Darian Kinnard (Photo by UK Athletics)
Nobody can blame Mandy Headrick for being just a bit biased when it comes to her son Darian Kinnard. After all, most of us are biased and should be about our kids.
However, I don’t think she is the only one who thinks the Kansas City Chiefs got a steal when they drafted the Kentucky all-American offensive tackle in the fifth round after he was projected as a first-round pick at one time and then certainly as a second-round selection.
“Everybody has their expectations. We all knew what his draft value was. We also know why there was a situation of him falling lower (in the draft). That’s irrelevant now. My child is wonderful at what he does and we knew there was no way he was not getting drafted so now he can show what he can do,” she said.
Few questioned Kinnard’s talent. He was one of the nation’s highest rated offensive linemen the last two years and was a three-year starter in the Southeastern Conference. However, while some were wondering about some of his numbers at the NFL combine, others believe it was some non-football comments that caused his draft stock to drop.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Headrick said. “You would think if you were putting together a football team you would want to have the best players available at any position. This is a win for Kansas City. He is going out there to show what he can do. He is going to be the best offensive lineman you can find.”
“It’s funny how this works out. Let the scoreboard do the talking. Just go out and do your thing is what he has to do.”
She admits as they watched the recent draft — including the first round — they were “shocked” by some picks.
“We were not sure what was going on in the draft,” she said. “It was kind of mind-boggling.”
Headrick said her son’s time at Kentucky was “everything they thought it would be” and her son improved.
“It was the perfect fit for him. He got the benefit last season of learning a more NFL-style offense,” she said. “I am a Chiefs fan now. The head coach (Andy Reid) is a players’ coach from all I have heard and seen. He loves his guys and is someone I think Darian is really going to mesh well with because coach Reid really likes his offensive linemen a lot. It’s a good spot for Darian.”
