If Kansas City doesn’t take a big swing at a left tackle, there are still a few intriguing options down the board.
Many NFL stars have begun their careers as late-round draft picks — or even as undrafted free agents. From Hall of Fame quarterbacks to game-changing playmakers, many successful athletes have immeasurable intangibles aren’t necessarily factored into their draft profiles.
But underdog-turned-Pro-Bowler-stories don’t happen as often among offensive tackles. In the modern game, long-term starters at either left or right tackle tend to be high draft picks. In 2023, the four tackles named to the Associated Press All-Pro teams were each top 10 selections.
When teams are as successful as the Kansas City Chiefs — and therefore picking at the end of the first round — it’s harder to draft these top players. So these teams tend to pay top dollar for free agents who used their four-year rookie contracts to develop elsewhere. Former Kansas City right tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Jawaan Taylor were both high second-round picks who were widely expected to develop over time.
In 2024, Taylor will be hoping to blossom from solid to elite — like Schwartz did at his peak — but the point remains: it’s difficult to draft for a future starting tackle without being in the top half of the first round.
So if general manager Brett Veach doesn’t make an aggressive move up the board on the opening night of the NFL Draft, he’ll know that the tackle options after the top tier will likely need a little time to develop into very good players.
Here are two draft prospects who could do just that.
Kiran Amegadjie | Yale | 6’ 5” 323 lbs. | True Senior
Over the last two seasons, this Ivy Leaguer as started at left tackle for the Bulldogs, earning first-team all-conference honors in 2022 — then third-team All-American honors last season.
Unfortunately, Amegadjie’s latest season was cut short by an injury. After four starts, a torn quadricep sidelined him for the team’s final six games. That prevented him from showing his skillset at the Senior Bowl or the NFL Scouting Combine. Still, he was able to show off rare measurables — including an arm length of 36 1/8 inches, which ranks in the 95th percentile for offensive tackle prospects.
Kiran Amegadjie(72) with the finish in the run game. Love his athletic traits, someone is eventually gonna get a plus starter pic.twitter.com/DA8OtZbCyV
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) April 22, 2024
That length shows up in his game when he gets into defenders’ chests and overwhelms them. You can see it in this clip, as he completes a pancake block on the back side of the run.
There’s no question that Amegadjie has the physical foundation to be an NFL left tackle. And he consistently locked down the blind side at Yale: per PFF, he did not allow a sack (and surrendered just one quarterback hit) over the 14 starts at left tackle.
But he will need to refine his technique to reach his ceiling as a starter. While he needs work on his hand placement and play-to-play consistency, there is a universe in which Amegadjie becomes a dependable starter.
He is projected to be drafted later on Day 2 — possibly in the back half of the third round. He ranks 75th in Arrowhead Pride’s consensus prospect ranking.
Brandon Coleman | TCU | 6’ 5” 313 lbs. | Super Senior
Coleman is another prospect coming into the draft with two years as a starting left tackle under his belt. After starting 15 games there for TCU’s run to the national championship game in 2022, Coleman started 2023 at left guard — then moved back to left tackle for the final seven games.
According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, the position change was not about Coleman’s performance; instead, TCU wanted the best five linemen on the field. Playing both spots, Coleman earned second-team All-Big 12 in 2023 — and was then invited to the Senior Bowl.
Brandon Coleman is a OG prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.97 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 5 out of 1523 OG from 1987 to 2024.
Pro day pending.https://t.co/cltQWcU2wg pic.twitter.com/crjNI5ebb6
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 30, 2024
At the combine, Coleman showed off 10 3/4-inch hands — 90th percentile for offensive tackle prospects — and 34 5/8-inch arms. The latter is above the threshold the Chiefs typically use for offensive tackles.
He also posted impressive numbers in his athletic testing: his 4.99 40-yard dash was in the 90th percentile for his position. His vertical leap and broad jump results were each 93rd percentile or higher.
And on the field, Coleman is a mauler. He has a large upper body — and the feet he needs to bring that mass into his blocks. This is why some project him as a guard at the next level — but Colman also flashes the calm movement skills that are needed in pass protection.
The flaws in his game could force him to be moved inside. But his positional ambiguity may make him a value pick for the Chiefs. He is projected to be drafted on Day 3; he ranks 103rd in our consensus prospect ranking.