With Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks and rookies reporting to training camp on Tuesday, offseason hype trains for certain players are on the verge of gaining full steam. That'll especially be the case heading into the weekend, as veterans will be in the picture and ready for full-team practices to begin on Sunday.
The inverse effect can take place as well, though. That's what Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon is contributing to this week. In his list predicting every NFL team's "biggest bust" who might not live up to their billing in 2024, nose tackle Derrick Nnadi is the pick for Kansas City.
"Derrick Nnadi quickly established himself on the Kansas City defense as a rookie in 2018," Kenyon wrote. "For a few seasons, he was a solid player, too. Nnadi's impact has steadily dipped over the last two years, however. The position's lack of depth should keep him in the lineup, but expectations for Nnadi should be relatively low."
Derrick Nnadi might hit a career crossroads following 2024 season
Since posting a career-high three sacks and five quarterback hits in 2021, Nnadi has been unable to replicate that production in the years since. 2022 saw him record not a single sack or quarterback hit, and that's despite him playing in all 17 regular-season games. He also had his fewest number of tackles (25) in a full season. The former third-round pick then returned for 2023 but wasn't much better. His missed tackle percentage has steadily risen from 7.3 in 2021 to 10.7 in 2022 and a career-worst 12.1 a season ago.
Advanced stats don't paint a pretty picture of Nnadi's profile, either. 2022 saw him put up a 41.3 Pro Football Focus composite defensive grade, accompanied by a 38.8 run defense mark. Last season, his 40.6 defense grade was 65th out of 67 defensive tackles who played 500 or more snaps.
Even after his continued struggles, Nnadi will remain a key part of the defensive line rotation. I recently wrote about the Chiefs' decision to re-sign him here on Arrowhead Report on SI.com.
"Speaking of which, this offseason felt like a missed opportunity to upgrade the nose tackle rotation and depth alongside Jones. Derrick Nnadi rebounded a bit last season but was still largely replaceable, yet Veach and Co. opted to run things back with him anyway. Adding more pass-rush juice at that spot would’ve made a big difference, especially with the versatile Charles Omenihu presumably not present to kick inside to start the season."
Because of his ability to eat up gaps and command double teams, Nnadi is trusted by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to be a quality run defender. The tape and stats disagree with that, but it's reasonable to anticipate a sizable workload once again in 2024. Barring the emergence of someone else, Nnadi will see the field plenty in his seventh season with the team. But if he underperforms again, it's hard to see him commanding starter-level reps in the future.
Is it warranted? Perhaps not, which appears to be the foundation of Kenyon's decision to pick Nnadi.
