Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals has become a fan favorite with his last name sharing the namesake of our beloved baseball team. The Chiefs hope that Royals can be just as beloved by the city. The Chiefs have invested significantly in the wide receiver position since Tyreek Hill was shipped to Miami. General Manager Brett Veach has done a nice job rebuilding the receiver room after having one of the worst units in the NFL just two years ago.

New rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals has been praised as someone who can contribute immediately. The playmaker and former basketball player from Utah State was a fourth-round selection, but he should have gone one or two rounds earlier.

Royals only played in seven games last year, which most likely caused some NFL teams to overlook him (he suffered a deltoid tear in his right foot). Chiefs’ opponents will have no one to blame but themselves this season because they missed out on one of the most electrifying players in the draft.

When I turned on Jalen Royals’ game film, I saw a smash-mouth football player. He wins in a lot of the same ways that current Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice wins. Rashee Rice makes most of his damage on routes across the middle, digs, slants, and curls. Rice’s YAC ability is special once he has the ball in his hands. Jalen Royals is cut from the same mold, except he brings a downfield element. When fully healthy in 2023, he led college football with seven touchdown receptions of 50 yards or more.

He’s even built similarly to Rice. Royals has a stocky build for a wideout at 6’0″ 205 lbs, and Rice is just one inch taller than him. Royals is quicker than fast, evidenced by his 4.43 40-yard dash and 93rd percentile 10-yard split. He had a play against UNLV that sold me on the type of football player he is. He catches a 20-yard pass across the middle, and the safety is coming in for a kill shot. Instead of the safety knocking out Royals, the safety was KO’d when he tried to tackle Royals. He bounced off him like a pinball. Royals got up quickly as if nothing had happened. That’s who Jalen Royals is. Defenders better have a plan when they break down to tackle him because Royals will make you pay one way or another.

His toughness certainly comes from his hometown of Powder Springs, Georgia. In sports, hometowns can often speak volumes about your values and identity. It’s more than just where he lived and grew up; it’s his story. It’s the community where his support comes from. Royals isn’t your typical collegiate athlete spoiled by NIL money and fame. He started his football career close to home at Georgia Military College. He appeared in 11 games, recording seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. His time at GMC gave him more of a disciplined and structured environment than most student athletes. When he transferred to Utah State, he was more than ready to show and prove on a bigger stage at the FBS level. He was named First-Team All-Mountain West and a Third-Team All-American by College Football Network. Though his year was cut short, he was still named Second-Team All Mountain West in 2024.

Reid will have a field day inventing plays for this kid. He’s a versatile chess piece that Reid will utilize in numerous positions. He primarily played on the perimeter in college as the “X” receiver. In the NFL, he will have to learn the slot and have the ability to line up everywhere. Reid loves RPO and crossing routes over the middle. Watching how he ran routes at Utah State, I see that he should have had a smooth transition into the Chiefs’ offense that the Royals called “complex” during his availability during mini-camp. Royals were even seen returning kicks during rookie mini-camp. If he takes the same pattern as Rice and Worthy, Royals should become a consistent contributor for Mahomes and Co. by mid-season. I can see him starting with a Mecole Hardman-type of package at the beginning of the year. He can do the bubble screens and end-arounds that Reid loves so much. According to Reception Perception, he had a 100% success rate on screens in 2024 (about 9% of Royals routes were screens). Utah State head coach

“You can see his (Jalen Royals) talent for sure. He did a couple good things yesterday, (we’ll) just see how he does today. We load them up again today and they actually have a walkthrough, so it’s very much like training camp. They have a walkthrough, and then they have the practice in the afternoon. Sometimes the second day can be a nice challenge for them with the overload part of it.”

Jalen has a simple approach this season to ensure he lives up to the promise Chiefs fans believe he possesses.

“I just want to prove I belong”, Royals said. I worked so hard to get here, and I just want to stay in the NFL. I want to show the team that I belong here and that I can continue to up my game and get better”.