Matt Verderame · Jun 8, 2026
Matt ranked the five Chiefs rookies he considers most important to the team, with edge rusher R Mason Thomas at No. 1 and nickel corner Jaden Kennedy at No. 5. He also argued the Chiefs should be ranked sixth or seventh rather than ninth as ESPN's FPI has them.
“I just think our Mason Thomas is the biggest x factor in the entire team.”
said on air, transcribed by us · KC Sports Network (podcast) · read the original →
2 checkable claims from this
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Top Player ListsJun 8, 2026
“Number five of most important rookie Chiefs... I think it's Jaden Kennedy... Number four, I actually think it's Saracao... Alright. Three for me is Peter Woods... I'm a two... Number one for me is R Mason Thomas.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the season it describes has finished.
- Power RankingsJun 8, 2026
“To me, the Chiefs should be no lower than seventh... But I think Chiefs are, like, six or seven. You could even argue higher.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the season it describes has finished.