Why it might be wise to give Dontari Poe a break
For a player his size, the Kansas City Chiefs sure do play Dontari Poe a lot.
Finding a three-down nose tackle with his pass-rushing ability is so incredibly rare, so it's no wonder defensive coordinator Bob Sutton wants Poe on the field. But in doing so, K.C. could be relying on Poe's monster athleticism a little too much.
Consider that Poe has been a staple of that defense from the moment he entered the league from Memphis. In his rookie season, he played approximately three of every four defensive snaps. By comparison, standout Rams rookie Aaron Donald played in over 67% last season -- and Donald isn't tasked with swallowing up multiple blockers like Poe is.
In 2013 and 2014 season, Poe played the most snaps of any defensive tackle or nose tackle. He beat out Ndamukong Suh, the NFL's preeminent defensive tackle, by 91 snaps in both seasons.
It's a heavy workload for any player to bear, let alone one that's nearly 350 pounds. So, with 10 selections in the upcoming NFL Draft, GM John Dorsey might be wise to target a player in the later rounds who can lessen Poe's load and keep him fresh.