Five things to know about OL Darian Kinnard, the Chiefs’ fifth-round pick from Kentucky
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The Kansas City Chiefs improved their depth on the offensive lineman position on Saturday by selecting OL Darian Kinnard with the 145th pick in the draft.
Kinnard is a really interesting person, here are five facts to know about the latest member of the Chiefs:
1. Kinnard is a big dude:
Darian Kinnard is a big man, he weighed in at 322 pounds or 146 KG. He is 6-foot-5 inches and has been described as an “oak tree with proportional thickness throughout,” though massive, Kinnard has been known to “comfortably carry his weight on his long, flexible frame.”
Apart from being a big dude, Kinnard is also strong and powerful, “Kinnard wins by being the baddest man on the block. He was bigger and stronger than every player he had to block on a college field… The torque he can generate is insane. He throws around 300-pounders,” as per Prof Football Focus.
2. He had the biggest hands at the combine
Darian Kinnard has 11 and 1/4th inch hands, the largest of any player irrespective of position at this year’s combine.
His hands in combination with his frame and strength have helped him earn a name for his playstyle. “Kinnard is an all-day mauler relying heavily upon a nasty demeanor and physical advantages to overwhelm opponents,” as per Lance Zierlein.
3. Kinnard used his size to his advantage
He started three years for the Wildcats, Kinnard is a two-time All-American, he earned the “First-Team” honors as a senior last season with the team. In addition to that, he also earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2021, an award that only the best OL in the SEC gets.
As per PFF, “Kinnard is one of the most accomplished run-blockers at the tackle position in college football…He earned 89.0-plus run-blocking grades over the past three seasons.”
He has been consistent and exceptional as well, he finished his career along with a top grade, the top run-blocking grade, and the top pass-blocking grade of any player in his position in the entire SEC.
4. He is a versatile player:
Kinnard was confined to being a right tackle at Kentucky, he recorded 2,223 snaps at that spot over his last three seasons, but as per many analysts, he is versatile enough to play guard in the league.
The Chiefs Senior College Scouting Exec, Pat Sperduto had this to say about Kennard’s game at the next level, “Personally, I like him as a right tackle, and I think with Coach (Andy) Heck’s coaching, (he can work on) some of the little things that he maybe needs to fine-tune, I think we can work him as a right tackle, if we needed to, we could put him in at guard, but I think his first spot is going to be right tackle.”
5. Kinnard was projected as a second-rounder
The Chiefs got value for their picks in this year’s NFL Draft, Kinnard is the perfect representation of that.
Dane Brugler had projected Kinnard to be picked at No. 52, PFF projected him to go No.79, and some analysts pushed him to the third round. However, the Chiefs drafted him with the 145th overall pick.
Kinnard is the seventh-best value selection in the entire draft class going by the following post.
Clearly, Kinnard’s draft value is no representation of his talent, the Kansas City Chiefs really made a wise choice by picking him.
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Sumedh Joshi
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