NFL Draft Recap: Where did former Jayhawks land?

The 2019 NFL Draft has officially ended, and former Kansas football standouts have found their new homes in the NFL. Although no player from Kansas was drafted, many signed as undrafted free agents.

Two players many Kansas fans thought had a shot of being drafted were defensive tackle Daniel Wise and inside linebacker Joe Dineen.

Both Dineen and Wise were team captains and helped provide leadership on a defense that saw tremendous turnover from 2017 to 2018 (no pun intended).

Joe Dineen Jr.

Dineen was the first Jayhawk to sign after the draft, signing with the Denver Broncos.

Dineen led all Division I players in solo tackles in 2018, totaling 109. He consistently found the player with the ball and very rarely missed a tackle.

Dineen is somewhat undersized but makes smart plays and is great at reading offenses. Dineen won’t be seen in coverage as he is mainly a run-stopper who can put pressure on the quarterback.

The best coverage Dineen is suited for is as a spy, waiting to see what decision the quarterback makes.

Because he is undersized and is not great in coverage, Dineen will likely be primarily on special teams. However, Dineen could end up being one of the top special teams players in the NFL due to his ability to make smart plays and ability to finish the tackle seemingly every time.

Although most Kansas fans may hate to see Dineen go to Denver, the rival of the Kansas City Chiefs, he could find success in a defense that has seen former Jayhawks Chris Harris and Aqib Talib thrive.

Daniel Wise

To many, Wise not being drafted came as a surprise as most thought he would be picked in the sixth or seventh round. Instead, Wise signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys.

Much like Dineen, Wise has struggles being undersized and getting lost in plays. When put up against superior linemen, both players seemed to struggle at times.

Wise, however, has a much higher ceiling than Dineen.

Wise is quick with his hands and knows how to move around defenders. He only racked up five sacks in 2018, but most of his time was spent fighting against double teams as he was arguably the best defender on the Kansas roster.

With some strong coaching, Wise could turn out to be a starter a couple seasons down the road. Working against the Dallas offensive line, which is a very talented one, Wise could improve his ability to move through linemen.

He has ability to move around the line, but with improvement going through the offensive line, Wise has a very high ceiling. He will be paired up with his former teammate Dorance Armstrong Jr. and could come to enjoy his time as a Cowboy.

Steven Sims Sr.

The other most notable undrafted free agent signing from Kansas was wide receiver Steven Sims Sr., who signed with the Washington Redskins. Sims left Kansas as one of the greatest receivers in program history.

At 5’-10”, Sims will best be suited as a slot receiver. He also is not the fastest guy on the field, running only a 4.56 40-yard dash at Kansas’ pro day.

However, Sims was best known for his big play ability at Kansas. At seemingly any moment, Sims was capable of breaking off a huge play in the blink of an eye.

On top of his big play ability, Sims was the best return man for the Jayhawks and could carve out huge gains in a return play.

Sims will likely be suited as a return guy in the NFL and may take some time to find a legitimate role on a team, but his ceiling is not horrible either. Sims could potentially find himself as a big-play slot-guy in the future, or he could end up bouncing from team to team and eventually bouncing out of the NFL.

The Rest

Some other former Kansas players to sign with teams consisted of tight end Mavin Saunders, who will join the Cleveland Browns, cornerback Shak Taylor, who will join the Indianapolis Colts, right guard Dwayne Wallace, who will become a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers and long snapper John Wirtell, who will become a part of the Chicago Bears.