Nick Bolton Drafted by Chiefs: Kansas City's Updated Depth Chart After Round 2
May 1, 2021
Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton has officially made it to the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs selecting him No. 58 overall on Friday.
The two-time first-team All-SEC player put together a stellar career in three years with the Tigers, tallying 220 combined tackles, 12 pass deflections, four sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery in 32 games.
Chiefs' Defensive Depth Chart
LDE: Tim Ward, Austin Edwards
DT: Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton, Khalen Saunders
DT: Derrick Nnadi, Tyler Clark
RDE: Frank Clark, Taco Charlton, Mike Danna, Demone Harris
OLB: Nick Bolton, Anthony Hitchens, Ben Niemann
ILB: Willie Gay Jr., Darius Harris, Omari Cobb
OLB: Ben Niemann, Willie Gay Jr., Darius Harris
CB: Charvarius Ward, L'Jarius Sneed, BoPete Keyes
CB: Rashad Fenton, Alex Brown
FS: Juan Thornhill, Armani Watts
SS: Tyrann Mathieu, Chris Lammons, Rodney Clemons
Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.
B/R's NFL Scouting Department graded Bolton a 7.7 out of 10—tagging him as a second- or third-round pick with NFL starter potential and the No. 6 linebacker in this year's draft class. The Athletic's Dane Brugler was a bit higher on Bolton, naming him the No. 4 linebacker in the draft:
"Bolton has terrific range and play personality as a run defender, trusting his reads and vision to blow up plays at the line of scrimmage. His lack of size leaves smaller margin for error taking on blocks and with his tackling radius, but he is explosive through contact and sees what he hits to be a reliable finisher. Overall, Bolton must improve his consistency in coverage, but his play speed, instincts and contact-driven mentality will translate to production at every level of football, projecting as a three-down player if he continues to improve."
As for where he fits in Kansas City, ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller gave his take:
Bolton will stay in-state as he transitions from the college to the pros. He joins a Chiefs team that has won the AFC title each of the last two years and the Super Bowl to cap the 2019 campaign. The defense also largely excelled, finishing No. 10 in fewest points per game allowed last year. Adding Bolton to the mix only makes the Chiefs stronger as they look to return to the Super Bowl for the third straight year.