{"id":38700,"date":"2025-04-05T07:41:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T07:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=38700"},"modified":"2025-04-05T07:41:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T07:41:59","slug":"breaking-the-chiefs-are-actively-looking-at-and-evaluating-the-potential-of-an-explosive-wr-who-has-been-likened-to-jaylen-waddle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=38700","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: The Chiefs are actively looking at and evaluating the potential of an explosive WR who has been likened to Jaylen Waddle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div>\n<p>The Kansas City Chiefs are showing interest in another potential wide receiver weapon for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0may not be done adding to quarterback\u00a0Patrick Mahomes\u2019\u00a0new and improved wide receiver corps in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>According\u00a0to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler\u00a0on April 2, \u201c[Texas Longhorns] wide receiver Isaiah Bond is scheduled to visit\u201d the Chiefs ahead of the\u00a02025 NFL Draft. Fowler also noted scheduled visits with the\u00a0Cleveland Browns,\u00a0Green Bay Packers,\u00a0Buffalo Bills\u00a0and\u00a0Tennessee Titans\u00a0which will start \u201cnext week,\u201d per his sources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe speedy Texas playmaker, a Georgia native, will also visit the\u00a0[Atlanta] Falcons\u00a0for a local pro day,\u201d the insider continued.<\/p>\n<p>Bond is an interesting prospect because many analysts feel he has yet to reach his true potential.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFluid, fast and untapped. Bond played decoy for the betterment of Texas\u2019 offense but clearly has the talent to take on a more focused, productive role,\u201d\u00a0NFL Network draft expert Lance Zierlein scouted\u00a0ahead of the draft, comparing him to\u00a0Miami Dolphins\u00a0star\u00a0Jaylen Waddle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Bond is] a capable route-runner, has good hands and can play wide or from the slot,\u201d the analyst went on. \u201cAn offense should feed him a heavier diet of shallow crossers, deep digs and quick-game throws, allowing him to make magic with the ball in his hands and add to their chunk play total.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That profile of versatility and dynamic yards after catch ability sounds like the perfect fit for head coach Andy Reid\u2019s offense, so it\u2019s no surprise Kansas City is taking a closer look.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBond is an explosive athlete with above-average skill,\u201d Zierlein concluded. \u201cHe simply needs more targets to reach his potential. He\u2019s well-suited to the NFL game and could become a very good pro within his first three seasons.<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned above, Bond has the feel of a really nice scheme fit with Reid and Mahomes. Think elements of\u00a0Kadarius Toney,\u00a0Mecole Hardman\u00a0and\u00a0Xavier Worthy\u00a0all wrapped into one prospect.<\/p>\n<p>The 33rd Team\u2019s lead NFL draft analyst Kyle Crabbs credited\u00a0Bond with \u201csurreal short-area agility and explosiveness to change directions and create space,\u201d as well as \u201cdesirable open field speed and initial acceleration to threaten vertically or close cushion to create room underneath.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This skillset aligns with what Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy like to do in the respective screen, short-yardage and trick play formations \u2014 along with the occasional deep shot mixed in.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.maddenratings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/17-Miami-Dolphins.jpg\" alt=\"Jaylen Waddle Madden 25 Rating (Miami Dolphins)\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIsaiah Bond would thrive in a timing-oriented offense,\u201d Crabbs noted later on, \u201cwhere the separation he can create at the top of the break can be consistently targeted and afford him the opportunity to optimize his run-after-catch skills.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The scout also praised his \u201creliable hands in the middle [of the field]\u201d and his ability to \u201cgenerate free releases\u201d and \u201cexplosive plays\u201d off of pre-snap motion.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of the Chiefs offense is typically to add more and more versatility and speed, so that the opposing defense is unable to account for every playmaker. Bond does just that, pairing well with a young core headlined by\u00a0Rashee Rice\u00a0and Worthy \u2014 not to mention veteran WR\u00a0Hollywood Brown.<\/p>\n<p>If KC were to draft Bond and all went well as far as his development, he\u2019d immediately slot in as a Hardman and\u00a0Skyy Moore\u00a0upgrade at WR4\/5, filling that slot\/hybrid role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d2y4ihze0bzr5g.cloudfront.net\/source\/2020\/Jaylen_Waddle_%281%29.jpg\" alt=\"Second-Year Scouting Report: Jaylen Waddle\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Whereas\u00a0JuJu Smith-Schuster\u00a0is more of a Rice insurance policy that will run block and find space in the possession game.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, the more explosive talent the Chiefs secure at wide receiver for Mahomes, the better. And Bond supplies a specific skillset that Kansas City has been searching for in recent years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Michael Obermuller<\/strong>\u00a0covers the NFL for Heavy.com, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus specialize on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. An NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate, his previous bylines include Heavy on Jets, FanDuel\u2019s The Duel, King Fantasy Sports and Pro Football Mania.\u00a0More about Michael Obermuller<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kansas City Chiefs are showing interest in another potential wide receiver weapon for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0may not be done adding to quarterback\u00a0Patrick Mahomes\u2019\u00a0new&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: The Chiefs are actively looking at and evaluating the potential of an explosive WR who has been likened to Jaylen Waddle - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=38700\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: The Chiefs are actively looking at and evaluating the potential of an explosive WR who has been likened to Jaylen Waddle - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Kansas City Chiefs are showing interest in another potential wide receiver weapon for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 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