4 Kansas City Chiefs rookies who proved they’re ready for NFL this preseason

Another preseason is in the books for the Kansas City Chiefs. While KC went 0-3 in the preseason, the game results matter far less than what we learned about the players who are fighting to make the 53-man roster or even fighting for a starting spot with the team. This preseason the Chiefs learned a lot about their rookie class. While time will tell on just how many rookies from this season will make an impact long-term, four of them stood out and made names for themselves this preseason.

Some of these rookies made big splash plays, while others displayed the skills or traits that the Chiefs drafted them for, but might have been wondering if they would transfer to the NFL. So let’s take a look at the four rookies who stood out in the preseason and what they proved going forward. We’ll start with the biggest surprise of the group.

Carson Steele is the one undrafted player on this list. While many college/draft experts had Steele on their radar and thought he was a nice UDFA signing for the Chiefs after the draft, I don’t think anyone expected Steele to take Chiefs Kingdom by storm the way he did. While the hype seemed too good to be true, Steele proved the hype was justified by the time the preseason came to a close.

Steele was K.C.’s leading rusher in the preseason, scored two short-yardage touchdowns, made a couple of amazing runs that went viral on social media, proved he could play on passing downs both with his hands and pass protection, proved he could play on special teams returning kicks and covering them, and was the talk of the internet when he revealed he had a pet alligator named Crocky J.

In other words, nobody had a better preseason and proved they deserved a spot on the roster more than Carson Steele.

The 2024 draft class didn’t have a clear-cut “best” safety. There were multiple different safeties that some draft experts thought were the best in the class, one of those being Jaden Hicks. So when Hicks fell to the Chiefs at the end of the fourth round it was universally labeled a “steal”.

Sometimes when that happens, NFL fans quickly find out there was a reason that particular player fell and that “steal” actually just meant that the player was overrated by the draft experts. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Hicks

With starting safety Justin Reid rehabbing an injury all through the preseason, Hicks got a lot of valuable experience and playing time with the first-string defense and he made the most of it. Sometimes you can see a rookie take the field and can tell they have “it”. That was the case with Hicks. From day one he was flying around making tackles and looking like he belonged in the NFL. Whether it was on defense or on special teams, Hicks looks like someone that will be a reliable part of the defense for years to come.

One of the biggest questions at the start of Chiefs training camp was if they even had their starting left tackle on the roster yet. Second-year man Wanya Morris and rookie second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia were given the opportunity to prove one of them could be trusted with the job or KC would have to go out and sign someone and Suamataia did just that. Morris was hampered by injuries most of training camp, but Suamataia didn’t just win by default. He showed he has it takes to be the long-term solution at left tackle for KC.

Suamataia stood out right away with his combination of size and athleticism. He doesn’t move like a man that is listed at 6-foot-4 and 326 pounds. That’s not to say that Kingsley won’t have some rookie mistakes. That’s bound to happen, but in his limited preseason playing time he showed both the power and movement skills to hold up against starting NFL defensive linemen. In fact, he showed that he’s far and away the most athletic tackle the Chiefs have had since Eric Fisher. As he gets more experience and improves his technique he should only continue to improve and that’s very encouraging for the Chiefs going forward.

There was never any doubt that Xavier Worthy could run fast. His NFL Combine record 4.21 second 40-yard dash time was proof of that. However, the history of the NFL is littered with players who could run a fast forty, but it didn’t translate to the field when the pads came on. Whether it was the numerous training camp highlights or a couple of splash plays in his limited preseason snaps, it was instantly clear that Worthy’s special speed is still going to be special in the NFL.

When a player comes along that can just blow by other NFL players that are usually considered elite athletes in their own right, it changes how teams have to defend them. Given KC’s wide receiver struggles last season, it allowed opposing defenses to clamp down on KC’s wideouts, but now they are going to have to go back to constantly protecting against the deep ball like they did when Tyreek Hill was a Chief. That’s not to say that Worthy has proven to be the all-around playmaker that Hill is, but the special speed is there and that alone will help the Chiefs offense this season.

So there you have it, Chiefs fans. Those are my four Kansas City Chiefs rookies who proved they belong in the preseason. There may be other rookies (possibly Jared Wiley) that could still contribute this season or in the future, but these four have already proven they have a clear place or role on this team. Do you agree with these picks? Did I leave anyone else out? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.