Kansas State Spring Football Review: Defensive ends

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE KANSAS STATE DEFENSIVE ENDS

Three items come to mind the most in terms of what we learned about the Kansas State defensive end position, and much of it is linked to the departure of defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah after he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nate Matlack is healthy. That will be a major part of the 2023 season, as he will be given a chance to reach the high potential that he was tagged with before last year. However, injuries derailed his year and he played on two bad wheels for nearly the entire season.

Secondly, Khalid Duke is back at the defensive end position and opening eyes once again as an elite pass-rusher. He’s a natural on the edge, and his combination of explosiveness, speed, length and power is tough to block. He has all-Big 12 talent in regards to chasing down quarterbacks.

Finally, establishing some depth was needed. We know about Duke, Matlack and Brendan Mott. Those three have played important college football already in their careers. Can K-State produce more contributors than that? One that busted through in the Spring was true freshman Chiddi Obiazor.

REMAINING QUESTIONS

Will Kansas State net the same playmaking ability they had each of the last two seasons with Anudike-Uzomah on the edge? And he was so good and multi-faceted that he didn’t need to be played on certain downs. He could play the run and the pass.

Duke can chase quarterbacks. Matlack and Mott are very solid contributors. But does K-State have a player that can create a safety all by himself to turn a game and season around? I like the room, but are there any game-changers?

Can Kansas State stay healthy? I don’t think it is that wide of a concern. But Matlack suffered multiple injuries a year ago, Mott had to have offseason surgery and was banged up a few times and Khalid Duke has already lost an entire season to injury before.

AREAS OF K-STATE STRENGTH

K-State should be able to rush the passer. If I were to spotlight or pinpoint the top trait of all three of Mott, Matlack and Duke, it would be tracking down the opposing quarterback. Will they be able to be effective versus the run game, though?

PROJECTED OUTCOME

I’m not sure I have a bold prediction to make regarding the Kansas State defensive ends. I believe we’ll see what we expect to see. If I were to muster up something, I would say it is trending that Obiazor will not redshirt and that Duke will be heading to the NFL after the 2023 season.

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