The Kansas City Chiefs keep adding to offensive line with second 2nd-round draft pick
The offensive line overhaul isn’t complete after all.
After prioritizing protection in front of quarterback Patrick Mahomes throughout free agency, the Chiefs stayed on that path in the NFL Draft, selecting Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey with the No. 63 overall pick late in the second round, five slots after they plucked Mizzou linebacker Nick Bolton with their initial choice. The Chiefs did not possess a first-rounder this year.
Humphrey (6-4, 302), a three-year college starter, did not allow a sack while at Oklahoma, per the scouting from Pro Football Focus. He’s a big center yet quick-footed with the ability to move in space.
Twice, the Big 12 Conference named Humphrey its offensive lineman of the year. He was a freshman All-American in 2018, a second-team All-American in 2019 and a third-team All-American in 2020.
“Big kid (who) is extremely smart,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Great feet and work ethic and a big man. Creed will be a nice addition to that offensive line.”
Most projections had Humphrey as a Day Two pick, and some had him as the top center available in this year’s draft class. Humphrey said he spoke to several teams in the pre-draft process, including Zoom calls with the Chiefs. Those calls included Reid, general manager Brett Veach and longtime offensive line coach Andy Heck, among others.
“When we got the call, it was a huge sigh of relief,” Humphrey said. “I got the call from the best organization in the country. I was so excited, so relieved, and now I’m so ready to get to work.”
At Oklahoma, he made the protection calls across the offensive line.
One of the men hearing those signals? Orlando Brown Jr., his teammate once again. The two overlapped for one season at Oklahoma. The Chiefs traded for Brown last week in an agreement with the Ravens.
“He’s such a mean player on the field,” Humphrey said. “That’s something I’ve always admired about him. That’s something I’ve tried to copy my game after.”
The selection is indicative of the Chiefs’ offseason storyline.
Help up front.
They already spent their free-agency capital revamping an offensive line that became oft-injured and then exposed in a Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay. They signed center Austin Blythe from the Rams, who projects to compete with Humphrey for playing time. They also signed guard Joe Thuney to a five-year deal, signed guard Kyle Long for one season and made the trade for Brown. In addition, they will get back Lucas Niang and guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif after they opted out of the 2020 season.
“We hadn’t done a whole lot to that area for a bit,” Reid said.
“We’ve got good players coming back too. We’ve got this great competition that will take place. That brings out the best in all of us. As a player, you sit there, and I’ve talked to the guys about this, Brett’s gonna go do his job and try to keep the competition high. Let’s not run from that. Let’s attack it. If you handle it right, it brings out the best in you down the road.”
CHIEFS’ DRAFT PICKS
- Round 2, 58th overall: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
- Round 2, 63rd overall: C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
- Round 4, 144th overall: DE Joshua Kaindoh, Florida State
- Round 5, 162nd overall, via trade with Jets: TE Noah Gray, Duke
- Round 5, 181st overall: WR Cornell Powell, Clemson
Round 6, 226th overall, via trade with Jets: OL Trey Smith, Tennessee
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 8:36 PM with the headline "The Kansas City Chiefs keep adding to offensive line with second 2nd-round draft pick."