With the NFL season less than a week away from kicking off, everyone is making their predictions for 2024.
The Kansas City Chiefs will be in the center spotlight as they attempt to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls. If they're going to achieve that, they will need some new faces to step up and contribute in a big way.
One of those guys could be Kingsley Suamataia. The Chiefs drafted Suamataia in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft and immediately committed to him as their starting left tackle. That is arguably the most important position along the offensive line, making it a big leap of faith on Kansas City's part to entrust Suamataia there as a rookie.
The Chiefs' brass isn't alone in believing that he can handle the job. NFL analyst Louis Riddick joined the cast of ESPN's "Get up" on Friday morning and stated that he believes Suamataia will be up for Pro Bowl and Rookie of the Year honors by the end of the season.
"Just last year, with as much attention as their offensive line got in terms of being deficient at offensive tackle, they were still, as a team, No. 1 in the NFL in pass-block win rate," Riddick said. "The kid who's going to start (at left tackle), Kingsley Suamataia, the rookie from BYU at left tackle, just watch him. You'll be seeing his name mentioned for rookie honors and Pro Bowl honors here very, very quickly. He's an absolute stud."
Riddick is one of the most knowledgeable analysts around. He has worked in multiple NFL front offices and has even been interviewed by teams for their general manager position. He worked with the Philadelphia Eagles during coach Andy Reid's tenure there, making him pretty in tune with how Reid and the Chiefs organization operates.
The Chiefs would certainly not put a rookie out there to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes' blind side if he wasn't ready. It didn't take long for Suamataia to show that he can handle the responsibility after being the highest graded rookie offensive tackle during the preseason per Pro Football Focus.
Even if Suamataia doesn't ultimately make the Pro Bowl or win Rookie of the Year, just being considered for those accolades will be a huge positive for the Chiefs. It's not easy to find a franchise left tackle outside of the first round, and having him on a rookie contract for the next few years will help keep K.C. in continuous contention for Super Bowls
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