BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia was one of Kansas City’s ‘favorite’ top-30 visits

Kansas City targeted the former BYU tackle right from the beginning of the draft.

On Friday night, the Kansas City Chiefs acquired former BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia with the 63rd overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Originally ranked 46th on Arrowhead Pride’s consensus top-100 prospect ranking, it was a surprise that the 21-year-old tackle was still available at the end of the second round. The Chiefs even moved up one pick to be sure they could get him, as assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi explained to reporters afterward.

“He was a guy that we targeted, actually, out of this tackle group in the second round,” he noted. “There was a run on tackles there. I think there were four taken before we picked. So we just wanted to make sure we made a small move. San Francisco had a need at tackle. That was really the reason why we traded up for him at that point.”

But as he met with reporters virtually after his selection, Suamataia spoke like a man destined to land in Kansas City.

“Just being able to talk with coach [Andy] Reid,” he recalled of his pre-draft top-30 visit to the team facility, “it just felt like home already; it felt like sitting at home and chilling with one of my uncles. It was so chill; it was so fun.

“But he said, ‘You know, we’ve got a lot of ties with BYU — and I’m trying to get you here.’ So from there, I already felt it around the whole facility [and when] meeting all the coaches. It just felt like home.”

The feeling was mutual.

“He was one of our favorite guys we had in for a visit,” said Borgonzi. “He’s just a good kid. Very likable. He’s going to fit in the room. He’s got the BYU connection with coach Reid, so that’s a big deal. He went through with the coaches. [They] put him on the board, and [he] did very well with all that stuff. So we felt comfortable with the person — and then the football intelligence piece? That’s really why we targeted him.”

And there’s a reason that talking about football with NFL coaches would feel like home. In high school, Suamataia was a teammate of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Nuka Pacua. He also has many relatives with ties to the NFL. They include three cousins who are current players: tackle Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions plus linebackers Noah Sewell of the Chicago Bears and Nephi Sewell of the New Orleans Saints. His uncle Richard Brown spent eight years as an NFL middle linebacker starting in the late 1980s — and his uncle Issac Sopoaga played as a defensive tackle for 10 seasons in the early 2000s.

“So it runs in the bloodline,” acknowledged Suamataia. “It runs deep. So I’m just so grateful and blessed to be the next one up right now.”

Still, even after hearing the stories from his family and friends about what it was like to go through the draft, there was nothing quite like experiencing it himself.

“I never knew what all the boys meant by that ‘waiting period’ until your phone gets called,” he explained. “It just feels like you can breathe again. So I was just waiting around. My agent texted me and said, ‘Hey! The Chiefs just traded up.’ I looked at my phone — and the next phone call, I was like, ‘Oh, no way!’

“So I just felt relief. [I was] just crying a lot — just a lot of going back through memories of all the sacrifices everybody put in around the room — in my room that was here in this conference room [with my family]. So there was a lot of emotion. But I’m so grateful and so ready to be a Chief.”

He recognizes that he is stepping into a special situation — but also believes he is up for the job.

“Blocking for Patty Mahomes himself?” he marveled. “Oh, my! It’s mind-blowing. But I’m going to have to come in there and let him trust me — like, ‘I got you. Nobody’s gonna touch you. Even when we practice, nobody’s touching you.’”

Borgonzi says the team is convinced Suamataia has the skills to compete with second-year player Wanya Morris to become the starting left tackle.

“You can see the feet,” he observed. “I mean, he’s 325 pounds — and he’s light on his feet. That certainly jumps out when you see a big guy who can move like that.

“Just like all these guys coming out — especially offensive linemen. It’s so much technique [and] hand use — just consistency [with that]. I think bringing him in will push Wanya — to bring out the best in these guys. But certainly, the athleticism was a big piece for us — especially with a guy that big.”

And Suamataia promises that he will be ready for any challenge he is given.

“I think I’m gonna fit perfectly,” he said. “I [will] come in as a rookie and get ready to work wherever coach [Andy] Heck needs me and [where] coach Andy needs me. I can play both ways — right and left — so wherever they can fit me in and get ready to work, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get that job.”