Chiefs UDFA linebacker Jack Cochrane has the experience and instincts to compete

I just can’t stop talking about Kansas City Chiefs defenders.

I’m a big fan of the team’s returning second-tier players, but it’s also been exciting to see the team’s players have added this season.

Before the draft, I took a look at the free agent agreement with Jermaine Carter Jr. After selecting the team, I reviewed Leo Chenal’s third round of the draft. Later, I took a closer look at Mike Rose, a non-draft free agent.

Now I’m investigating other free agent without a draft with an impressive college CV: Jack Cochrane. During the four seasons he played in South Dakota, he collected 327 reps and earned the main team conference awards last season. He also earned several awards as a pan-American academic.

Here’s what you should know about a young lawyer competing for the Kansas City list.

The basics

Cochrane played high school football in the same state where he attended college, enrolling in the 2017 recruiting course. He started playing in 2018 – mostly as an average midfielder – finishing second in the team. Since then, he has been a constant force in the Coyotes Defense Forces, having been appointed team captain for the past three seasons.

On South Dakota’s Professional Day, Cochrane was measured at 6 feet 3 and 236 pounds, a solid foundation for his position. This is what makes the results of his athletic testing impressive. He recorded a 41-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot 4-inch wide jump, both of which are data from Kent Lee Platte’s relative athletic score measure. His 4.1-second 10-yard shuttle also fell into this category.

The 4.65-second 40-yard run was closer to normal speed, however The 10-yard gap was 1.6 seconds – another “elite” number.

College Film Evaluation

I watched two full-length games for Cochrane’s 2021 season – albeit from a live angle: Week 1 in Kansas and a late-season game against North Dakota.

Cochrane usually plays from a traditional midfield position, playing both on the offensive line and deeper in space.

He develops an effective vision (with its impressive athleticism) to play games from side to side, reacting quickly to the direction of the game – and when he reaches the point of attack, he stays straight with the line of attack.

His ability to read boxes quickly (and diagnose plays) stems from his experience – which also leads to a good pre-click expectation.

In the production of the other two halves of the game, he has invented some tendencies to play the game – and uses this instinct to get ahead of where he needs to stop.

The length of the cochrane can be a disadvantage for the line protector. But I have seen him consciously oppose it by playing low. It’s not natural for him to run this way, but bending his knees and playing squats can improve his speed – and how quickly he can be in a good and basic control position.

The coverage makes Cochrane look very comfortable; he glides around the field. In this game, he runs very smoothly up the seam with a narrow end. His size allows him to compete against this type of bait, using his length to get into the throwing window without being too physical.

This play is a good example of his skills covering the hook zone: to be patient, to read the defender’s eyes and let them be fed. The play allowed Coyotes to almost beat Jayhawks.

The main thing Cochrane needs to improve is his playing power. He doesn’t have enough weight to be a consistent leader against the race – and against the state of North Dakota, that was obvious. This line of attack is as close to the NFL line as you can find in the FCS – and its excellent playing strength has consistently piqued Cochrane.

His instincts allow him to fight such inappropriate blocking measures, but he fails to play many games by avoiding blocks altogether; he tries to drop the blocks after the engagement – rather than before. To combat his lack of power – which is harder to overcome in the NFL – he needs to further develop this skill.

Bottom row

At the 2022 training camp in Kansas City, the fringes of the line protector’s depth schedule are one of the most intriguing battles. Chenal, Carter and Rose are confused, but Cochrane also has the skills to get involved in this battle. He has already done some plays.

If Cochrane were on the list, you could imagine a role for Ben Niemann: a lighter defender (with experience of playing) who can play in the feed packs, but who is primarily a special team player.

Since Niemann is no longer part of the team, this is a specific role – and Cochrane seems appropriate. He is definitely part of what is one of the Chiefs’ most difficult position battles.