“With the 31st pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Felix Anudike-Uzomah, defensive end, Kansas State,” Roger Goodell proclaimed live with Union Station as the backdrop in Kansas City.
The hometown team elected to stay put and not trade out at the end of the first round. The expectation was to use pick No. 31, especially coming off a Super Bowl and hosting the draft, but it may have been better for the Chiefs to trade back. However, general manager Brett Veach and company may have been stuck with that pick.
No matter the circumstances, the Chiefs drafted Anudike-Uzomah, a local kid who grew up in Lee’s Summit, MO. Anudike-Uzomah went to college and excelled for the Kansas State Wildcats. His senior season was filled with accolades, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-American. While some may think Anudike-Uzomah was a bit of a reach (many were projecting him to go in the middle of the second round), the Chiefs wanted him and got him.
Anudike-Uzomah didn't make much of an impact during his rookie season. His final line was seven total tackles, one forced fumble and half a sack. He got his most playing time in Week 1 and Week 18. In Week 1, fellow defensive lineman Chris Jones was holding out and didn’t play and Charles Omenihu was suspended, leading to more time for others. In Week 18, the Chiefs had locked in their playoff position and some of the players further down the bench got more playing time, Anudike-Uzomah included.
His best game, however, may have been in a Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Anudike-Uzomah had two tackles, a forced fumble and a half-sack in that game. When Omenihu came back from his suspension, there were several games where Anudike-Uzomah didn’t record a snap. Omenihu is coming back from a significant injury, so Anudike-Uzomah needs to take a step forward and make the most of his playing time during his absence during OTA’s, training camp and the preseason.
The Chiefs brought back their entire defensive line from last season, so it may be difficult for Anudike-Uzomah to take that next step. After a full year in the system and another offseason, though, there’s a chance he can push for playing time — especially with Omenihu likely sidelined early. With that said, guys like George Karlaftis, Mike Danna and Malik Herring will not give up their roles but will push Anudike-Uzomah to get better.
This is what happens when you have a team that is competing for Super Bowls yearly. Veach has done a great job in the draft, hitting on a high percentage of picks recently. Just because Anudike-Uzomah doesn’t break the starting rotation doesn’t mean he’s a bust. The Chiefs just have a really good team that already had the pieces in place to be successful, and he may be better used as a role player at this point in his career. It doesn’t mean he can’t break out but with the team’s makeup and amount of returning players at his position, it may be difficult to do this year.
Anudike-Uzomah will likely need another injury ahead of him on the depth chart to truly make a big second-year jump, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t improving and getting better behind the scenes. As long as he’s ready to go when his number is called, his role on the defense could be very critical in making another run at a Super Bowl and being the first team to win three in a row.
A successful season for Anudike-Uzomah would be seeing increased playing time and helping the team in whatever way needed. A larger role could come during the second half of his rookie contract.
