While it’s without a doubt the most exciting moment of their young professional lives, getting drafted to play for an NFL team and rake in untold riches playing a game, there’s no doubt that the jump to the sport’s highest level comes with a great deal of pressure as well.
Take a look at the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs: players like their first round pick, Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah, have a chance to immediately step in as starters on an already-loaded roster, getting a head start on their pursuit of a championship as they join one of the best teams in the league. With that luck, though, comes lofty expectations. The Chiefs and their fans expect to win titles these days as two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes enters his prime: any mistake a young player makes will immediately go under the microscope.
Kansas City won their second Super Bowl in the past four years in February, defeating the slightly-favored Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 with a thrilling second-half comeback. They’re the favorite to run it back during the 2023 NFL season, listed as high as +650 at BetMGM’s Kansas Sportsbook. Be sure to use a BetMGM Kansas Bonus Code if you want to bet on the Chiefs or any other sport or team to make sure that you’re getting the best possible value out of the money you wager.
As the Chiefs teeter on the edge of becoming a full-blown dynasty, the stakes have never been higher. That gives their younger players a chance to throw themselves into the fire, learning from the very best in the sport and allowing iron to sharpen iron. It’s not for the faint of heart, but that’s how a championship capable locker room is built.
Just because the Chiefs have a loaded roster doesn’t mean that young players can’t start. Indeed, it’s all the more important that the Chiefs continue to bring in excellent draft classes because of the amount of the salary cap they have tied up in players like Mahomes. They have to save across the rest of the roster to balance the books, and quality starters on cheap rookie contracts is the best way of doing so.
Seventh-round running back Isiah Pacheco led the team with 830 rushing yards last season, stepping into the professional game without a hitch, while first round picks Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis helped boost the Chiefs’ already-underrated defense to a championship-worthy place.
Facing off against some of the best players in the world in practice every single day forces Kansas City’s young players to learn and adjust fast or get left in the dust. From the defensive perspective, if players like Anudike-Uzomah can figure out how to contain Mahomes in the pocket or force him off his game, what is there left to learn?
Rookies have a significant challenge to face from the start, turning in their college playbooks in exchange for the intricate terminology and personnel groupings intrinsic to the professional game, and that’s before they get used to facing off against the extreme physical specimens that are NFL players.
“To start off now, I just want to learn the playbook and I just want to be present and learn from the guys that already won a Super Bowl,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “And if I have the opportunity to play or start, anything like that, I’ll be gladly appreciative. But as of right now, I want to work on learning the playbook and work on getting tips from the older guys.”
He’ll be off to an excellent start before he even plays his first snaps in the NFL thanks to the grueling summer ahead of him.
