KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are gambling again on a player with off-field issues.
With the 63rd pick, the Chiefs selected Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay Jr. in the second round of the NFL draft Friday night to plug one of their biggest holes on defense.
The Chiefs have been trying to upgrade at linebacker the past couple years, and they have a starting spot available after losing Reggie Ragland to free agency.
The Chiefs ultimately passed on Wisconsin’s Zack Baun and Wyoming’s Logan Wilson to make Gay their choice.
Gay is considered one of the best athletes among linebackers in the draft, and his ability to play sideline-to-sideline while also dropping into coverage is perfect for coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system.
The pick comes with a certain amount of risk, though.
Gay was suspended eight games by the NCAA as part of an academic fraud investigation that swept up 10 players total and led to severe sanctions for the program.
He also was ejected from the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss in 2018 after two he was given two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and he was the teammate that allegedly hurt Mississippi State quarterback Garrett Shrader in a practice fight leading up to last season’s Music City Bowl.
The Chiefs have shown plenty of confidence in their strong locker room culture and the leadership of coach Andy Reid when it comes to selecting players with questionable backgrounds.
The results have been mixed.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce turned into stars, landing lucrative long-term contracts; running back Kareem Hunt and cornerback Marcus Peters instead were considerable headaches during their time in Kansas City.
“We did our homework on everything,” Reid said. “We felt very comfortable taking him at that spot, and it also helps to have the people in the locker room we have with Tyrann (Mathieu) and Frank (Clark). They’ll take him under their wing. That whole linebacking room is a tight group. They’ll take him in and make sure he’s in the right hands.”
Pending any upcoming trades on Friday and Saturday, the Chiefs have three more picks: No. 96 in Round 3, No. 138 in Round 4, and No. 177 in Round 5.
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The Chiefs used their first-round No. 32 pick to select Louisiana State running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on Thursday night.
The 5-foot-7 junior ran just 215 times for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching an astounding 55 passes for 453 yards and another score for the national champions last season.
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Edwards-Helaire showed up when it mattered most, too, running 16 times for 110 yards in LSU’s victory over Clemson in the title game.
He was the only running back selected in the first round and the first running back selected in the first round by the Chiefs since Larry Johnson in 2003.
The Chiefs came into the draft in the most enviable of positions: They were able to retain most of their own free agents, ensuring 20 of 22 starters from their title team would be back.
The few holes the Chiefs did have were plugged by value signings in free agency.
