Always room for good fatties. They seem to get hurt a lot.

Wow

Time will tell of course, but I think Veach has just murdered these first 3 picks. Outstanding job.

Home run, home run, home run.

Grade so far: A

A+ when you consider where we were picking.

Not necessarily guys I was focused on, but that's on me. CEH and Gay just jump off tape and all 3 are perfect fits.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brett Veach says Lucas Niang could compete right away at guard if the team has a full training camp. He could start his career inside at guard and later kick outside to tackle.</p>&mdash; Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattderrick/status/1253908538432335873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This guy has a lot of upside. Veach is banking on some measurables paying dividends in this draft.

If this guy pans out they might cut Fisher next season. They can save $11.5 mil.

Or at least move Fisher back to his natural position at RT.... :D

Unfair to put this on him, but he kind of reminds of Roaf. Size with rare athleticism. He moves so well, has a great feel for sliding to the 2nd level, hard to understand why he fell so far.

Injuries.

He's 1st round talent, nobody really disputes that. He just has a little trouble staying healthy at times.

lol can you imagine if this dude is a Roaf level talent...

adding a truly elite LT and RB to this offense would be unfair LMAO

He has the size and the length to live in an island. It's definitely there.

He'll just need to work on his footwork, but for a man that size with quick feet and can get to the 2nd level pretty fluidly, I think the footwork will come along once he gets some experience and muscle memory reps.

He has the potentional to be a great LT. It's there. Just hope it works out.

Worst case, he's a solid G.

This is a great value/pick all around.

So it seems like the staff is imagining him as the day one LG.

Fisher-Niang-Reiter-LDT-Schwartz week one?

Yep depending on if Rankin is healthy. If he is the n I can see a camp battle

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qulc0O3itDc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

When I go to Draft Network I always like Crabbs' notes.

Pass Sets - Hips appeared more restrictive in 2019, could be a byproduct of hip injury he played with this season. Guilty of some false steps out of his stance and his base is deconstructed when he feels he's lost leverage on blocks. He's got plenty of physical mobility to further enhance sets.

Length/Extension - Plenty of reach to make an impact at first contact. Thought he showed good development and improvement in his strike timing during 2019 season. Hand strength and functional power to stay attached on lateral blocks allows for effective reset of the LOS outside the tackle box.

Balance - Thought he got caught in some instances of overextending himself but he flashes a dynamic base to reset and snap himself back into position when put into recovery mode. His deep sets still appear a little clunky and power rushes can catch him leaning outside with power.

Hand Technique - Placement has shown notable improvement over final season and a half. Really cut down on strikes landing outside the breastplate and has applied a little extra pop in his hands. His grip strength is excellent to latch onto bodies once he's got a hand fit.

Power at POA - Awesome ability to push people around and create space for his rushers in the run game. Road grader who compliments his power with surprising grace in lateral string-out blocks or when firing directly off the ball and immediately establishing contact.

Football IQ - Active/effective in passing off twists, stunts and blitzes — doesn't typically get busted having to bail out late and shows good awareness of the numbers game and avoids being pulled out of position via pre-snap looks. Appreciate the run game footwork in action.

Functional Athleticism - Pretty stunning to see how well he moves. He's a big fella but has little issue firing out to win with quickness at the snap or climb to the second level and break down on a block. Really impressive application of strength when blocking on the move.

Anchor Ability - Really dense torso and lower half, he provides a good deal of natural strength and the body control to sit down and recover when he's put on his heels. Chase Young got him one time with speed to power but otherwise he's difficult to straight bully.

Flexibility - Natural mobility is very good and he's got good ability to hinge hips in angular sets (when healthy) and shows dynamic lower half to bend and play low/with power. He's not one to constantly fight against his own frame, rolls through contact well.

Competitive Toughness - Tenacity is notable and you'll see him up in a defender's grill through the end of the whistle. Played through hip injury in 2019 and helped team knock off Texas before undergoing surgery. Leads by example and gets strong reviews for leading by example.

---

Best Trait - Functional Athleticism

Worst Trait - Pass Sets

Best Film - Purdue (2019)

Worst Film - Ohio State (2018)

Red Flags - 2019 Hip INJ

Summary - Lucas Niang is a high-upside starter in the NFL. Niang's mobility would make him a great fit in a zone style system and his length and range as a pass blocker make him an attractive option for teams with deeper passing concepts. There is some refinement needed in Niang's footwork but he shows all the requisite physical skills to be a plus starter in the pros. Should find the field early and improve through first few seasons. Should be healthy for the 2020 season.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/l...ang/KkU5UJHJ0J

Love it..makes a lot of sense and if we get a future starting tackle in the 3rd..that's incredible value.

This is literally the only thing that matters in the entire discussion about the guy.

Oh my gosh, love this pick. Nailed it Vegas! :clap:

Andy introducing himself is hilarious.

I would've been good with him in the 2nd as well. From the 'call your shot' thread:

Would seem like an ideal situation if he can play LG and eventually transition to LT, although I'm not sure why we are overly quick to move on from Fisher or Schwartz

Fisher has been somewhat injury prone, so having a serviceable rookie to help protect him is a very good thing. Last thing we need is someone going all Rodney Harrison on Mahomie.

Agreed

I'm going to just admit right now that I've lost all objectivity. I think. Either that, or this is the best draft EVER. So yeah, it's got to be me.

But...when I look at this kid, he LOOKS like Willie Roaf. Built just like him, even has that weird little duck walk thing. He's got those nimble ballerina feet that seems like they're too small for his upper body and those long arms. I mean, Fisher's not built like that. He doesn't move like that. But Roaf did, he was almost awkward until the snap, and then he was so dominant.

I mean, if this kid can take the LG spot this year, learn the NFL, learn this offense next to Fisher and get his seasoning, I think he could very well move to either tackle spot as soon as we need him to and be a long term starter.

I can think of 11 million reasons.

For sure, but for a LT, thats not much.

Leramy Tunsil just got $22 million and people are STILL trying to cut Eric Fisher to save half that?

Jesus.

It's not 'Fatty' - it's 'Phatty!'

TYVM

Yea 11 mil is a bargain at this point.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/85cL1HisrNc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It's dick for a LT.

The problem will be 2 years from now when Fisher asks for $20 million. SOMEONE is going to pay him that.

Fish is a good LT who's put in tough situations all the time and generally acquits himself nicely. His absence was so clearly felt last year that I just dont understand how hes still a whipping boy around here.

It is a case of BPA.

I would not expect Fisher or Schwartz to leave before minimum 2 years but it is definitly a good move to invest in the Oline now especially that they have not invested much there recently.

The guy supposedly can play G.

Fisher or Schwartz could get injured.

Maybe Niang progresses really quick and you can save money by releasing Fisher one year from now.

Maybe Niang takes over LT at the expiration of Fisher's contract and you are not pigeon holed into taking a LT in the 1st round.

I believe the pick makes a ton of sense.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lucas Niang Film Thread <a href="https://twitter.com/ArrowheadLive?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArrowheadLive</a> ��ON<br>He has all the intangebles to play OT in the NFL. Quick feet, active hands, long arms, and a strong base. His initial pass set needs a little work but his recovery and fight outstanding. <a href="https://t.co/QknNVbN7oL">pic.twitter.com/QknNVbN7oL</a></p>&mdash; Caleb James (@CJScoobs) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJScoobs/status/1254096220294791169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That was a bad draft that year when Fisher went #1. And he had a extremely rough go at it in the first few years, which just made it worse in terms of making that pick. That's how he got to be the whipping boy.

But he has acquitted himself as of recent and has been better.

Was he worth the 1.1? Probably not. However, given how that draft played out...

1. Fisher - Still playing - Solid
2. Jockel - Out of the NFL after 2017 - Bust
3. Jordan - Still playing but wasn't very good. Bounced around to 3 teams now.
4. Johnson - Still playing - Solid
5. Ansah - Still playing - Decent.

None of these guys were 1.1 value in my opinion. But the Chiefs got it right with Fisher, because if I recall, it was between him or Jockel.

Both are solid values for their production. No hurry at all.

Yes.

The older he gets, the worse it will be.

If Fisher is banged up next season again, and the Chiefs get wind he'll be looking for a giant payday as he hits 30 in 2021, it's time to move on if this kid is ready.

I really love this pick because he looks like an exceptional athlete at a premium position that would have likely gone 1st rd if he didn’t have the injury.

He really is one of those players that can diversify and give us good play right away at LG, LT or RT if an injury occurs and possibly start at either tackle spot in the future.

This pick is the one that could make the draft “good” to “outstanding” if he does a good job starting at tackle by the end of his rookie contract.

Most casual fans, even on Chiefsplanet, have no idea what the value of contracts, at basically every position, are across the league.

Eric Fisher is without a doubt a bargain in today's NFL.

This is a scenario with WAY too many "Ifs".

Fisher is under contract through the end of the 2021 season, so they have two more drafts and offseasons before they need to either make a move for a new left tackle or begin grooming someone that's already on the roster.

If Fisher is still valuable in 2022 but the Chiefs don't or can't meet his contract demands, they'll allow him to walk and receive a 3rd round Comp Pick in return.

But that's a long way out in football terms.

Spitting image of Willie Roaf. Hope he plays like him.

https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2020...n-connecticut/

Chiefs’ Lucas Niang organized march to seek justice for George Floyd
by
Ed Easton Jr.

I hope he checked with Chiefs fans to see if it was okay that he protested and that he checked off all the protocol to make sure it was the right kind of protest!

ZERO sacks allowed in college and only 3 penalties.

He can organize all the protests he wants as far as I'm concerned.

We Niang to step-up big in his 1st year. Especially if LDT stays in Canada to treat COVID-19. We'll have needs at both guard positions.

Welp - Niang is taking a medical redshirt. Hopefully dude spends a year getting stronger, learning, and comes into '21 as a beast.

If he is truly a replacement for a starting OT spot, then pushing his future extension a year isnt a bad thing. Total unknown though, obviously.

I wonder if he'll get viewed as a Breeland Speaks type for opting out.

Long-term it's probably a good thing. It puts him on a cleaner timeline for potentially replacing Fisher or Schwartz if we can't re-sign one of them. It also gives him another year to get healthy from the labrum issue.

But that OL is getting thin in a hurry...

Good thing this dude didn’t get the rona

He’s a loser & quitter. I’d cut his ass next year.

Him abandoning his team is a big red flag.

Did he have a reason? I know Williams opted out because of something like his mom having cancer.

Does it matter? According to the last few posts, everybody has already made up their minds about Niang because he chose to opt out.

Now I REALLY hope he turns out to be the next Willie Roaf. So I can have fun bumping these posts years into the future.

Not going to completely blast the guy, but I also don't have much faith in him. More confident in Yasir Durant doing something going forward.

Both of you are beyond ****ing stupid. Niang had a very serious injury this year and wouldn't have even been ready to practice until late this year.

Him opting out was the best possible scenario for the Chiefs because he not only is allowed to heal without any pressure, the Chiefs have him for 4 full years, not 3 years, as they would have had if he hadn't opted out.

Why? What have you seen on video that makes you think it was a poor decision to draft him?

:facepalm:

Was going to post this. The other two opt outs were totally understandable, but this one was actually GOOD for the team. I guess people are just having emotional reactions to the Schwartz news.

I don’t understand why he’s suddenly bad? He’s still big and super talented. Another year of growth doesn’t seem bad to me.

We'll be glad to have him in camp next year along with some new faces via free agency or draft. The OL is important and Veach knows it.

No one should think he is bad, it's just he is an unknown. Yeah he was hurt and probably couldn't have offered much this year. What I still am not sure of with opting out if he even gets any real-time NFL coaching. With covid does he even get near the team? I pretty much doubt it. So Yasir Durant is now ahead of him and Niang starts out on the same level as any o lineman we may pick in 2021.

Also, tackle being Rankins natural position won't he get a shot there on the right side. Maybe he blew it 2 years ago with his performance don't know.

Hopefully he kept up with his training. I haven’t seen any updates on him.

He’ll be just as much in the conversation next year as he would be if we drafted him this upcoming season instead.

He participated in offseason zoom installs before opting out. He’s under contract by this organization, so the team can contact him about stuff whenever they damn well please. And when this season is over, he gets the benefit of having a full offseason of NFL strength training, which is important for OL (it was for Fisher) while just starting year one of his rookie deal.

Nobody has any good or legit reason to think opting out will hurt his development as an NFL player. If he doesn’t make it in this league, it won’t be because he opted out.

And you know the bolded how?

There is a big difference between contacting him and real in house instruction.

He’s a year behind in his nfl career- of course it hurts his development. He may turn out to be a decent player but opting out definitely puts him in a tougher position.

He opted out as a rookie, forgive me for not giving two shits what happens to this slacker

Do you understand that he tore a patella tendon in his ****ing hip?

The guy wasn't going to be available this season until probably December at the earliest and since he had ZERO Mini Camp, Rookie Camp, Training Camp and practice, there's almost no chance he sees the 53 and if he does, he's gonna get his ass whipped.

Opting Out gave him the opportunity to heal without pressure, to learn the playbook and techniques without expecting to play when he's nowhere near 100% and it gives the Chiefs Four Full Years Of Control beginning in 2021.

And good ****ing god, people don't forget how to play their position in a year.

The dude is coming off a torn hip tendon, which is why he fell to the bottom of the 3rd round.

If Niang becomes a starter, this will be yet another Veach Steal.

Tougher than what? It delays his contact so for us we lost nothing. Especially since he was unlikely to be a big contributor in year one. He'll basically be a rookie who will be completely healthy unlike he would have been this year. Are you worried about his career earnings or something?

Niang wasn't called for a single penalty in 2017 and before the hip tear, was projected as a 1st rounder.

The dude had more than 40 scholarship offers so if he doesn't become at least an average NFL starter, it'll be due to injury.

I said he probably would have not been available in my post. But as I understand it opt-out is non-involvement with the team.

If he lives up to the hype and protects Pat for the next 8-10 years Veach is a genious.

If not for the injury, Niang might have been a first rounder. Allowed no sacks in 3 years.

He’s going to be the long term starter at RT and be one of the better ones if his hip is fully healed by next year, which it should. He had surgery a year ago.

You’re speculating on his reason for opting out because you didn’t get an explanation. Apparently you filled in the gaps with, “He must be a slacker.”

I could have sworn people around here after the Tyreek/Espinal incidents would have learned their lesson about assuming the worst of people without having all the information. I guess I was wrong.

That is wishful thinking which is why Veach drafted him later. 1st round talent taken in the 3rd. It's no guarantee he will be as he was. It's hoping to get something for next to nothing and I hope it works I am a chiefs fan. Also we don't know if this was something the Chief's front office was happy about the opt-out.

In order to develop as a football player it helps to actually play football. I could give a shit about his contract. Taking a year off football means that he’s not being coached, he’s not in the meeting rooms or the training rooms or learning the playbook. If he’s injured, what better place to rehab than in an nfl training facility. I hope I’m eating crow this time next year but this certainly doesn’t help his career in any way.

You just nailed my thoughts on this. I just wasn't able to post it as clearly as you.

Well I do give a shit about his contract since it determines if he's playing for the Chiefs or not and for how much. Of course his development has been delayed but it would have been anyway (to a lesser extent, perhaps) due to his injury. Ij ust don't know why we'd want to waste a year of a cheap contract on rehab when the opt out option is available.

I’ve heard him and Yoda have been in the swamp attempting to raise the X-wing since August.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Truth be told I'd forgotten about the injury, so that does change my tune

If Veach and co are good with it, who am I to complain

It's even quite possible that Veach and co. suggested it, given the injury.

Lucas will be a 22 year old rookie at the start of the next training camp with 4 years to play on a very reasonable Chief's contract. A lot of drama queens in here.