The Chiefs are locked and loaded for their shot at history in 2024. Kansas City wants to be the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, and they'll need all hands on deck to do it this year.
They drafted some potential studs in the 2024 NFL Draft, including first-round wideout Xavier Worthy and second-round tackle Kingsley Suamataia. Kansas City also brought in one of the best undrafted free agent classes in the league that included four players who were ranked in the top 300 in the consensus NFL draft board.
Not every player the Chiefs drafted and signed will hit, but Pro Football Focus' Thomas Valentine believes one could be a breakout candidate this year: Linebacker Curtis Jacobs.
"The Chiefs have a need for depth at the linebacker position and Jacobs could provide that," Valentine wrote. "Jacobs logged 49 total tackles in 2023 and was an effective blitzer for Penn State, earning 31 pressures in the last two seasons and 69 defensive stops in the last three years."
The only middle linebacker ahead of Jacobs on Kansas City's unofficial depth chart (via OurLads) is Nick Bolton, a three-year starter who missed time in 2023 with injuries. Jacobs likely won't supplant Bolton anytime soon, but he has good size at 6-foot-1 and 238 pounds with a lot of experience during his time with the Nittany Lions.
He's also played all over the defense. Jacobs played 950 snaps in the box, 425 in the slot and 214 on the defensive line, per PFF. That versatility will come in handy on a defense without depth at linebacker. The Chiefs' other starters are Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal. Jacobs could become the next-man up in KC if either Botlon, Tranquill or Chenal go down.
