Less than two months ago, the Kansas City Chiefs had Justin Houston and Dee Ford starting on the edges. Now, they have neither.
Houston was released by the Chiefs, still in his prime, and he went on to sign with the Indianapolis Colts. Ford, meanwhile, was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick.
The Chiefs did sign Alex Okafor, an unheralded pass rusher out of New Orleans who has desirable qualities as a starter. But they still need a starter opposite him. At the tail end of Round 1, in a top-heavy edge class, they’re able to luck into drafting Florida’s Jachai Polite.
Polite was incredibly productive in his final year with the Florida Gators, racking up 11.0 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, and a whopping six forced fumbles. He’s a strip-sack machine, and he’s able to get around the edge with his quick burst and motor. While Polite isn’t a very well-rounded edge prospect, with lacking length and functional power, and while he’ll drop down team’s boards due to a poor Combine showing, the tape shows too much promise for the Chiefs to ignore at this juncture.