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22	August 2018

communicating through music

Brett Veach thought he was in good shape offensively after adding wide receiver Sammy Watkins in free agency Terrelle Pryor Sr. Jersey Elite , and that the Kansas City Chiefs' most pressing needs were entirely on defense.

So, he used the entire draft to address them.

After using their first three picks on that side of the ball, Veach used the final day of the draft to select three more on Saturday.

Texas A&M safety Armani Watts went in the fourth round, cornerback Tremon Smith went in the sixth round and defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie went two picks later.

They joined Ole Miss pass rusher Breeland Speaks, Florida State defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and Clemson linebacker Dorian O'Daniel in filling out the Chiefs' defense-heavy draft class.

"Listen, all drafts are unique in their own way in regards to those players and the positions you feel the depth is," Veach said. "Every year is different."

Evidently, there was plenty of talent available on defense this year 鈥?so much so that the Chiefs think one of their picks can play the other side of the ball.

McKenzie worked out at guard for the Chiefs at the combine, and is talented enough that they want to give him a shot there.

The Chiefs figure to be one of the most explosive offenses in the league next season, even with new quarterback Patrick Mahomes II. Reigning rushing champ Kareem Hunt, speedy Pro Bowl wide receiver Tyreek Hill and star tight end Travis Kelce join Watkins in giving coach Andy Reid plenty of options.

But there were numerous holes on an aging defense, one that was gutted by the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs last season.

The Chiefs moved on from erstwhile linebackers Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali, released safety Ron Parker and even traded their top cover corner, Marcus Peters.

They made a couple of moves in free agency Roquan Smith Jersey Youth , signing linebacker Anthony Hitchens and defensive tackle Xavier Williams, but chose to primarily fill out a defense in need of a nasty streak through the draft.

"Your expectations are always for guys to come in and compete for starting job, or see a lot of playing time, and the higher you pick the more confident you are in those guys coming in," Veach said. "You hope those guys will come in and play right away, or be part of a steady rotation."

The Chiefs didn't have a first-round pick, but Veach was high on the three defensive players he added on the second day. The trio of selections Saturday provides depth, special teams talent and massive upside.

Here is a closer look at the Chiefs' draft class:

SPEAKING OF STARTING: Speaks probably has the best chance to get on the field right away, especially if outside linebacker Dee Ford's recovery from a back injury takes longer than expected. Even then, Speaks is a better-rounded prospect and could soon find himself starting opposite Justin Houston.

"You want safeties and you want corners," Veach said, "but you have to affect the quarterback. You can't go out there and play 7-on-7. And we looked at it as the last chance to get a guy."

RIVAL ROOKIE: McKenzie's father is Reggie McKenzie, the longtime NFL linebacker and the current GM of the AFC West-rival Oakland Raiders. "I didn't talk to the dad," said Chiefs area scout Pat Sperduto http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-tarvarius-moore-jersey ," but I've talked to the kid a bunch of times. It was kind of a chuckle when we took his son."

DEFENSIVE LINE DEPTH: Nnadi also could slide into the rotation right away, and his development will be important in the near future. Allen Bailey, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Jarvis Jenkins are free agents after next season, and Williams and Chris Jones hit free agency the following offseason.

THE LATE PICKS: Watts was a four-year starter for Texas A&M and could slide into Parker's spot alongside star safety Eric Berry. He was a third-team All-American after making 82 tackles and four picks as a senior, and a name the Chiefs didn't expect to fall to them.

Smith was a tackling machine at Central Arkansas, and at 6-foot and 190 pounds, possesses the kind of size the Chiefs covet in a man-press cornerback. McKenzie is a mammoth, 320-pound defensive lineman who has the talent, makeup and lower-body strength to transition to offensive guard.

"We try to make it not complicated. Just watch the tape," Veach said, "and these guys play hard. Sometimes you get cute. Every little test, agility test, bend and this and that. Just an old rule of thumb: Does he make plays? Does he play hard? And these guys do."

The Toronto Maple Leafs opened another 4-1 lead in Boston, and this time they held on.

Just barely.

Five years after blowing a three-goal lead in a playoff elimination game against the Bruins Terrelle Pryor Sr. Color Rush Jersey , Toronto killed off a 5-on-3 and three more penalties to beat the Bruins 4-3 in Game 5 on Saturday night and force the series to a sixth game.

�That was a little bit nerve-wracking,� said Toronto forward Nazem Kadri, who returned from a three-game suspension and had an assist. �But we were able to weather the storm. Playoff games on the road, sometimes you just have to survive.�

Connor Brown and Andreas Johnsson each scored his first career playoff goal in the first period, and Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk scored 1:19 apart in the second to make it 4-1 and chase Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.

Boston cut the deficit to one goal, but the Leafs survived despite a parade of penalties that left four men in the box at one point.

�When you�re down a man six times � and it was six times � it�s ridiculous,� Toronto coach Mike Babcock said.

Frederik Andersen stopped 42 shots for Toronto, which returns home for Game 6 on Monday. Game 7 would be back in Boston on Wednesday, if necessary.

When the teams last met in the playoffs in 2013, Toronto twice won to stave off elimination and force the series to a seventh game. Once there, the Maple Leafs took a 4-1 into the third period before the Bruins won in overtime en route to their second Stanley Cup final berth in two years.

�That�s in the past,� Kadri said. �I think it�s time we turn the page on that one.�

Jake DeBrusk and Sean Kuraly scored for the Bruins. After missing one game with an undisclosed injury, Selke Trophy finalist Patrice Bergeron returned to the ice but not to the scoresheet; his line, which had 20 points in the first two games Dallas Goedert Jersey Elite , was held without a goal or assist.

�He made it through today�s game healthy,� Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. �We always want to see how they are in the morning. I don�t anticipate there being any issues going into Game 6.�

Rask was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots before skipping off to the locker room when he was pulled with 8:05 left in the second.

�Probably could have stopped more pucks with my eyes closed,� he said. �It�s on me, but moving on to the next one and try to finish it off in Toronto.�

Anton Khudobin, making his first career playoff appearance, stopped all eight shots he saw the rest of the way.

�I didn�t think he (Rask) had it tonight. So we went with Anton, who�s been very good for us,� Cassidy said. �And then there�s always that part that gets the rest of the team�s attention.�

Toronto lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston by a combined score of 12-4, then won the third game at home before dropping the fourth to fall to the brink of elimination.

Leading 4-1 midway through second on Saturday, the Maple Leafs gave Boston four straight power plays but killed each one off. Kuraly made it a two-goal game with about three minutes left in the second and Noel Acciari made it 4-3 six minutes into the third.

Notes: Bergeron�s absence from Game 4 was a surprise, and his upper body injury remains a mystery. He skated on the off-day Friday and again on Saturday morning and was then cleared to play. � Grzelcyk had his first playoff point, and Acciari recorded his first playoff assist. � Khudobin made his NHL debut in 2010 but has been a backup since then and never saw the ice in a playoff game. � The game ended with fisticuffs in the corner. Bozak and Boston�s David Backes were in the middle.

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