Neil Farrell Film Review and What His Addition May Mean for the Chiefs Defense

What can newly added Neil Farrell bring to the Chiefs' defense in 2023.

On the NFL Roster Cutdown Day the Kansas City Chiefs made a surprising move by calling up the Las Vegas Raiders and working out a trade. The Chiefs send a 6th round draft pick to the Raiders and got back second year defensive tackle, Neil Farrell. According to James Palmer, the Chiefs had been monitoring the DT position around the NFL heading into cutdown day and Farrell was the the player they ultimately decided on.

Farrell was drafted in the fourth round in the 2022 NFL Draft after five seasons at LSU. Early in his career he played as a heavy defensive end but as he continued to add weight he moved full time inside and entered the NFL as a defensive tackle. At the NFL Combine he checked in at 6’4” and 330lbs, both of which are above the 80th percentile of NFL DTs.

In his first NFL season he only played 27% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps while being active for 9 games. He was mostly utilized as a rotational NT and as an extra DT when they got into their goal line fronts. Heading into the 2023, Farrell had reportedly lost about 10lbs from his previous playing weight and was feeling better.

With the background information out of the way, let’s take a look at what Neil Farrell can bring to the Chiefs in 2023.

Neil Farrell Film Review

Where He Wins

Neil Farrell isn’t an overly complicated player and he plays just how he presents. The 6’4”, 330lb DT excels as a run defender in the middle of the defensive line. He cane at up blockers in the middle of the field to keep the second level free, but has the ability to plays on the ball in the run game on his own thanks to his strength and balance.