KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- No, the Kansas City Chiefs' plan for the NFL draft last week was not to prioritize their defense over their offense.
But after they traded up in the first round to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, the Chiefs kept going, continuing to bolster their defense with their next three picks -- Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29, Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas at No. 40 and Oregon safety Jadon Canady at No. 109.
"It just happened that those are the best players on our board and they did address needs that we had," Ryne Nutt, the Chiefs' vice president of player personnel, said Monday. "It was kind of a perfect marriage, so to speak."
With their top four selections going to one side of the ball, the Chiefs ultimately put together a sizable youth movement for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit. The four rookies are all either expected to play significant snaps (Delane and Woods) or compete for a quality rotational role (Thomas and Canady).
Several members of the Chiefs' front office shared that last week was a Christmas-like haul for Spagnuolo, who in March said goodbye to a list of valuable veterans who joined another team in free agency -- such as cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, linebacker Leo Chenal and safety Bryan Cook. The prospect Spagnuolo coveted most was Delane, who is expected to replace McDuffie. In a trade Thursday night with the Cleveland Browns, the Chiefs sent the Nos. 9, 74 and 148 picks to acquire Delane with the sixth pick.
Nutt shared Monday that one reason Spagnuolo was fixated on Delane was because his extreme versatility would be a great fit within the Chiefs' complex scheme.
"He can play off-man, press-man, zone," Nutt said of Delane's coverage skills. "All those abilities are very good abilities. He is somebody that when you get an injury, or something happens with maybe another player, you can move him around. It just makes it easier on a defensive coordinator and on a scheme when you have one player that can just move around and play multiple roles.
"He's an elite outside corner and that's probably where he's going to start, but Trent was an elite nickel. We think this kid could do the same if he was put in that position."
In 11 games last season at LSU, Delane recorded two interceptions and 13 pass breakups. He didn't surrender a touchdown in coverage and didn't commit a penalty, either.
If he can be what the Chiefs hope as a rookie, Delane believes the Chiefs defense can be one of the league's best units. Delane, while praising Spagnuolo, knows that he is joining a lineup that includes talented veterans such as pass rusher Chris Jones, defensive end George Karlaftis and linebacker Nick Bolton.
"A lot of top-10 teams are really not good, but that's not the situation here," Delane said last week. "We have a championship team that had just one little down year. We're right back to it with the expectations that are here. I'm expecting to live up to them."
By selecting Woods and Thomas, the Chiefs acknowledged that their pass rush last season was subpar. Too often, the Chiefs were forced to rely on Jones to generate immediate pressure while Karlaftis played much of the second half of last season with a nagging thumb injury.
The Chiefs project Woods to be an above-average pass rusher based on his quickness and athleticism, especially if he can develop quickly under Jones.
"I definitely think I can get better at finishing my plays," Woods said last week. "When you get to the next level, it's all about technique and fundamentals and doing it harder and longer than the man across from you."
And although Thomas is smaller than the prototypical edge rusher that Spagnuolo often prefers -- he is listed at 6-foot-2 and 249 pounds -- his burst and tenacity led him the past two seasons to collect 22 sacks in 23 games.
"We kind of got stuck on the field there this past year on third down," Nutt said. "When the opportunity presented itself with [Woods and Thomas], becoming the best players on the board at the time, we jumped on it. For Peter, he's explosive off the ball. When you're explosive off the ball and you can reduce the space between you and an interior offensive lineman or a tackle, it gives you an advantage.
"Both play low, they have really good pad leverage, they're really fast off the ball, and they're explosive. Primarily, they're speed rush guys, but they have sneaky power where they can keep a tackle or guard or a center off balance. That allows them to win quickly. We felt both were extremely disruptive, and both had high motors."
One scenario in which Woods and Thomas could thrive as rookies is on clear passing downs. Rotating onto the field, the rookies could see one-on-one matchups to demonstrate their skills to better help Jones and Karlaftis pressure the quarterback.
Thomas wants his relentless motor to be a feature of his playstyle. He also hopes his first-step burst can be similar to Denver Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto, a player who was one of the main reasons he chose to play at Oklahoma.
"It gets to a point where you know [the highlight] is going to come, the fans know it's going to come, mom in the stands knows it's going to come, so the anticipation to go and have the endurance to still play fast at the end of the game, that's where it comes from," Thomas said of his mentality to make splash plays in the fourth quarter. "We do all this conditioning, so you might as well use it."
Alongside the four rookies, Spagnuolo will also be relying on a group of players entering their second year -- such as defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, defensive end Ashton Gillotte, cornerback Nohl Williams and linebacker Jeffrey Bassa. The Chiefs are hopeful that their youth movement, and the improved speed within the unit, will lead to Spagnuolo's group forcing more turnovers than just the 14 takeaways the team had last season, which was tied for the fourth-fewest in the league.
One of the most intriguing position battles this offseason, and into training camp, will be at nickel. With Chamarri Conner expected to be a starting safety, the nickel role could be a three-man competition among Kader Kohou, Chris Roland-Wallace and Canady, the Chiefs' fourth-round pick. At Oregon last season, Canady was excellent in that role, limiting opposing quarterbacks to just 2.4 yards per attempt as the primary defender, which led FBS. In 15 games, he recorded two interceptions, eight pass breakups and allowed only one touchdown in coverage.
With the Chiefs, Canady wants to earn the nickel role as a rookie.
"Just the ability to cover and the ability to read-and-react on certain plays, whether it's a pass or a run play," Canady said of why he enjoys the position. "That spot just allows you to play freely and fast."
