ARLINGTON, Texas – Tennessee defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with 198th pick overall in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft on Saturday at AT&T Stadium.
“I can’t believe I am a Kansas City Chief,” said McKenzie. “This is what I have worked for and dreamed of since I was a kid. My father and uncle paved the way, and now, it’s my turn. Thank you so much to everyone who believed in me and helped me get to today, but the work has just begun. Kansas City, let’s get to work.”
McKenzie joins his father, Reggie McKenzie, and uncle, Raleigh McKenzie, as NFL Draft Picks.
Reggie McKenzie, a linebacker, was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders in the 10th round of the 1985 draft. Raleigh McKenzie, a guard, was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 11th round in 1985.
Kahlil and Reggie McKenzie, the general manager of the Oakland Raiders, are the third Tennessee father-son duo to be selected in the NFL Draft joining Steve and Keith DeLong and Craig and Dustin Colquitt.
The Chicago Bears selected defensive lineman Steve DeLong with the No. 6 overall pick in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft, while linebacker Keith DeLong was picked by the San Francisco 49ers with the 28th selection in the first round of the 1989 draft.
Craig Colquitt was a start punter for the Vols and was picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 76 pick in the third round in 1978. Dustin followed in his father’s footsteps as a punter at UT and later in the NFL as he was the No. 99 selection in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005.
McKenzie is the 10th Vol picked by the Chiefs and first since offensive lineman Zach Fulton was taken in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. He joins Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett (first round, No. 14, 2017) as Tennessee defensive lineman selected in consecutive years. Barnett helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl last season.
McKenzie had a standout junior season in 2017, making 36 tackles and four TFLs over 11 games with nine starts. A former five-star recruit from Walnut Creek, Calif., McKenzie appeared in 31 games at defensive tackle over his Tennessee career and totaled 72 stops.
He had a career-high eight tackles against Georgia Tech in the season-opening double-overtime victory over Georgia Tech in 2017 and also had a five-stop game at Alabama later in the season. McKenzie projects as an interior defensive lineman in the NFL, but has also been mentioned as a candidate to switch to the offensive line in the professional ranks.
McKenzie is the 25th Vol selected in the NFL Draft since 2010 and the 357th Vol drafted all-time.
-UT Athletics
