseason and training camp praise.
In the month of October, there has been a larger workload for the rookie. Pacheco rushed the ball 22 times for 114 yards in October. Most of these numbers come from the games against San Fransisco and Tampa Bay.
Something that may be very noteworthy is Pacheco has recently jumped Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the number one running back on the Chiefs’ depth chart. Pacheco has shown his explosive capability already in his limited snaps, and with this recent jump, Pacheco may see more opportunities.
Look for Pacheco to have a larger role in the team’s next game against the Tennessee Titans.
Trent McDuffie – N/A
Kansas City’s first-round cornerback Trent McDuffie was placed on the IR after the opening game. But recently he has been taken off the IR and has returned to practice. Chiefs fans will be eager to see if McDuffie can prove to be worth the first-round pick.
George Karlaftis – C+
The first-round pick has had a quiet first season so far. The former Boilermaker has only accumulated 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks in his first seven games. Pro Football Focus gave Karlaftis a low overall score of 41.7/100 so far.
Where Karlaftis has been great so far is in the quarterback pressure stat. Karlaftis leads all rookies in the stat with 17 quarterback pressures, but on the other hand, he has only converted on 0.5 of those pressures.
It’s safe to say that Kansas City has hoped for more production out of one of their first-round picks. But with the pressure he is able to put on the quarterback it is just a matter of time before he converts those into sacks.
Skyy Moore – D-
Skyy Moore has been a disappointment for most Chiefs fans so far. The second-round pick has struggled to get open in his handful of snaps so far this season.
The Chiefs expected Moore to be a weapon in the return game. But has failed to perform thus far as he coughed up the football in a crucial moment which in turn cost Kansas City the game.
What can be more telling of the trust the organization has in Moore is the recent acquisition of wide receiver Khadarious Toney. Toney has already been placed above Moore in the Chiefs’ depth chart and is expected to take Moore’s spot snaps when healthy.
Moore will have to completely turn his season around to have a chance at seeing the field for the rest of the season.
Jaylen Watson – A-
Jaylen Watson was drafted in the seventh round and has been the best rookie the Chiefs took at this point.
Watson wasn’t expected to see much time this year but the injury to first-rounder Trent McDuffie gave Watson the opportunity to make a name for himself. Watson has seen his ups and downs so far but has certainly exceeded the value of his seventh-round pick.
His biggest play so far has been the 99-yard pick-six that ultimately turned the tide against the Chargers. The rookie has also been a fairly consistent tackler this year as he has racked up 24 solo tackles. Watson has certainly earned a role in this defense in the future as the team gets healthier.
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