Darian Kinnard Checking One Last Box On Kansas City Offensive Line?

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Heading into 2021, the Kansas City Chiefs immediately rebuilt their offensive line. New additions like Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith helped the Chiefs set a new tone upfront. That tone was much more tenacious and physical. Meanwhile, that new blocking unit aided Kansas City’s offense when looking to make necessary adjustments throughout last season.

There was one spot that was not as secure on that offensive line last season. We saw the likes of Lucas Niang, Andrew Wylie and even a small sample of Mike Remmers all get opportunities at right tackle. Both Niang and Remmers ended their respective seasons injured. Whereas with Wylie, he may have arguably been the best option at that spot from the start of the season. He finished the year strong against some stiff competition in many meaningful games. But, is that something that Kansas City can consistently count on moving forward?

It appears that one of their draft picks has a major chance upcoming to at least compete at that right tackle spot. General manager Brett Veach suggested as much when making the call to select Kentucky’s Darian Kinnard. “We had one more check box that we needed to fill out here before this draft ended,” Veach said to Kinnard. “And it was right tackle.”

While it is not guaranteed that Darian Kinnard will immediately assume the role, it is easy to understand why the Chiefs were interested in him. In addition, the backstory and temperament of the former Kentucky blocker is something that he has used to help pave his path to the NFL. Because of that, the Chiefs offense may be rewarded by taking a somewhat late swing on a massive mauler on day three of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Kinnard’s Attitude Will Fit Right In

When first watching Kinnard’s tape from Kentucky, you can quickly see his power. The amount of times he toppled and pancaked opponents into the dirt was high, especially during the end of his college career. He made that look so simple to accomplish, however. Kinnard’s immense hand power simply takes away the defensive linemen’s leverage and causes them to immediately lose balance.

There is obviously plenty of nastiness and tenacity in the blocking of Darian Kinnard. At the same time, there is an infectious energy that he brings rep after rep upfront. Sure, he still may need some time to clean some items up in his technique. Though, it is easy to see why the Chiefs took a gamble on Kinnard. You know that he will be ready to answer the bell every time. Asking him to turn it up a notch will not be an issue. His ability to be a mauler could certainly fit right in with Smith on that side of the Kansas City offensive line. There are also moments that took place off of the field that helped shape the career of Darian Kinnard.

How Early Backstory Shaped Blocker’s Football Career

Growing Into A Protector

Darian Kinnard has recently been known as a protector for the Kentucky quarterback. Though, he has always been someone who has worked as a protector. And it is something that he takes great pride in. Before his time at Kentucky, Kinnard became much wiser in his early years. As he mentioned on an episode of the “Big Boys Club” with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, the blocker talked about having been “through a lot of s***.”

Kinnard talked about growing up with a single mother. “Mom struggled paying rent, we bounced around,” he said. “All we had was each other. At the end of the day, I was going to have her back and she was going to have mine no matter what.”

By working to become a top protector in college football, Kinnard talked about learning how “in life, nothing is given, everything is earned. My mom showed me that by being a high school dropout and selling drugs, to being a woman now with four degrees and halfway through two masters by herself. That whole process really made me who I am.”

In addition to having his mom’s back, Kinnard said that his “anger issues” probably got him into football. “I was an aggressive a** kid,” he said. “I didn’t care about fighting kids older than me.”

Channel The Past Into Motivation

With that, Kinnard eventually learned how to channel those aggressive feelings into success on the football field. There was a fine line that he was able to balance and continued to turn that into improvement and success.

“A lot of it is just discipline,” Kinnard says. “I realized I was pretty good at it (blocking). So, I just started pursuing that. I’ve always had a job protecting something. (Protecting) the quarterback is like my mother, or I’m protecting my family.”

That pursuit eventually led to Darian Kinnard receiving top accolades while with the Wildcats. He was named first-team All-SEC in two consecutive seasons (2020, 2021). Furthermore, Kinnard earned consensus first-team All-American honors. He also won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2021, which is an award bestowed upon the best blocker from each conference. Certainly, that is no small feat for the big unit upfront playing in the rough and rugged SEC.

As he continues to channel past experiences into further motivation, Darian Kinnard hopes to “fight for his respect” at the NFL level. If his recent stretch is any indication, the Chiefs are getting a player with a major chip on his shoulder.

Right Tackle Competition Will Be Fierce

It is safe to say, that the right tackle competition on the Kansas City offensive line will be fierce. Darian Kinnard will obviously not back down from any challenge. At the same time, Niang is looking to prove himself after an up and down start, amid battling major injuries. Wylie will be looking to pick up from where he left off as well. Late last season, he was able to instill confidence in the Chiefs coaching staff.

If Kinnard is able to win that job as a rookie, it will establish an even greater tone on the new look offensive line. The massive offensive tackle duo of Kinnard and Brown Jr. would provide Kansas City with two prideful, battle-tested combatants. It would give Patrick Mahomes a sturdy cornerstone on his throwing side. Most of all, Kinnard can permeate a new sense of security inside of the Chiefs’ offense.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.