We’re continuing to hear about some more pre-draft meetings that the Kansas City Chiefs have held with prospects.
The latest meeting we’ve learned of was between the Chiefs and a versatile defensive back at the Hula Bowl. According to the Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Kansas City is one of the nine-plus teams that met with Virginia S Joey Blount. He also met with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
Blount appeared in 54 games over the past 4.5 seasons at UVA, recording 306 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 3 forces fumbles, and 9 interceptions during that span. An injury-plagued 2020 season led to a fifth and final season of eligibility in 2021, which he took full advantage of. He tied for the team lead in interceptions (3) and had the second-most tackles on the team.
#Virginia S Joey Blount met w/ the #Cardinals, #Bears, #Jaguars, #Lions, #Chargers, #Chiefs, #Eagles, #Raiders, #Cowboys and #Ravens, among others at the @Hula_Bowl. Blount made the game-sealing interception in the Hula Bowl.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) February 11, 2022
Weighing in at 6-foot and 192 pounds, Blount offers a great deal of versatility. He has the range to play deep safety on the back end, but he also does a good job closer to the line of scrimmage. He’s good with his run fills and blitzes, but also can drive on the football when he’s tasked with coverage assignments.
The Chiefs have an obvious need at the safety position this offseason with just three players under contract in 2022. Only one of those players has played any meaningful NFL snaps. That player, Juan Thornhill, also happens to have played with Blount at UVA in 2017 and 2018.
Typically, I’d caution against reading too much into pre-draft meetings. Teams meet with as many players as possible in the pre-draft process to gather facts and assemble their draft board. That said, this is exactly the type of player that Kansas City should be targeting in the middle-to-late rounds of the draft.