How Penn State’s Hunter Nourzad fits with the Kansas City Chiefs
No event on the NFL calendar outside of the Super Bowl gets the amount of hype that the NFL draft receives. Sure, free agency is often interesting to follow. As is training camp and of course the season itself. Still, the draft is king because of the impact it can have on the direction of a franchise.
Even though free agency and trades can help improve a team’s roster, building through the draft is still the most reliable way to remain competitive year after year. The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs know that as well as anyone, and they chose to add to their depth by selecting Penn State center Hunter Nourzad 159th overall in the 2024 draft.
Nourzad started the draft season as a relative unknown by most media outlets, sometimes not even listed in the top 300 prospects. Once analysts got to his tape after a strong performance at the East West Shrine game, he skyrocketed into firm day three territory. His versatility to play both center and guard helped his case as well.
For the Chiefs, Nourzad will likely slot in as the primary backup center and maybe even the primary interior backup in general. He has good size to play both center and guard, and he is a good enough athlete to handle both responsibilities. While being a sixth-year player is a negative in some ways, that amount of experience is also valuable.
#Chiefs stole #PennState's Hunter Nourzad, a OC/OG, who can step in as a starter if need be, here in the 5th
Nourzad impressed at OG/OC over last 2 years (and OT at Cornell before that), and really impressed at OC all week at @ShrineBowl
GREAT Day 3 value.#ShrineBowlWhosNext https://t.co/kGDMuzQQjM pic.twitter.com/l43ldVfhQm
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) April 27, 2024
The Chiefs have built one of the stronger interior lines in the entire NFL, so Nourzad may not see the field much aside from injuries. They do have decisions to make, with Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith both up for new contracts next offseason. I expect at least one of them to be extended, but the Chiefs have already had to make tough decisions.
If one of them does end up moving on, Nourzad will have the opportunity to compete for that opening in 2025. There’s no guarantee he will be viewed as an option as just a fifth-round pick, but I think he has the talent needed to make it happen. Worst-case scenario, he gets to be a solid backup and perhaps get some rings with the Chiefs dynasty being far from over.
