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KC Chiefs sign Mississippi State ATH who has never played a down of football
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The Kansas City Chiefs are rolling the dice and taking a gamble on one of Mississippi State’s best all-around athletes. But here’s the catch: he’s never played a down of football in his life.
Tautvydas Kieras, a Lithuanian Mississippi State track and field star and the school’s record-holder in the discus throw, decided to put a helmet and pads on for the first time ever this spring after he began training for football back in January. He aims to play defensive end.
Per HailStateBeat.com, Kieras participated in the Bulldogs’ pro day earlier this month and stood out due to his stature and athleticism. He measured in at 6-foot-3, 271 pounds, pumped out 24 reps on the 225-pound bench press, ran an unofficial 4.69 40-yard dash, and recorded a vertical leap of 35” and a broad jump of 9’8”.
It’s easy to see why Chiefs scouts were so willing to take a flyer on him.
“Coaches were so surprised that I had never done stuff,” Kieras said of his initial workouts in Las Vegas. “They’d tell me to do something, first or second try I’d do it correctly. It might not look as fluid, but then the fifth or sixth time, I look like another football player … It helped me a lot, discus.
“It was just a couple practices,” he continued, “but I felt comfortable with it. Tell me to run, I run. Tell me to knock the guy out, I knock the guy out. I felt comfortable.”
Kieras is considered a developmental project at best, but he’s an interesting one nonetheless.
“He wouldn’t be a bad invite,” one scout remarked after watching Kieras finish the 40-yard dash. “He’s put up good numbers.”
Said another in attendance, “Gotta be patient. He’s a freak though.”
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
