The Kansas City Chiefs have impact players at several positions on the field that certainly change the face of the game once they are healthy. Eric Berry dominates the secondary and changes a team’s offensive plans. Jamaal Charles makes any defense miss time and time again. Brandon Flowers can shut down a team’s best defender and Tamba Hali makes an offensive tackle look confused and inexperienced nearly every single game. But the Chiefs’ offensive line has lacked that sort of anchor for some time, and a player like USC’s Matt Kalil could change all of that.
Kalil’s brother, Ryan, is already the highest paid center in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and the Kalil brothers could become the best pair even above the Pouncey brothers in the league. Garry Paskwietz of ESPN praises Kalil and says his talents will go very high in the upcoming NFL Draft:
Kalil certainly fits the bill of those who went before him. He’s big and strong with long arms and a mean streak on the field. He comes from good genes, with a brother who was an All-American on the USC line and a father who played professionally as well.
Kalil was the anchor of a USC line in 2011 that was expected to be the team’s weak link. Instead, it turned out to be a dependable unit that kept pressure off the quarterback and made room up front for a 1,000-yard rusher. There were many USC observers who believe the production from the line was the most pleasant surprise of the 2011 season and a key reason for the resurgence of the Trojans program.
Along the way, Kalil also developed as a leader off the field. USC head coach Lane Kiffin singled him out as someone who really bought into what the new coaches were teaching. The new teachings didn’t take easily at first, but Kalil eventually came around and — once he did — he was critical in getting his teammates to believe in the coaches as well.