Top 2021 NFL draft prospects compared to current and former Chiefs players
Comparing incoming NFL draft prospects to those who’ve come before is a time-tested tradition that fans of the game never seem to grow out of. Part of it is because it’s fun. The other part of it is because we want to know how the soon-to-be NFL players stack up against those currently in the league. What better way to find out than to compare them to those who’ve been there.
Our friends Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire recently revealed their top 50 players in the 2021 NFL draft. Today, the dynamic duo revealed NFL player comparisons for each of those 50 players.
So who are some of the players that are being compared to current and former Kansas City Chiefs players? Well, thankfully, none of them are being compared to Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, at least not by Farrar and Schofield. A total of three prospects were compared to one current and two former Chiefs players.
Let’s take a look at the prospects and the players they were compared to:
Miami DE Jaelen Phillips
Coley Cleary - USA TODAY SMG
"The Seahawks took Clark out of Michigan with the 63rd overall pick in the second round of the 2015 draft despite some serious off-field concerns because Clark brought advanced hand moves, play strength, and speed around the edge." - Doug Farrar
This seems more like a situational comparison than anything else. Miami DE Phillips doesn't have off-field concerns like Chiefs DE Frank Clark did, however, he does have some serious medical concerns. He medically retired from football at UCLA due to concussion issues before transferring to play with the Miami Hurricanes, sitting out 2019 and playing in 2020. Phillips has the advanced technique, strength and speed to entice a team, just as Clark did, it's the other stuff that teams will need to work through and make a determination on.
Florida WR Kadarius Toney
Coley Cleary - USA TODAY SMG
"Dante Hall was the original human joystick if memory serves me well — which it may not — and Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner calls Toney a 'bigger Dante Hall.' Hard to disagree." - Mike Schofield
This comparison is a bit tougher to get behind than the first one. Remember, Dante Hall was actually a running back at Texas A&M and caught 22 career passes before coming to Kansas City. Toney has 120 catches and 66 rushing attempts in his career. He is definitely a utility-type player for Florida, but he doesn't quite have the production in the kick and punt return game, which is really what earned Hall that "human joystick" nickname. I think Toney is probably a better receiver coming out than Hall was, but I'm not sure that he'll ever be as elusive on special teams.
Clemson RB Travis Etienne
Coley Cleary - USA TODAY SMG
"When Charles was healthy with the Chiefs, he was the league’s biggest threat to take any play for a long touchdown, and Etienne reminds me very much of Charles in his receiver-ish build, scary straight-line speed, and slightly upright running style." - Doug Farrar
This one is the toughest of the three for me to get behind, just because Jamaal Charles was such a special player in Kansas City. I don't think I've ever seen someone run the ball with such ease as he did when he was in his prime. He was the shiftiest and most explosive player on the field, who could hit another gear that no one else in the NFL had. In my eyes, there's no way that a player like Etienne could ever live up to this comparison, even if he does have some similar traits and turns out to be a great player at the next level.
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