The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ 2022 draft class would possibly go down as probably the greatest in franchise historical past.
That began to grow to be obvious final season, as a number of members of the category contributed to the workforce’s championship run. However the progress we’ve seen from 12 months 2 gamers in the course of the first two video games of the 2023 season offers much more proof of how transformative final season’s rookies have been
One of many standouts of Sunday’s 17-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars was linebacker Leo Chenal. Despite the fact that he’s a part of a really deep linebacking corps, the previous third-rounder’s utilization has elevated this season. Chenal has performed 38% of the workforce’s defensive snaps — and has made probably the most of them. Whereas he’s all the time been a robust run defender, his progress in go protection (and play recognition) has helped him shine. He’s been helpful in a number of defensive roles — together with being a go rusher, an space through which he excelled whereas taking part in at Wisconsin.
Per PFF, Leo Chenal had 8 snaps as a go rusher Sunday, probably the most he’s ever had in a sport
He tallied 4 pressures, all hurries, in these 8 snaps
— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) September 19, 2023
On Wednesday, Arrowhead Satisfaction’s Aaron Ladd spoke with Chenal within the locker room.
“We’ve simply gotta preserve stacking,” he declared. “We’re not sitting right here, patting ourselves on the again. We all the time have one thing to work on; [we’re] taking a look at it.
“However I do suppose we really feel assured. It’s [the] second, third [or] fourth yr [in] this protection with lots of the blokes. I believe having all that have below our belt — taking part in that a lot quicker with the boldness we’ve, with the blokes we’ve having the ability to belief one another with every part we do? That’s large for confidence.”
Within the first two video games, that confidence (and belief) has been simple to see. Kansas Metropolis’s protection has given up solely 23 factors to opposing offenses. A part of that success has come from the workforce leveraging its linebackers by taking part in extra 3-3-5 fronts. This permits the second-level gamers to both rush the passer or simulate strain earlier than fading into protection.
Chenal believes that in his second yr, the sport has slowed down for him.
“Even going into the offseason — displaying up for OTAs — you’re feeling the distinction.” he noticed. “You are feeling like you possibly can take a breath and say: ‘OK, I simply did that.’ Nothing’s unfamiliar, so [you can] simply go on the market and play unfastened.
“I’m in a position to sluggish it down and have a look at a receiver cut up whereas I’m sitting on the sting — or [other] little issues that I wouldn’t discover earlier than. My thoughts is working extra calmly than earlier than — and it’s making me that significantly better.”
To date, Professional Soccer Focus charges Chenal as Kansas Metropolis’s highest-graded linebacker, rating him twenty second out of 81 qualifying linebackers throughout the league. He’s more likely to proceed to play a major function within the workforce’s defensive success because it prepares to face the Chicago Bears’ run-oriented offense this Sunday.
