Felix Anudike-Uzomah Named Dark-Horse for DROY Award

When it comes to rookie awards, the Kansas City Chiefs face a double-edged sword. On one hand, they've been picking near the end of each round in recent NFL Drafts and don't always get the best opportunities to land premier prospects to add to their team. On the other hand, the first-year players who do end up seeing the field oftentimes play significant roles in winning plenty of games and getting a ton of national exposure.

General manager Brett Veach's 2022 draft class featured many standout performers, although none were impressive enough to land a Rookie of the Year award for their efforts. Veach's 2023 crop, which consists of one selection from each of the draft's seven rounds, faces an uphill battle to break that trend. With that said, first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah is garnering a bit of buzz at the midway point in the offseason.

In an article for Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport singled out Anudike-Uzomah as a dark-horse candidate to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award for the 2023-24 campaign. Citing Anudike-Uzomah's odds at +2000 for the accolade, Davenport believes there's a clear path to success for the former Kansas State Wildcat in his first year on the job — something that could lead to him bringing home some serious hardware at the end of the season: 

Anudike-Uzomah was certainly productive—over his last two seasons in Manhattan, Anudike-Uzomah averaged over 48 tackles, amassed 25.5 tackles for loss and piled up 19.5 sacks. But that productivity is only part of the reason that Anudike-Uzomah is listed here.

The other part is opportunity. Just as with George Karlaftis a year ago, there's a relatively clear path to early playing time for Anudike-Uzomah. The only person standing between Anudike-Uzomah and the starting lineup is Charles Omenihu, who was a complimentary player with the 49ers in 2022.

Anudike-Uzomah could kind himself starting opposite Karlaftis in relatively short order, and given how much time the Chiefs spend playing from ahead, pinning their ears back and rushing the passer, that could open the door for a very productive first season.

Anudike-Uzomah's ability to have a high-impact rookie season remains to be seen, but the logic is certainly there. In his final two years at Kansas State, the athletic edge rusher recorded a combined 19.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss while also forcing eight fumbles and amassing 96 tackles in the process. His combination of finesse, youth and upside made him an intriguing prospect heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, ultimately landing him in Kansas City at pick No. 31 overall. 

Plus-2000 odds are far from ideal from a betting standpoint, and the duo of Karlaftis and Omenihu might keep Anudike-Uzomah from truly being unleashed early in his rookie campaign. Davenport makes an interesting case, though, and one that just might come to fruition with some good luck and a better-than-expected start for the Chiefs' top 2023 draft pick. If that happens, perhaps Anudike-Uzomah can compete with the league's top rookies on the defensive side of the ball.