Chiefs 'Absolutely' See Hunter Nourzad as Nick Allegretti Replacement

Nourzad's versatility is his main selling point, and Kansas City is glad it landed a potential successor to its former do-it-all backup lineman.

Penn State senior offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad talks with a reporter during football media day at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, August 6, 2022, in State College. Hes Dr 080622 Psumedia / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

With a starting lineup of Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Nick Allegretti, the Kansas City Chiefs' interior offensive line is one of the strongest in the NFL. Its reserves, namely Nick Allegretti, also earned a reputation for being quality in recent seasons.

Following Allegretti's departure this offseason, however, Kansas City needed an injection of talent and depth. The organization got just that in the fifth round with the selection of Hunter Nourzad, who did pretty much everything over the course of his college career.

Speaking to the media on Saturday afternoon, Chiefs scout Cassidy Kaminski emphasized just how versatile the club's new lineman is.

"He actually started at tackle at Cornell, made the transfer to Penn State, played and started at guard for them and then this past year, made the transfer to center and started games there all year and had a phenomenal year," Kaminski said. "So you think about versatility — he's played four years of college football and he's played three positions."

Nourzad, the 159th overall pick, is an older prospect. Having played multiple seasons at Cornell and then a couple more at Penn State, coming back to school this past year was a big deal for boosting his draft stock. Kaminski praised Nourzad's intelligence, saying Penn State's engineering department recruited him right alongside the football program when he became a graduate transfer.

The Chiefs, per Kaminski, view Nourzad as an interior lineman. His days of playing tackle appear to be behind him, at least for the time being. He's learned a few different offensive line positions in the last three seasons, with Kaminski citing that level of adversity as the "status quo" for the 6-foot-3 man. Because of that experience, it's Kaminksi's belief that Nourzad could be ready to fill a role "as soon as possible."

Could that role simply be stepping in as the new Allegretti? Kaminski didn't hold back when acknowledging so.

"Yeah, absolutely," Kaminski said. "Like you said, phenomenal interior backup guy. Would start games if we need [him] to. Exactly that type of replacement."

As a former Day 3 draft pick of general manager Brett Veach, Allegretti is a perfect example of a late-round selection living up to his draft slot and then some. After entering the league as a center, he transitioned to being a guard in the ensuing campaigns. When Thuney suffered a pectoral injury last postseason, it was Allegretti who rose to the occasion and helped bring the Chiefs their second Super Bowl victory in a row.

Is Nourzad capable of doing something similar right out of the gate? It'd be unfair to expect that, but the NFL origin story could be the same. Similar to the man before him, Nourzad is willing to help wherever he can and however he can as he acclimates to life as a pro.

"I think that when you look at my past and all the positions I have played, it kind of just speaks for itself that I can," Nourzad said. "And I feel very happy and comfortable to play any position that the coaching staff and the organization decides will help the team as much as possible."

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