Undrafted Xavier Nwankpa Making a Good Impression with the Chiefs…

[RagnarLothbrok]

…and is currently projected to make the 53-man roster. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t any good at Iowa.

(Fyi: Scroll down to the bottom of the article for safeties and a brief commentary on X)

Chiefs 53-man roster projection: A few surprises based on early practices

Do you know Andrew Armstrong? Or Xavier Nwankpa? Why both should be in the mix to earn roster spots heading into the Chiefs' 2026 season.

www.nytimes.com

Last, when Xavier was asked about what it was like meeting Patrick Mahomes for the first time, he replied. “Run the ball.”

 

[52317Hawk]

…and is currently projected to make the 53-man roster. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t any good at Iowa.

(Fyi: Scroll down to the bottom of the article for safeties and a brief commentary on X)

Chiefs 53-man roster projection: A few surprises based on early practices

Do you know Andrew Armstrong? Or Xavier Nwankpa? Why both should be in the mix to earn roster spots heading into the Chiefs' 2026 season.

www.nytimes.com

Last, when Xavier was asked about what it was like meeting Patrick Mahomes for the first time, he replied. “Run the ball.”

Any chance you can C&P the article?

Also, in the case of the Chiefs I agree. Run the ball.

0-0

 

[J.Hawkeye]

Any chance you can C&P the article?

Bad form.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Any chance you can C&P the article?

Also, in the case of the Chiefs I agree. Run the ball.

0-0

Crap. I just re-opened the article and now it’s behind a paywall. Sorry about that.

I just happened to stumble upon the article and saw X’s name as a “pleasant surprise” in the heading. The article in a nutshell broke down each position or position group and named whom they believed would make the final cut and who would likely be on the outside looking in. When you get to safeties, there was a brief description of Nwankpa turning heads and making a name for himself on special teams. His name was then included in a small list of names projected to make the final cut at safety.

In short, X has a decent shot at making the Chiefs final roster notably as a special teams player. From there, who knows?

Oh, and I was making fun of eyesofhawk, but yeah, Kansas City’s inability to run the football finally caught up with them last season. I don’t care how good your quarterback is or how fast your receivers are. If you’re one-dimensional on offense, you’re not going to light up the scoreboard in the NFL. IIRC, Kansas City put up decent yards last year but kicked a lot of field goals, especially in the red zone. Not being able to get yards on the ground was why.

Perhaps Kenneth Walker will change that narrative.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Actually, I have the article open in another tab so I did a couple screenshots for those also getting a paywall from the link.

 

[52317Hawk]

Crap. I just re-opened the article and now it’s behind a paywall. Sorry about that.

I just happened to stumble upon the article and saw X’s name as a “pleasant surprise” in the heading. The article in a nutshell broke down each position or position group and named whom they believed would make the final cut and who would likely be on the outside looking in. When you get to safeties, there was a brief description of Nwankpa turning heads and making a name for himself on special teams. His name was then included in a small list of names projected to make the final cut at safety.

In short, X has a decent shot at making the Chiefs final roster notably as a special teams player. From there, who knows?

Oh, and I was making fun of eyesofhawk, but yeah, Kansas City’s inability to run the football finally caught up with them last season. I don’t care how good your quarterback is or how fast your receivers are. If you’re one-dimensional on offense, you’re not going to light up the scoreboard in the NFL. IIRC, Kansas City put up decent yards last year but kicked a lot of field goals, especially in the red zone. Not being able to get yards on the ground was why.

Perhaps Kenneth Walker will change that narrative.

Yeah, I knew you were making fun of that *** which is why I added the 0-0. As a Chiefs fan the run game has been a sore spot (for the most part) for a number of years. I hope Walker can make a difference. I also think the OL has to improve or it will be another ho-hum year.

Thanks for posting the article. If memory serves, X was a stud on special teams at Iowa and if he proves his worth certainly could make the Chiefs roster.

 

[herkhatescy2]

**** the Chiefs. Go Raiders!

 

[UIAlumFireFighter]

**** the Chiefs and the Raiders. Go Broncos.

 

[uihawk82]

…and is currently projected to make the 53-man roster. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t any good at Iowa.

(Fyi: Scroll down to the bottom of the article for safeties and a brief commentary on X)

Chiefs 53-man roster projection: A few surprises based on early practices

Do you know Andrew Armstrong? Or Xavier Nwankpa? Why both should be in the mix to earn roster spots heading into the Chiefs' 2026 season.

www.nytimes.com

Last, when Xavier was asked about what it was like meeting Patrick Mahomes for the first time, he replied. “Run the ball.”

Any DBack out of Phil Parker's School of Defense is going to be smart, controlled, and a very good tackler. X started throwing the wood around in his mid-3rd year and he may have been playing out of position his first 2-3 years. I also thought he could have had a few more INTs but maybe he played it safe for not giving up the big play. I can still feel the hit he put on IU's heisman winner Mendoza in that game and I think that hit lead to a 4th down stop. Phil Parker "every inch counts"

 

[uihawk82]

Crap. I just re-opened the article and now it’s behind a paywall. Sorry about that.

I just happened to stumble upon the article and saw X’s name as a “pleasant surprise” in the heading. The article in a nutshell broke down each position or position group and named whom they believed would make the final cut and who would likely be on the outside looking in. When you get to safeties, there was a brief description of Nwankpa turning heads and making a name for himself on special teams. His name was then included in a small list of names projected to make the final cut at safety.

In short, X has a decent shot at making the Chiefs final roster notably as a special teams player. From there, who knows?

Oh, and I was making fun of eyesofhawk, but yeah, Kansas City’s inability to run the football finally caught up with them last season. I don’t care how good your quarterback is or how fast your receivers are. If you’re one-dimensional on offense, you’re not going to light up the scoreboard in the NFL. IIRC, Kansas City put up decent yards last year but kicked a lot of field goals, especially in the red zone. Not being able to get yards on the ground was why.

Perhaps Kenneth Walker will change that narrative.

The chiefs have had poor personnel at the tackle positions on and off for several years. We saw what happened when Tampa Bay beat them in the super bowl. The chiefs' Oline was playing a couple of 2nd stringers and Mahomes was eaten alive.

 

[uihawk82]

Yeah, I knew you were making fun of that *** which is why I added the 0-0. As a Chiefs fan the run game has been a sore spot (for the most part) for a number of years. I hope Walker can make a difference. I also think the OL has to improve or it will be another ho-hum year.

Thanks for posting the article. If memory serves, X was a stud on special teams at Iowa and if he proves his worth certainly could make the Chiefs roster.

I have been a huge chiefs fans since the '60s. And yes I think they have so much salary money in their stars that they have average OLines anymore and that wont win titles. I am glad I got to see this great run of super bowl wins etc and great games after soooooooooooo many years of heartbreak

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Phil Parker "every inch counts"

 

[Titanhawk]

…and is currently projected to make the 53-man roster. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t any good at Iowa.

(Fyi: Scroll down to the bottom of the article for safeties and a brief commentary on X)

Chiefs 53-man roster projection: A few surprises based on early practices

Do you know Andrew Armstrong? Or Xavier Nwankpa? Why both should be in the mix to earn roster spots heading into the Chiefs' 2026 season.

www.nytimes.com

Last, when Xavier was asked about what it was like meeting Patrick Mahomes for the first time, he replied. “Run the ball.”

5-star who in his fourth year was 3rd all big ten (writers) and honorable mention (coaches) - I'm sure there are plenty who would say he underachieved.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

5-star who in his fourth year was 3rd all big ten (writers) and honorable mention (coaches) - I'm sure there are plenty who would say he underachieved.

That’s a far cry from “not any good.”

While not entirely meaningless, star projections for high school prospects are not an exact science.

 

[Oldman74]

That’s a far cry from “not any good.”

While not entirely meaningless, star projections for high school prospects are not an exact science.

I coached against X in high school. I thought his college career mirrored his high school career in some ways. When he played at depth, he was a guy. When the scheme asked him to be down in the box and around the LOS, he was very active and disruptive. He was a dude. I'm no NFL brain, but in my limited opinion X needs to be in that hybrid/slot position to stick on defense. Special teams will need to be a major part of his career going forward.

 

[AlexanderUrinis]

I coached against X in high school. I thought his college career mirrored his high school career in some ways. When he played at depth, he was a guy. When the scheme asked him to be down in the box and around the LOS, he was very active and disruptive. He was a dude. I'm no NFL brain, but in my limited opinion X needs to be in that hybrid/slot position to stick on defense. Special teams will need to be a major part of his career going forward.

If Toub actually likes him on specials, he will probably make it. That safety room is not exactly a murderers row of talent.

 

[Buffalo43]

**** the Chiefs and the Raiders. Go Broncos.

Go Bills **** everybody else

 

[MountainManHawk]

5-star who in his fourth year was 3rd all big ten (writers) and honorable mention (coaches) - I'm sure there are plenty who would say he underachieved.

According to AI, roughly half of 5 stars end up getting drafted and a bit less (39%) end up sticking in the NFL.

So if he ends up sticking on the roster, you could say he will quantifiably not have underperformed.

Iowa so infrequently gets 5 stars that we expect every one of them to pan out but it’s still a numbers game.

 

[eyesofhawk]

Run it

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

I have been a huge chiefs fans since the '60s. And yes I think they have so much salary money in their stars that they have average OLines anymore and that wont win titles. I am glad I got to see this great run of super bowl wins etc and great games after soooooooooooo many years of heartbreak

Agree. They were paying Mahomes/Kelsey/Jones alone about $135 million really put a premium on what your doing with the other 50 players. They may have a bit more cap room now. I think Mahomes may have redone his contract, but not sure the details. Kelsey just signed a new free agent contract for 12-15 million a year, (his 14th, and probably his last). Not sure he's worth it at almost 38 years old though.

 

[uihawk82]

Agree. They were paying Mahomes/Kelsey/Jones alone about $135 million really put a premium on what your doing with the other 50 players. They may have a bit more cap room now. I think Mahomes may have redone his contract, but not sure the details. Kelsey just signed a new free agent contract for 12-15 million a year, (his 14th, and probably his last). Not sure he's worth it at almost 38 years old though.

If Kelsey doesnt get knicked up with some injuries he will still be a threat. They have to protect Mahomes better, get the running game going, and also get back to having some deep threat action. The last couple of years the offense has not stretched the field.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

If Kelsey doesnt get knicked up with some injuries he will still be a threat. They have to protect Mahomes better, get the running game going, and also get back to having some deep threat action. The last couple of years the offense has not stretched the field.

Didn't say he won't be a threat, but his best days are well behind him. not to mention being married to a mega star and all the other pans he's got in the fire, it tends to lessen ones drive. There's a reason he was only rated as the 5th best TE available in free agency. Still his connection with Mahomes is worth something.

 

[JayDeeSC]

**** the Chiefs and the Raiders. Go Broncos.

The Broncos and the Raiders can go **** each other. Go Chiefs.

 

[52317Hawk]

Kelce @Kceasthawk@77 and @uihawk82

Tools

 

[uihawk82]

Kelce @Kceasthawk@77 and @uihawk82

Tools

Yeah, I am an old tool, haha

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

Kelce @Kceasthawk@77 and @uihawk82

Tools

??????? What does that even mean.....

 

[52317Hawk]

??????? What does that even mean.....

K-E-L-C-E

JFC

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

K-E-L-C-E

JFC

Who gives a crap. Add something worthwhile to the thread mom....

 

[Hawkfan_08*]

So, maybe he should have been playing his natural position the whole time?

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[52317Hawk]

Justin Fields passing? Checks out.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Impressive. Looked good running in the open field for :08 seconds. Lol

I hope he does well in the NFL and has the opportunity to shine. He always seemed like a decent kid.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Kelce @Kceasthawk@77 and @uihawk82

Tools

Could you please refrain from acting like a douche? The only tool in this thread right now is you.

 

[52317Hawk]

Could you please refrain from acting like a douche? The only tool in this thread right now is you.

Thats you, Tool. I'm a Chiefs fan and can spell the name of one of the best players in Kansas City history. Go back to the Clemson board and be the social warrior douche that you are.

 

[squeezebox_1]

LMFAO

 

[The Big Z]

Chiefs beat writer this morning had him making the team as the 4th safety. FWIW.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

LMFAO

X layed the lumber a lot his senior year.....

 

[uihawk82]

X layed the lumber a lot his senior year.....

Yeah, he turn up the heat that last part of 2024 and continued with it. I remember a couple of plays in early 2024 where he might have been pulled for a bit, maybe Phil told him to start acting like a JR

 

[squeezebox_1]

Anyone see the boom that Sharar dropped tonight, holy hell that kid is a monster on special teams, I’m pretty sure Barney from debby is still waking up from that hit last year.