Rakeem Nunez-Roches to Kansas City Chiefs: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't enter the 2015 NFL draft with a plethora of needs, but some help for their struggling run defense was certainly one of them.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs ranked just 28th against the run in 2014. This seems a little odd when you consider the Chiefs finished second only to the Seattle Seahawks in scoring defense last season. 

On average, Kansas City allowed just 17.6 points per game.

Exactly how much more dominant could this unit be if it could actually shut down opposing ball-carriers? Finding out might have required little more than the right combination of draft picks.

Curiously, however, the Chiefs decided not to address the defensive line at all until the sixth round, and the first lineman they took appears to be little more than a developmental prospect.

The Chiefs used the 217th overall pick of the draft on former Southern Mississippi defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roaches, a 6'2", 307-pound Belize-born defender.

Nunez-Roaches was not really a true standout at Southern Miss, and he lacked the overall athleticism NFL teams look for in a defensive line prospect. However, he is a high-motor player with enough strength and burst to attack straight upfield.

His capabilities as a pass-rusher are limited because he doesn't have top-tier agility or a variety of pass-rushing moves. What you see is pretty much what you get in terms of sack ability. Nunez-Roches will use brute strength and determination to get to the quarterback if he is going to get there at all.

He does have enough burst, though, to get upfield and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. 

He produced 58 tackles with 3.0 sacks and 14.0 tackles for a loss in 2014. 

Bleacher Report Lead NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller wrote the following of Nunez-Roches in his pre-draft evaluation:

"

He converts speed to power well for his size as a pass-rusher and can be a penetrator in a one-gap 4-3 scheme. Against the run Nunez-Roches can disappear and be pushed off his spot. He’s a high-motor player but struggles if asked to redirect or reset his pass rush, as he lacks a counter move. Too often he’s a straight line player only who doesn’t show lateral flexibility or quickness.

"

The reality is that the Chiefs probably didn't draft Nunez-Roches to aid their run defense at all. He is probably seen as a guy who can step in a couple of times a game in order to allow standout nose tackle Dontari Poe an opportunity to rest.

There is value in this, of course, as keeping a guy like Poe fresh can have a major impact on late-game planning. Getting a backup to one of your team's most important players late in the draft should never be seen as a misstep. 

Still, it would have been nice to see the Chiefs address their defensive line earlier in the draft and with a guy who could have a more tangible impact on opposing ground games.

As a prospect, Nunez-Roches isn't a terrible pick, especially in Round 6.