Nick Bolton emerges as Chiefs’ defensive chief

Andy Reid broke into teaching within the faculty ranks, spending a decade on recruiting trails and visiting excessive colleges round America hoping to seek out the following nice offensive lineman. His ultimate place within the collegiate ranks was at Missouri, which wasn’t a terrific staff throughout Reid’s three seasons in Columbia. The now-two-time-Super-Bowl-winning head coach helms the Show-Me State’s lone NFL franchise and dipped into his previous to assist make his future brighter two years in the past when the Chiefs chosen Nick Bolton with their first selection of the 2021 NFL Draft at No. 58 total.

Bolton has been an integral a part of Kansas City’s protection since making the two-hour trek west from Mizzou to KC. As a rookie, Bolton had 112 tackles in 16 video games. This season, he was second within the NFL with 180. And no defensive participant on both staff in Super Bowl LVII had his identify referred to as by Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen greater than Bolton, who will flip 23 in March. Those who’ve watched Bolton since his arrival in Columbia have seen this potential. His game-high 9 tackles, fumble restoration, and ensuing landing are nothing new to those who have saved an in depth eye on him. He’s prepared for the third-year glow-up.

Being in the proper place on the proper time extra continuously than anybody else is a talent. Let’s not neglect Bolton in all probability ought to’ve had two scoops and scores towards the Eagles. Miles Sanders did catch the ball earlier than getting hit and the ball coming free. With two defensive touchdowns, Bolton would possibly’ve given Patrick Mahomes a run for the sport’s MVP award. To be this good, this younger at any place means an enormous contract is coming down the road. Bolton simply completed yr No. 2 on his 4-year rookie contract. I’d think about the Chiefs wish to lock him in for a very long time earlier than Bolton’s tempted by free company, so he’ll receives a commission by the top of the 2024 season.

Bolton didn’t even begin his first yr at Missouri, behind Terez Hall and Cale Garrett, who each have frolicked on NFL follow squads. In Hall’s case, he’s spent a number of video games on the Patriots’ energetic roster. In 2019, as I joined the Mizzou beat full-time, Bolton received his beginning spot subsequent to Garrett. Over the following two seasons, Bolton developed into among the best defensive gamers in faculty soccer’s greatest convention. Sure, he didn’t play for a staff competing for nationwide championships, however anybody watching the complete Southeastern Conference, as any good NFL scout ought to, might’ve seen his next-level expertise from a mile away.

It’s an indictment of the Chiefs after the 2020 season that they wanted a second-round choose to play as the guts of their protection. At Bolton’s professional day in March 2021, Kansas City’s presence was evident. There was a ton of momentum behind preserving Bolton in state. To these on the beat, high-profile gamers discovering the proper house all the time by some means made extra sense than any of us realized. After Gary Kubiak and John Elway appeared in Missouri’s press field in the course of the 2018 season, it ought to’ve been apparent Drew Lock was going to be chosen by the Broncos. When tons of Kansas City media paid further consideration to Bolton’s professional day than the same old crop of Tigers’ prospects, that ought to’ve been a giveaway. And the Show-Me State has been nice to Bolton, primarily as a result of he’s been nice to its solely NFL and FBS groups.

The Chiefs’ protection will all the time be a secondary act so long as among the best quarterbacks of all time is on the roster. Its important objective: let’s not quit sufficient factors to the place even Mahomes can’t save our butts. It’s the world’s greatest security internet, however nonetheless, one that may’t be messed with. Despite Travis Kelce’s assertion that many individuals doubted Kansas City coming into this season, who had been these folks? Surely they didn’t know the sport of soccer as a result of the Chiefs had hosted 4 straight AFC Championship video games with the identical core roster. Next season, there’s no motive Kansas City can’t make it six in a row. Yes, that’s primarily due to Mahomes. But take a word from Eric Stonestreet, the Emmy Award-winning Kansas City, Kansas native and die-hard Chiefs fan. In a postgame interview with Fox Sports, he went out of his approach to shout out Bolton for his play. Every different Chiefs fan ought to do the identical.