2022 Chiefs Draft Prospect: Daniel Faalele

Competitiveness

Overall, the intensity of Faalele has grown as he has become more acclimated to the game of football. You can quickly see that he intends to frustrate opposing defensive linemen by getting his body weight on top of them. Coaches will likely love the effort that he has shown when working in space. Whether it is with down blocks, or blocking on the backside of plays, Faalele has shown an eagerness to move people in the open field. Faalele has also grown more commanding once getting on top of defenders with his blocks. If he can topple them into the dirt, the blocker will bully them nonstop until the whistle.

Balance

In this area, it was astounding to see how much more smooth and fluid Faalele’s footwork was, given his frame. He makes softer shuffles than most offensive tackles do. As a result, Faalele is able to maintain a sturdy anchor and natural leverage at the point of attack. His feet are also swift when needing to make readjustments. Faalele is not as much of a leaner as one may expect with his mass. To boot, the Minnesota product does a good job to sustain a solid base. He does not get on his toes too often, and rarely has his upper body collapse or topple his own feet into the ground.

Lateral Mobility

Faalele overwhelmed many defensive linemen early on during certain reps. In terms of run blocking, he was able to shift and turn opponents parallel to the sideline. This opened many running lanes for his ball carriers. Furthermore, it made for an easier read for those running backs in space. Faalele won many reps by swallowing up gaps, crossing face on blocks and also used the opponents’ leverage against themselves on occasion. That is major for this blocker, because of his overall inexperience in the game of football. Lastly, Faalele displayed urgency in redirecting defenders, if they attempted to attack with quickness.

Hand Technique

Faalele has sticky, powerful hands that are difficult to displace. He will still need more refinement when it comes to hand placement and timing of punches. That may not be too surprising at this stage of his game. Specifically, Faalele has had trouble with leaving his hands too low in the center of his frame. That is something that can be improved upon with coaching. Nevertheless, if Faalele is able to latch and hold on to blocks, it takes defenders just so long to recover or slip away.

Pass Sets

The biggest area of improvement comes with vertical pass sets. Mainly, Faalele can be hit or miss when it comes to staying square to the opposing pass rusher. The same can be said if defensive linemen are working towards his inside shoulder, forcing him to shift down towards the interior of the offensive line. There is also a worry of consistent timing from Faalele. Can he routinely get in and out of sets instantly at the snap at the next level?

Football IQ

Obviously, Faalele is still very young and inexperienced in the game of football. He could stand to finish blocks more consistently. More reps and polish could certainly help with that. Meanwhile, Faalele has not completely grasped new tricks or nuances within his technique when facing pass rushers that apply more speed, compared to more power. Despite all of that, this blocker has already achieved and learned so much in a small sample size.

CHIEFS FIT

The Kansas City Chiefs amazingly rebuilt their offensive line in one offseason. The interior of Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith are cornerstones for the next handful of seasons. Orlando Brown Jr. is expected to return in some way, shape or form as well. What a finish he had to his first campaign with Kansas City. There is one spot that could use a new infusion, however. That would be at right tackle.

Names like Lucas Niang, Mike Remmers and Andrew Wylie have all received reps at that spot recently. There have been some good moments. Even still, the bad moments seem to outweigh the good ones. Niang opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID concerns. In his first season in a Chiefs uniform, he dealt with an up and down performance and numerous injuries. He already has a lengthy injury history. Remmers was banged up last year as well. Wylie did admirable in 2021 but has had his hiccups against pass rushers who win with speed.

Securing that spot with a mammoth sized blocker could help the Chiefs in many ways. Patrick Mahomes can start to feel more comfortable again when escaping the pocket to his right. That is especially true, given how lethal he is when doing that. The running game could also see more consistent results when going in between the tackles. Faalele proved he can cross the opponent’s face and steer them off their path when run blocking. And if Brown Jr. is back as expected, Kansas City would boast two of the largest offensive tackles in the entire NFL.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs draft prospect profiles throughout this winter and spring. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.