Kansas City Chiefs rookie linebacker Leo Chenal went from 10 defensive snaps in his first week to 22 last game in a home win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
And one of his biggest adjustments to the NFL so far? Simply trying to calm himself down.
“Sometimes you get a little overexcited. It happened my freshman year of college: You first get on the field, and especially with more and more reps, you’ve just got to take a step back, breathe, tell yourself this isn’t too much different than college,” Chenal said Wednesday. “Yeah, (NFL players) are bigger, they’re faster, but you’ve got to believe in yourself, take that step back and just breathe. Just do what we trained for.”
Chenal, the team’s third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, became an early fan favorite at a Chiefs event in May, saying he was going to bring “violence and physicality” to the team before adding that he was “addicted to hitting people. I love it. I can’t get enough.” He showed some force during his snaps against Los Angeles, posting two tackles and adding a quarterback hit.
A significant transition in the NFL, Chenal said, has been learning a new defensive language from what he was used to with Wisconsin. There have been times with the Chiefs, for example, when he’s learning a fresh concept before realizing it’s something that he did with the Badgers under a different name.
The Chiefs also are asking him to broaden his skill-set. That’s included scenarios where he plays on the edge — something that he didn’t much in college.
Chenal says because of that, learning new technique is essential while also comprehending how to utilize his power best. He joked that while he wished at times the NFL was just putting your head down and running into people, things are rightfully more complex now.
“I’ve got to appreciate and love the opportunity to learn something new, to be able to be versatile if they want me down on the edge, if they want me off the ball,” Chenal said. “And having that in my back pocket’s always a good thing for me and the team.”
When the Chiefs play at the Indianapolis Colts, Chenal will go against former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, as both played for the Badgers in 2019. More than anything, Chenal complimented Taylor for his modesty, saying he had “never seen somebody so good and so humble at the same time.”
Sunday, though, also will give Chenal (pronounced “Shuh-NELL”) the chance to do something he couldn’t at Wisconsin.
“We never got to tackle him in practice. He was just that good. Like, I never got the opportunity to touch him in practice,” Chenal said with a smile. “So it’s kind of cool meeting up with a teammate like that, but in the hole.”
Chenal, primarily a strongside linebacker, doesn’t expect his role to change much Sunday following the four-game suspension of Willie Gay, who plays the weakside linebacker position. Coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that backup Darius Harris would be Gay’s primary fill-in.
For Chenal and the other linebackers, this week will mostly be status quo while prepping for their roles Sunday.
That assignment will require the group to remain composed — an area where Chenal admits he’s still working to improve.
“Maybe you’ve gotta look at other notes for a different position here and there, but it’s nothing too serious in terms of change. Everybody has their approach to the game,” Chenal said. “If you freak out and start saying like, ‘Oh, shoot, I need to study more. I need to do this more,’ you’re getting out of your routine.
“Ultimately, you’ve just got to trust the process and trust the coaches, trust your assignment and go from there.”
