Kansas City Chiefs LB Nick Bolton has earned the top honor the franchise gives to rookies or first-year players.
The team announced on Tuesday that Bolton would receive the Mack Lee Hill Award for the 2021 NFL season. The award is named in memory of former Chiefs RB Mack Lee Hill who tragically passed away during his rookie season. The award denotes an outstanding performance by a rookie or first-year player with the team.
A second-round round draft pick out of the University of Missouri, selected at pick No. 58 overall, Bolton surpassed all expectations as a rookie. He appeared in 16 regular-season games for the Chiefs this season, starting 12 of those games for the team. He led the 2021 Chiefs defense in tackles (112) and tackles for loss (11) while recording double-digit total tackles in three games this season.
His performance in the month of October yielded NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors.
Congratulations to this year's Mack Lee Hill Rookie of the Year Award winner, Nick Bolton! 👏 pic.twitter.com/pzPof3Jf4t
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 15, 2022
The Chiefs had a number of deserving rookies this season including C Creed Humphrey and RG Trey Smith, but the team went with Bolton. He figures to be the starting MIKE linebacker of the future in Kansas City. If his rookie season was any indication, Bolton is a budding star in the league who will only have a get better from here on out.
Bolton joins Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Mecole Hardman, Andrew Wylie and Tyreek Hill as former Mack Lee Hill Award winners currently on the team.
