*****The Lucas Niang Thread*****

[Dante84]

More to come in 2021

Spoiler!

Niang since 2017

975 Pass-block snaps
0 Sacks allowed

— The LIV Chiefs Kingdom (@1_ChiefsKingdom) April 25, 2020

We had Lucas Niang at #57 in the KC Draft Guide, so this is awesome valued. Played through a hip injury last year. This is definitely a guy earmarked to take over for one of the Chiefs tackles in the future. pic.twitter.com/a1P53sN9bL

— Craig Stout (@barleyhop) April 25, 2020

With their third round pick, the Chiefs select TCU OT Lucas Niang.

A scout I spoke to said he's a guy who can start at guard and eventually move out to tackle.

— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) April 25, 2020

Anyone up for some pancakes? @Kbniang8 is cookin'...��*����

cc: @NFLDraft#ProFrogs #OLineU pic.twitter.com/XddiCZhI4u

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) April 18, 2020

New Chiefs OT/OG @Kbniang8 has some WILD college stats. He didn’t allow a single sack in 975 career pass blocking snaps. If that’s not impressive enough, he committed just 3 penalties on 1,982 career snaps.#NFLDraft | #Chiefs | #ChiefsKingdom

— Arrowhead Live (@ArrowheadLive) April 25, 2020

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

A few on the radio said we could play Trey Smith at RT and Kinnard at guard

Nothing would surprise me given how good Trey Smith is.

I'm feeling it as a giant meeeeeh right now, but if I'm going to trust anybody on this right side to step up, it's Smith.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Nothing would surprise me given how good Trey Smith is.

I'm feeling it as a giant meeeeeh right now, but if I'm going to trust anybody on this right side to step up, it's Smith.

If it were to work and I don't care what combination of Smith/Kimmard at guard tackle you have a very physical right side on rookie deals with an all pro center and a very good left side. That's one hell of an offensive line. Arguably the best.

[BossChief]

There’s no reason at all to move Smith to RT when Kinnard is taking that job. By the time Niang is healthy () Kinnard will be entrenched as the starting RT.

If Andy commits to the run this year () this OL will go out and absolutely bulldoze opposing DLs. Even really good ones. Teams will try to drop 8 against us (especially when defenses realize how talented this WR/TE group is) snd this OL is built to punch defenses in the mouth as a counter punch to those looks.

I’d love to see Pat audible to the run a lot more when he sees a very light box.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by BossChief

There’s no reason at all to move Smith to RT when Kinnard is taking that job. By the time Niang is healthy () Kinnard will be entrenched as the starting RT.

If Andy commits to the run this year () this OL will go out and absolutely bulldoze opposing DLs. Even really good ones. Teams will try to drop 8 against us (especially when defenses realize how talented this WR/TE group is) snd this OL is built to punch defenses in the mouth as a counter punch to those looks.

I’d love to see Pat audible to the run a lot more when he sees a very light box.

Andy isn't going to commit to the run this year.

He's. Not. Going. To. Do. It.

If Kinnard isn't agile enough as a pass protector, it makes zero sense for him to be out there at RT.

The draft reports said he'd be a guard because he's not agile enough. Draft reports are often wrong, so he's got that going for him. And coaching/development, even as short of a span as a rookie offseason, can make the world of difference.

But are some of you seriously okay with Kinnard getting the job and outright whiffing constantly on these elite pass rushers we're going up against on our schedule? I'm sure as **** not. I'd much rather have Wylie out there. Or... I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Niang was NOT sucking as hard as everybody claimed he was early last year.

[tmax63]

DK played RT in the SEC against some of the guys that he'll play against on Sundays and he did great. He'll be fine at RT as soon as he gets used to the game speed just like every other rookie in the NFL.

[JPH83]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Andy isn't going to commit to the run this year.

He's. Not. Going. To. Do. It.

If Kinnard isn't agile enough as a pass protector, it makes zero sense for him to be out there at RT.

The draft reports said he'd be a guard because he's not agile enough. Draft reports are often wrong, so he's got that going for him. And coaching/development, even as short of a span as a rookie offseason, can make the world of difference.

But are some of you seriously okay with Kinnard getting the job and outright whiffing constantly on these elite pass rushers we're going up against on our schedule? I'm sure as **** not. I'd much rather have Wylie out there. Or... I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Niang was NOT sucking as hard as everybody claimed he was early last year.

Agree with all of this. It feels like people have got excited by his run blocking but there's a reason he went that late. His pass protection is why he's a developmental RT. Could he be ready day 1? Maybe. But could he also need more time? Definitely, and I'm with you, start him behind Wylie, bring him on slow if needs be. That would be my expectation. Basically give him every chance to develop as a RT and if that means initially sitting him, fine. If his pass pro never looks like it'll get there, then look at sliding him across.

[duncan_idaho]

I think some of the concerns about Kinnard being agile enough just stem from his bod composition and his team’s play style.

He’s plenty agile to stick at RT with his power and length.

I expect him to beat out Wylie and hold off Niang, who does give them some nice depth for the next 2 years (expecting he’s available only on the back half of this season).

I also don’t worry as much about the speed game at RT. Yeah, there are going to be guys good at bending the pocket there, but he has the length to push them high in the pocket. With the way Mahomes learned to step up in the pocket last year and how good the interior DL is, I’m not worried about guys selling out for the outside speed rush. Let them. Push them wide/high. Let Mahomes step up as trust the results.

[Wisconsin_Chief]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Or... I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Niang was NOT sucking as hard as everybody claimed he was early last year.

I actually agree, I was very happy with his play before he got hurt. My biggest issue with him is he clearly is going to have problems staying healthy. He'll be way behind the pack again with all the time he's missing. I was actually OK with Wylie too but I don't think we can count on that type of performance again with the type of pass rushers we'll be facing every week.

It's just nice to have options. A real dark horse here is Geron Christian, too. He has proven he can play in this league even as a left tackle and is with a stable organization for the first time in his career, so he has a real chance to lock down the RT position as well. Lots of good young potential here, it's just nice to see. You have to believe one of them will step up.

I really like Veach's approach of just throwing young, talented bodies everywhere he can. It gives you a good chance that someone is going to figure it all out and stick.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Andy isn't going to commit to the run this year.

He's. Not. Going. To. Do. It.

If Kinnard isn't agile enough as a pass protector, it makes zero sense for him to be out there at RT.

The draft reports said he'd be a guard because he's not agile enough. Draft reports are often wrong, so he's got that going for him. And coaching/development, even as short of a span as a rookie offseason, can make the world of difference.

But are some of you seriously okay with Kinnard getting the job and outright whiffing constantly on these elite pass rushers we're going up against on our schedule? I'm sure as **** not. I'd much rather have Wylie out there. Or... I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Niang was NOT sucking as hard as everybody claimed he was early last year.

His agility is a concern, but can be partially mitigated through proper technique with consistency. He has some of the longest arms at OT and the rest of his body is built like a damn sequoia. Part of his profile is his inconsistencies but him falling in the draft gave him a huge chip on his shoulder like Trey Smith has. I think he’s going to work tirelessly to improve those areas. He doesn’t need to be elite against speed, he needs to use better technique and use those long arms to push those guys wide. as he uses that to force them wide, the plsycalling allowing this OL to wear down opposing DLs can help the edges as they get gashed snd need to adjust their game plan.

I’ve been waiting for that wrinkle to show up for over a year though, so who knows. Maybe Andy never changes, but we signed a bigger back and also drafted a bigger back, as well as keeping Gore…so who knows. In games we balanced the attack, we were unstoppable.

[UChieffyBugger]

With our tackle situation right now It's got me wondering about this guy. He's had a weird time since joining the Chiefs with him skipping a year and then the injuries hampering his progress but in 2021 he was really starting to settle down and play well and then got that freak injury after being forced to move to LT with Brown getting injured pre-game against the Bengals.

He's seemingly back fully healthy now and played snaps during last season without any issues. With Wylie out of the way and a full offseason program under his belt do we think Andy and Brett gives him another shot? The guy is still only 24, has two cheap years left on his contract, knows the system and is used to playing with Pat already. And at least Pat wouldn't have to worry about having two new tackles he has to learn about.

Just a thought because imo when healthy he's every bit as good as Wylie if not better so why not give him a clean slate?

[staylor26]

I think it's worth mentioning that he was the first OT to come off the bench when Wylie went out in the SB (or AFCCG can't remember).

It also appears that he's lost a significant amount of weight, which might help him stay healthy.

I think there's a real chance that he's your starting RT next season.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by UChieffyBugger

With our tackle situation right now It's got me wondering about this guy. He's had a weird time since joining the Chiefs with him skipping a year and then the injuries hampering his progress but in 2021 he was really starting to settle down and play well and then got that freak injury after being forced to move to LT with Brown getting injured pre-game against the Bengals.

He's seemingly back fully healthy now and played snaps during last season without any issues. With Wylie out of the way and a full offseason program under his belt do we think Andy and Brett gives him another shot? The guy is still only 24, has two cheap years left on his contract, knows the system and is used to playing with Pat already. And at least Pat wouldn't have to worry about having two new tackles he has to learn about.

Just a thought because imo when healthy he's every bit as good as Wylie if not better so why not give him a clean slate?

Lol, he can't stay healthy. Hasn't been healthy for an entire season, ever. Last season he only played in 7 games.

He's a lost cause. I think Andy could keep him as a back-up for 2023, assuming he can handle that much of a load, but in reality, his potential as a starter is probably non-existent at this point.

And if his ceiling is "every bit as good as Wylie," we really need to move on from the guy next season.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Lol, he can't stay healthy. Hasn't been healthy for an entire season, ever. Last season he only played in 7 games.

He's a lost cause. I think Andy could keep him as a back-up for 2023, assuming he can handle that much of a load, but in reality, his potential as a starter is probably non-existent at this point.

And if his ceiling is "every bit as good as Wylie," we really need to move on from the guy next season.

It should be noted that he only played in 7 games because he was coming back from a late season pattelar injury from the year before. That is misleading.

[htismaqe]

Who is this Niang kid? Does he play football?

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

It should be noted that he only played in 7 games because he was coming back from a late season pattelar injury from the year before. That is misleading.

Good one!