Earlier this offseason, former Kansas City Chiefs veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens. It was somewhat surprising, given that the Ravens are one of the Chiefs’ vaunted rivals in the AFC.

However, the Chiefs were not panicking about losing Hopkins. Last season, the veteran wideout had 41 receptions (59 targets) for 437 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games with the Chiefs after getting traded by the Tennessee Titans.

Despite having a solid regular season, Hopkins was a non-factor in the playoffs, posting three receptions (eight targets) for 29 yards and a touchdown. With Hopkins out the door, the Chiefs have an intriguing rookie wide receiver who has been turning heads in offseason workouts and could become an instant playmaker this season.

Chiefs Rookie WR Jalen Royals Already Making Waves at OTAs

Former Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals has been one of the early standouts in OTAs as he received the chance to work with the first team. The young playmaker didn’t waste the reps as he made several catches in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, according to Chiefs senior reporter Matt Mullen.

Even though it’s only OTAs, the fact that Royals is making his presence felt early is a good sign, as he’ll need to stand out as a fourth-round selection.

The 6-foot wideout was held to seven games last year due to a foot injury. Before going down with the injury, Royals had 55 receptions for 834 yards and six touchdowns. He also averaged 20.4 yards per kick return.

Then, when he went to the NFL Scouting Combine, Royals ran a 4.42 40-yard dash. In 2023, Royals was quietly one of the more underrated wide receivers in the country, as he racked up 71 receptions for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns (second in FBS).

Royals isn’t and won’t be a direct replacement for Hopkins, who has become one of the best WRs for over a decade. However, the rookie wideout has strong hands, tough to bring down with yards after the catch, and could get on the field quickly with his special team skills.

Mandatory minicamp, training camp, and preseason should be fun to watch as the Chiefs might have one of the better young wide receiver cores in the league.