5 breakout stars to watch for Kansas City Chiefs in 2021

Sep 28, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (17) celebrates with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (11) after scoring a first half touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

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Lucas Niang (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

4) Lucas Niang, OT

Speaking of struggles, no failure more directly impacted the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl than the failure to protect Patrick Mahomes against Tampa’s swarming front-seven, and Lucas Niang could be critical to the line’s improvement in 2021.

Niang, chosen by the Chiefs in the third round of last April’s NFL Draft, opted out of last season and should have the opportunity to compete for Kansas City’s starting right tackle job.

Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, Sports Info Solutions listed the TCU alum as the ninth-ranked offensive tackle prospect, projecting that he would thrive in a zone-blocking scheme, in part due to his athleticism.

According to Sports Info Solutions, he only missed 1.1 percent of his blown pass-block assignments. That kind of reliability could make a dramatic impact on Mahomes and the productivity of the rest of the offense.

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