The Kansas City Chiefs have brought quite a few prospects in for top-30 visits. The latest report is on an offensive lineman who has already had his opportunity to visit with the team.
According to Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, the Chiefs have already hosted Appalachian State OT Cooper Hodges on a top-30 visit. Hodges has a lot of snaps under his belt at the collegiate level with 51 game appearances since 2019, primarily playing at the right tackle position.
A hair under 6-foot-4 and 304 pounds with 33-inch arms, Hodges has an athletic profile that compares favorably to former Chiefs RT Andrew Wylie. He ran a 40-yard dash in 5.06s, posted 29 repetitions of 225 in the bench press, recorded a 29-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot broad jump. He’s a bit quicker and stronger than Wylie, but not quite as explosive.
While Hodges played the tackle position at App State, he kicked inside to play right guard during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and saw a lot of success.
𝗡𝗙𝗟𝗣𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹
Playing RG, Cooper Hodges had key blocks to help spring big runs on his team's game-winning drive. #GoApp pic.twitter.com/8jH1iXvgT3
— App State Football (@AppState_FB) January 29, 2023
As a senior in 2022, Hodges allowed just 10 total pressures, including one sack. He helped App State RBs Nate Noel (6.9) and Camerun Peoples (5.9) to top five yards per carry averages in the Sun Belt in 2022. His 87 overall blocking grade from PFF ranked No. 1 among starting right tackles at the FBS level.
Remember, top-30 visits aren’t simply reserved for first-round draft prospects. A lot of the time, the Chiefs utilize them on lesser-known prospects who could end up as late-round draft picks or priority undrafted free agents. Hodges likely falls in that latter category.
