Few teams have had as much offseason success as the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years, particularly in the draft. General manager Brett Veach has done an absolutely fantastic job of finding starters in the late rounds, something that almost every other team struggles with.
There are currently six starters on the Chiefs roster who were drafted by Kansas City outside of the first round. This draft class is no different, as there are plenty of potential contributors. First-round picks Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis will obviously be expected to start immediately, but there are several exciting late-round selections in this class. University of Cincinnati safety Bryan Cook is one of the best, and he should make a huge impact during the 2022 season.
Chiefs Rookie Sleeper for 2022 NFL Season
The first step to making an impact as a rookie is seeing adequate snaps. That shouldn't be too much of a problem for Cook. The rookie is already the best backup safety on the roster, as Deon Bush has never provided top-tier backup play. The safeties in front of him, Justin Reid and Juan Thornhill both have their issues.
Reid had issues with his knee and his head last season, as well as missing games for disciplinary reasons. Thornhill has had injury issues dating back to his days at the University of Virginia. All of this means that there's a good chance Cook sees the field at some point in the year in a starting role.
Kansas City's lack of depth at cornerback could also lead to Cook seeing the field in a different way. If one of the Chiefs' starting cornerbacks goes down with an injury, it's likely that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would deploy Cook in the slot. The former Bearcat played in the slot earlier in his college career. He also has the size to match up with tight ends, so he would allow a lot of defensive versatility as soon as he enters the lineup.
Cook should also play plenty of snaps as a special teamer. He's an excellent open-field tackler, so the role of gunner makes perfect sense for him. Cook should have plenty of success covering kicks and punts early in the year before his opportunity to play defensive snaps arises.
Of all the Kansas City rookies taken outside the first round, Cook is really the only one who has a chance at making a real impact. Linebacker Leo Chenal is an exciting prospect, but he's buried in a surprisingly good position group. All of the late round picks in the secondary are also completely buried at their respective positions.
The only other guy who really has a chance of making his presence felt is wide receiver Skyy Moore. Moore will play snaps at receiver and returning kicks, but it's likely that Cook plays more overall than him. The transition from playing wide receiver in college to the NFL is also notoriously difficult, making it less likely that Moore is able to make a splash as a rookie.
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