Meet Tershawn Wharton: the Kansas City Chief coming from Division II Missouri S&T

After being told he was "undersized," Missouri S&T's Tershawn Wharton is trying to go from the NCAA Division II level to an NFL roster.

Last season, there were 49 NFL players who came from the NCAA Division II level. Out of the 49 players on active rosters, three hail from DII schools in Missouri.

Missouri S&T defensive end Tershawn Wharton is trying to become the next one.

The DII product was an undrafted free agent who performed well with the Missouri S&T Miners, a school of 6,872 located 211 miles away from Arrowhead Stadium and 106 miles from St. Louis.

Wharton recorded 58 tackles for loss and 35.5 sacks in his career at Missouri S&T, where he received All-American honors in 2018. Wharton set Miner career records for quarterback sacks with and tackles for loss.

With so many accolades to his name, why did Wharton never attempt to transfer to a larger school?

“I think it was definitely a thought [to transfer],” Wharton said in a press conference with reporters on Wednesday. “It crossed my mind a few times, thinking about coming to play at Mizzou. I think that I just stuck with it at S&T. The coaches loved me, and I think it was a mutual respect with each other, so I just stayed there.”

The 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive end grew up in University City, Missouri, where he attended University City High School, about 15 minutes away from downtown St. Louis.

Wharton led his high school in tackles with 110, which included four sacks and an interception. He was a three-time all-conference selection and four-time academic scholar at in high school.

“I feel like coming out of high school I wasn’t overlooked; I was kind of undersized,” Wharton said. “Nobody knew the potential that I had. I feel like it was an opportunity that I just took and ran with.”

Growing up near St. Louis, Wharton said he was a fan of the St. Louis Rams when they were in St. Louis, but is thankful a team in his home state picked him up.

“I definitely was a Rams guy just because they were at home,” Wharton said. “Signing to a team [this] close to my hometown is good for my family. They’ll be able to see me play, and all my friends and family are still there. A lot of people want to live this out, so I can play for them as well.”

Wharton was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl and was one of the few players from the DII level who played in the game. He said playing in the game helped get him noticed and it was “surprising” seeing how he could play with the “upper-level guys.”

“I think as a player I like to work hard on the field as much as I like to work hard anywhere else,” Wharton said about his playing style. “Those stats come from just grinding out and fighting through everything. As far as on the field, no one knows what is going to come. I feel like I have a lot of learning to do to become a better player at the next level.”