Chiefs Draft: What Oregon's Jamaree Caldwell Brings to the Table

The Kansas City Chiefs may be through with the first week of free agency but they are not likely to be finished with adding to their roster. The AFC's Super Bowl representatives of the last three years will have some new faces on the roster, especially at defensive tackle.

Arguably the biggest need on the roster after the first week of the new league year, the Chiefs have a barren interior defensive line group outside of future Hall of Fame player Chris Jones. In what is supposed to be a deep defensive tackle group in the NFL Draft, general manager Brett Veach could look for another youth movement along the defensive front.

Oregon Ducks nose tackle Jamareee Caldwell could be that player as a former run defending cog for the Ducks defense in 2024. A former JUCO and Houston Cougar transfer, Caldwell was productive and named second team All-Big 12 in 2023 before taking the step of joining the National Championship contending Ducks.

Let's take a closer look at what Caldwell could bring to the table if drafted by the Chiefs.

Strengths

At 6-foot-2, 342 pounds, Caldwell is a ball of power and explosiveness that can create disruption at the point of attack consistently. This is someone that plays with high effort and a hot motor that allows him to continuously attack.

Because of his size, Caldwell consistently plays with natural leverage that allows him to anchor and utlize his frame to eat space while two-gapping from the 0-technique or 1-technique. He is very difficult to move off his spot and offers good balance to take on contact from double teams or working laterally in slanting responsibilities.

An impressive thing about Caldwell is how quick he is for a player of his frame and stature. He works across the face of opposing blockers will and offers an array of rush moves and counters to be an effective pass rusher and the flexibility in the hips and ankles to corner off the edge. Caldwell has shown to reset the line of scrimmage when he gets his pads low and explodes with effective power capacity at the point of attack.

Weaknesses

Caldwell does not possess the elite length one would expect from a nose tackle prospect. This sometimes can affect his ability to get grips or strike at blockers as they can swipe and hand fight his punches away from their frame.

The lack of quality length also keeps him from disengaging from blocks quicker and allows them to reach him on outside zone blocks, especially on stretches and outside the tackle tracks. Caldwell will also have points where he's unable to get by with a secondary counter when his initial rush move fails, leading stalled rushes despite the effort he continues to put forth at the point.

What Caldwell could bring to the Kansas City Chiefs

Caldwell projects as a starting nose tackle in the NFL whose draft range sits in the third round of the selection process. His combination of size, frame, power, rush variety, twitch, and balance make him an effective player early in the NFL while providing early down assistance in the run game for any team.

The Chiefs currently lack a true nose tackle to utilize in the run game and Caldwell would be an upgrade over what they currently have upfront, especially after the signing of Jeffery Tillery. With a selection early in the third round, that could be the sweet spot for Caldwell as a potential target for the Super Bowl-contending franchise.