Kansas City Chiefs pick Florida State EDGE Joshua Kaindoh in 4th Round

The Kansas City Chiefs added edge rusher depth with Florida State’s Joshua Kaindoh on Saturday with the 144th overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

He’s the Chiefs’ third pick of the draft, along with linebacker Nick Bolton and center Creed Humphrey, both of whom went in the second round.

Kaindoh’s appeal comes with his physical attributes and athletic ceiling more than it does with his production. His relative athletic score is 9.47, an upper-echelon number among defensive ends. His college production, however, actually decreased in some categories year after year. In 31 career games with the Seminoles he recorded 16.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

But in his senior season this year, he had just three tackles for loss and no sacks, the second-lowest and lowest totals of his college career, respectively. He also recorded 14 total tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown in seven games his senior year.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com listed a large frame with more room for muscle as a strength for Kaindoh, along with his length and quickness. On the flip side, he listed his lack of production, injury issues and in-play endurance as weaknesses.

Zierlein projected Kaindoh as a seventh-round pick, while Jordan Foote of Sports Illustrated projected a fifth- or sixth-round selection.

This is the second year in a row the Chiefs have taken an edge rusher on Day 3 of the draft. Last year, they selected Mike Danna out of Michigan in the fifth round. According to Pro Football Reference, this is the fifth time in six years Kansas City has drafted a defensive end, with three of the five getting selected on Day 3.

Take a look at some of the reaction to the Kaindoh pick from Twitter on Saturday.

Next up for the Chiefs is the 175th overall pick in the fifth round.