At 58th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select former Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton.
Though he’s a bit undersized at six-foot-0-inches and 232-pounds, Bolton is an explosive player that possesses a terrific burst when engaging blockers and ball carriers. His explosiveness also allows him to be efficient on blitzes and getting after the passer. Bolton also does a good job using his pads to limit ball carriers from getting extra yards during a tackle.
In three seasons at Mizzou, Bolton called the fronts for the Tigers as the MIKE linebacker and displayed a high football IQ by doing a great job communicating adjustments to his teammates. Bolton’s athleticism also affords him the body control to take terrific angles and he doesn’t get caught behind a play very often. Bolton’s ability to run-stop is also impressive, and the way he’s able to gap control by using his agility to poke into a gap, then cut back to close in on the ball carrier for a stop.
Due to him not being asked to drop into pass coverage very often at Missouri, Bolton struggles at defending the pass. He doesn’t have a very good feel for routes and he’s had issues staying in man coverage. Bolton also has a tendency to over pursue play-action passes, making him late to pick up the guy that’s going over to his side of the field. Bolton’s habit of going for a big hit has also come back to bite him at times, particularly against more agile opponents.
Overall, the Chiefs are getting a guy who’ll be a great addition to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, as well as Dave Toub’s special teams unit. Bolton could start immediately next to Anthony Hitchens and Willie Gay Jr. on base downs. He’ll also be eased into sub-packages as he develops, and could be Kansas City’s answer at the MIKE position at some point in the future.
