Chiefs address offensive line, cornerback and receiver with their fourth-round picks
After addressing two primary needs — defensive line and cornerback — with their first two picks in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Chiefs used all three of their fourth-round picks to do the same on Saturday, the final day of the draft.
With pick No. 105, they selected Cincinnati tackle Parker Ehinger, an experienced offensive lineman with versatility. With pick No. 106, they selected Minnesota cornerback Eric Murray, a competitive and fluid corner with cover skills. And with pick No. 126, they selected talented-but-troubled receiver Demarcus Robinson from Florida.
Ehinger, who is listed at 6 feet 6, 310 pounds, was a four-year starter for the Bearcats who started out at right tackle as a freshman and spent his next two years at right guard before shifting out to left tackle as a senior.
The Chiefs' lead scout on him was Pat Sperduto. Sperduto said Ehinger's experience — he started 50 games at Cincinnati — and versatility was attractive to the Chiefs. So was his technique in pass protection.
“He's a guy that shows a ton of patience in his game; he has aggression, he knows when to use it, when to pull back. He's a guy that will definitely fit in our (o-line) room.”
Ehinger's NFL.com draft profile says his “core strength is below desired level, but Sperduto said there's room on his frame for added growth, and Ehinger agrees. The Chiefs could use a swing tackle,
“I feel like I cam develop parts of my body in different areas, and I feel like I can get in the weight room and work on certain parts that maybe I didn't have as much time to work on in college, just being busy with school and everything,” Ehinger said.
With their next pick, the Chiefs selected Murray, who is listed at 5 feet 11 and 199 pounds. He is a three-year starter who recorded 66 tackles, an interception and seven pass breakups. He also forced three forced fumbles and was a willing special teams player, too — he blocked two punts in 2014.
The Chiefs' lead scout on him was Terry Delp. Delp said Murray's athleticism — he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and posted a superb 39 1/2-inch vertical jump — is the first thing that stands out.
“I was watching Minnesota a couple years ago and you're like 'Oooh, who's that guy?” said Delp, who remembers watching Murray chase down an offensive player across the field. “He's really smooth. Good hips.”
Delp said the Chiefs also liked Murray's toughness; his NFL.com profile says he “maintains good positioning and crowds receivers' chest forcing him against the sideline” and “does not have the mentality of a small cornerback.”
“I've always been an aggressive kid; I never could play basketball because I was too aggressive,” Murray said with a laugh. “It's just always been in me; I can't really help.”
Delp is excited to see Murray join a young cornerback corps that includes six players taken within the last three drafts (Marcus Peters, Phillip Gaines, KeiVarae Russell, Steven Nelson and 2016 sixth-rounder D.J. White).
“He's a captain, he called people out … he was known as the toughest guy on the team — every teammate said that, which is kind of unusual, especially for a corner,” Delp said of Murray. “He'll hit 'ya, and he's got an edge. He'll tell it how it is.”
And with their final pick of the fourth round, selected Robinson, who is listed at 6 feet 1 and 203 pounds. Robinson, the nephew of former NFL receiver Marcus Robinson, was called “an electrical vertical talent” whose NFL comparison is Mike Wallace in his NFL.com draft profile.
Ryne Nutt, the Chiefs' lead Southeast scout, said Robinson — who ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at his pro day and caught 48 passes for 522 yards and two touchdowns in 2015 — would have gone in the top three rounds were it not for his off-field issues.
“He's a loose-hipped, quick-footed athlete,” Nutt said. “He's a little quicker than fast, but on tape when you watch this kid, he can run, now, he can climb on defensive backs.”
Robinson, however, had a somewhat bumpy road to the pros. Robinson was suspended four times in college, with the first three coming his freshman year because of failed marijuana tests. He later spent 45 days in drug rehab, and said on Saturday that he hasn't he hasn't touched drugs since he was a freshman.
His last suspension came in Nov. 2015, when he was suspended for the Florida State game for meeting with an agent.
“I was just trying to move too fast,” Robinson said.
Since then, Robinson — who declared for the draft after his true junior season — says he has fielded all sorts of questions from teams about his off-field issues, and has worked to assuage concerns.
“I just had to let everybody know that was in my past — everything was in my freshman year, and I'm a changed guy now,” Robinson said. “I haven't done anything wrong since my freshman year.”
Nutt said the organization did its off-the-field homework on Robinson, which included plenty of digging around Gainesville.
“Teammates loved this kid; this is a kid that's going to come in, he's going to do anything you ask,” Nutt said. “He's going to work his butt off, he's not a diva, he doesn't demand the football, he's gonna play on special teams if you want him (to), he's going to block on the edge if you want (him) to.
“Just, he wants to please. He's a people pleaser.”
Robinson added that the Chiefs brought him in for a pre-draft visit, and he had an opportunity to speak to multiple members of the personnel department, including general manager John Dorsey, coach Andy Reid and receivers coach David Culley.
“We feel like he's matured, we feel like he's gotten humbled — just the growth in the kid sold itself,” Nutt said.
Robinson now joins a receiver room that includes a respected veteran leader in Jeremy Maclin, in addition to Albert Wilson, Chris Conley, Rod Streater, Mike Williams and another former Gator, Frankie Hammond.
Terez A. Paylor: 816-234-4489, @TerezPaylor. Download Red Zone Extra, The Star's Chiefs app.
CHIEFS’ DRAFT PICKS BIOS
G Parker Ehinger
Pick: Round four (No. 105)
School: Cincinnati
Height: 6-6
Weight: 310
Combine stats: 33-inch arms, 9 7/8-inch hands, 5.26-second 40-yard dash, 97-inch broad jump
How he fits: Offensive line was a position of need for the Chiefs and, obviously, general manager John Dorsey loved Ehinger, who was projected to go lower in the draft. Ehinger was a Freshman All-American in 2012, playing primarily at right tackle. He spent two seasons at right guard and moved to left tackle as a senior. He’s likely to find a home inside at the next level, competing with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Zach Fulton, Jarrod Pughsley and perhaps Jah Reid for reps on the interior.
CB Eric Murray
Pick: Round four (No. 106)
School: Minnesota
Height: 5-11
Weight: 199
Combine stats: 31 3/4-inch arms, 9-inch hands, 4.49-second 40-yard dash, 15 bench reps, 39 1/2-inch vertical jump, 124-inch broad jump, 7.08-second three-cone drill, 4.05-second 20-yard shuttle, 11.19 60-yard shuttle
How he fits: No team ever has enough cornerbacks these days in the pass-happy NFL. Murray provides protection in case Phillip Gaines, a 2014 third-round pick, isn’t 100 percent as he returns from a torn ACL, and if Steven Nelson, a third-round pick last season, doesn’t make a leap forward. Murray might be best in the slot immediately. He started the last 39 games with the Golden Gophers, playing primarily press-man coverage and recording two interceptions with 24 pass breakups. Murray’s speed allows him to run with receivers vertically and, coupled with his supreme athleticism, that might allow him to bounce outside.
WR Demarcus Robinson
Pick: Round four (No. 126)
School: Florida
Height: 6-1
Weight: 203
Combine stats: 33-inch arms, 9 1/2-inch hands, 4.59-second 40-yard dash, 34 1/2-inch, 123-inch broad jump, 6.77-second three-cone drill, 4.19-second 30-yard shuttle
Pro Day stats: 4.59-second 40-yard dash, 4.21-second 20-yard shuttle, 6.69-second three-cone drill, 33 1/2-inch vertical, 123-inch broad jump, 9 bench reps
How he fits: Robinson is a talented player with the ability to beat press-man coverage at the line of scrimmage and move the chains. He should be a nice complement to Jeremy Maclin’s downfield threat and adds depth at a position of need alongside Chris Conley, Mike Williams, Albert Wilson and others. Robinson was suspended or benched multiple times, mostly for failed drug tests with the Gators, but the Chiefs say he’s beloved by teammates and has matured through those struggles to the point they’re comfortable bringing him in. After the catch is a strength for Robinson, a skill the Chiefs desperately need.
QB Kevin Hogan
Pick: Round five (No. 162)
School: Stanford
Height: 6-3
Weight: 218
Combine stats: 32 3/8-inch arms, 10 1/4-inch hands, 4.78-second 40-yard dash, 113-inch vertical, 6.90-second three-cone drill
How he fits: After losing backup Chase Daniel in free agency, it’s no surprise the Chiefs added a fourth quarterback to the roster. Hogan will push Aaron Murray and Tyler Bray for a spot on the Chiefs’ quarterback depth chart and could be groomed as an eventual successor to Alex Smith. Hogan was a four-year starter for the Cardinal, following Andrew Luck. He led Stanford to a 36-10 record and three Rose Bowls, including wins in 2012 and 2015. Hogan completed 65.9 percent of his passes in four seasons and averaged 2,763 yards with 22 touchdowns and 8.3 interceptions during his final three seasons. Playing in a pro-style offense in college should ease his transition to the NFL and he’s more athletic than some might expect — he rushed for 1,249 career yards with 15 touchdowns. But his mechanics need refinement in Andy Reid’s capable hands.
WR Tyreek Hill
Pick: Round 5 (No. 165)
School: West Alabama
Height: 5-10
Weight: 185
Pro Day stats (per area scout): 4.25-second 40-yard dash
How he fits: Hill has undeniable physical gifts, including blazing track-star speed. He’s got tremendous value as a special-teams player. Area scout Ryne Nutt said Hill is the most-gifted returner he’s written up in seven years as a professional scout. The Chiefs clearly need wide receivers, but Hill has massive character concerns after he was kicked off Oklahoma State’s team in 2015 after he was charged with domestic abuse by strangulation.
CB D.J. White
Pick: Round 6 (No. 178)
School: Georgia Tech
Height: 5-11
Weight: 193
Combine stats: 31 1/2-inch arms, 9 1/4-inch hands, 4.49-second 40-yard dash, 17 bench reps, 33-inch vertical jump, 132-inch broad jump, 7.18-second three-cone drill, 4.33-second 20-yard shuttle
Pro Day stats: 34-inch vertical jump
How he fits: Obviously, the Chiefs felt a need to upgrade their secondary, drafting a third cornerback in the last two days (Notre Dame’s KeiVarae Russell was taken in the third round and Minnesota’s Eric Murray in the fourth round). It’s possible one or more of the new defensive backs will shift to safety, but White probably isn’t the best candidate. He’s a boundary cornerback, who had two interceptions and a team-high eight pass breakups as a senior last fall. White is relatively polished and quickly could contribute in sub-packages if his coverage skills translate to the bump in competition.
OLB Dadi Nicolas
Pick: Round 6 (No. 203)
School: Virginia Tech
Height: 6-3
Weight: 235
Combine stats: 34 3/4-inch arms, 10 3/8-inch hands, 4.74-second 40-yard dash, 14 bench reps, 41-inch vertical, 116-inch broad jump, 7.04-second three-cone drill, 4.38-second 20-yard shuttle
Pro Day stats: 4.76-second 40-yard dash, 38-inch vertical, 125-inch broad jump, 4.63-second 20-yard shuttle, 7.65-second three-cone drill
How he fits: Nicolas played as an undersized defensive tackle and defensive end for the Hokies, but he projects as an outside linebacker in the Chiefs’ 3-4 system. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton needs depth at the position because Justin Houston’s status for the 2016 season is in doubt after knee surgery and Tamba Hali, who re-signed in the offseason, is aging and often limited in practice. Dee Ford, the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2014, has yet to make an impact, and Nicolas figures to challenge veterans Frank Zombo and Jonathan Massaquoi, a free-agent signing from Atlanta, for reps.
This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Chiefs address offensive line, cornerback and receiver with their fourth-round picks."