Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs finds a fit with Kansas City Chiefs

yeah my my agent was getting a bunch of calls um me personally got a call from the Chiefs and the 49ers um those were pretty much my two top situations so just perennial Super Bowl contenders no big deal yeah yeah um those were the two teams that really reached out to me um both said neither of them took a linebacker um and they were really interested in me uh and I talked to my agent and we felt that Kansas City was the best option might have had something to do with the taxes [Music] too okay Curtis the thing that we were talking about on Tuesday was underrated players who we're not talking enough about and additionally you and I were talking off air there was a graphic put out by on Three's national team that had the Penn State uh that had tight end's ranked for the returning 2024 season pen was not on that list so what what what goes through your mind when you see stuff like that um it's just in my opinion it's honestly disrespectful um I I know what I've seen from those guys um from that room top down I mean I know Theo being gone that's definitely tough um that's an elite leader um an elite player at that position uh I feel like he's going to move on and have tremendous success but I think that room is still very very talented um it's it's a room that I kind of look at very similar to uh the linebacker room as in there's super talented guys um like Tyler Warren a guy that honestly is probably tight in one off the board next year um and then you just keep going down the list you got khil dinkin a proven guy you have Raper stepping up you have the Freshman coming in um and Jerry so just seeing that room uh seeing what coach Tai has been able to do it it it kind of made me a little mad to see that graphic honestly so um I I just I wanted to give my two cents um I'm really excited for those guys I think they're going to have a big year you mentioned Rapier specifically uh and I think you said he's a future All-American what what what do you see in him what did you see from him that made you feel that way that you were so high on his his potential and his ability well you just you see those raw traits um kind of traits that I saw in Tyler Warren as well um not as great with the ball in his hands but you see the attacking the ball at the catching point you see the the elite routes that honestly there's receivers out here that can't run routes like that um and then you just see how he's developing and continue to get bigger and continue to be more physical in the Run game it's just I've seen the development um and I've seen how he learns how he's just been a pro in this process so from what I've seen and even uh this spring tape I still go back and watch the film um see what I'm seeing from guys see what I like so I I just think that's a guy that's definitely stepping into a breakout role um and I'm expecting him to do really good that's cool you're still plugged in you're still paying attention so who who are some of the guys that you think outside the tight end room who who are some of the other players that caught your eye either you know in your final year or what you've been seeing recently well there's guys like you see what J Lions has been able to do um I was really excited for uh Tony Roos and Keon Wy um two guys that I've been able to work with obviously Keon has a little setback right now but I'm sure just being able to keep pushing he'll be he'll be back stronger than ever um you got Jal Lions I think he's a future first round guy uh key Wheatley um it's just it's a bunch of guys especially on the defense just that are going to step into bigger roles and I'm really excited for him one of the things that we've talked about I think on this show and kind of the expectation is the defense is going to be good this this fall because as you mentioned bringing back so much talent but there is that transition between coordinators and I know it's been it's a big thing that James Franklin has talked about and Tom Allens talked about making things easier to understand in the translation to be easier for guys but how much is there having uh yourself gone through a coordinator change how much extra mental work do you have to put in to keep the same level of play you had before within the structure of a new defense yeah I I really think it starts with the mentality um one thing that you look at from our defenses um going back from coach Pride to coach Diaz the mentality never changed um we're always going to attack uh we're always going to have that mentality that we're the best on the field and we have to produce day in and day out um I've had conversations with uh Devon about this a bunch of times he's if you didn't he's my roommate um just with the coach coaching change being gone coach Diaz's philosophy and attacking mentality is always going to be there so I think it starts with that um obviously there's a little learning curve when um a new coordinator comes in but that's that's just ball um you I'm going through that right now learning a new playbook um so it's just about being able to buy into to what the coach is coaching um accepting the coaching points and then being able to play fast so let's talk about that uh I think you just came through rookie mini camp with the Kansas City Chiefs what was that process like for you and how have you felt like you've been integrating with your your new team um it's definitely surreal um you step into the locker room you see uh Pat Mahomes Locker you see Travis Travis Kel's Locker um guys that have been superstars in this league for a while um granted I haven't been able to talk to those guys yet with the rookie mini camp just being the rookies and stuff but it it's it comes to me fast um the coaches really dump the Playbook on you uh you got to really get in learn ask the questions um and I feel like i' I've done a good job of that to start um I'm just excited for what's to come it's it's definitely an amazing system I love what coach spags has going on um just really allowing us to match get in our zones and just play ball play Fast um I like he he had told me just as long as you're getting better and developing that that's how people make it in this league and it's just been great picking up those nuggets um and being able to develop what was that moment like when you stepped in the locker room for the first time for something that I imagine you've been dreaming of your whole life how did that feel for you uh it's it's surreal um you getting fitted for your helmet looking at the logo on the side um it's it's it's a surreal feeling uh and uh coach Den told me like you never really know where you're going to go um so it it was interesting like seeing Kansas uh Missouri for the first time talking to people finding out there's tornadoes and stuff down there like it's it's wild um it's a wild experience U but I'm I'm definitely grateful for it so you mentioned Steve Spagnola who is uh the Kansas City defensive coordinator probably one of the top five I I always ever is always like a loaded word but he is he has defined I think a generation of defensive coordinators in the NFL over the last 15 20 years um how how have you felt like you fit into the defense and how do you um have there been conversations about what they're expecting of you from position or or anything like that yeah um I just I feel like my athleticism is always going to give me a chance um especially with the new rules they have going on with kickoff um I feel like that's that's my my way in um just being able to be an elite special teams guy that's what Penn State really teaches you just um developing all those little aspects um so when my opportunity does come on defense just being able to maximize it um and also being in a system where there there aren't many linebackers um they have lost the linebackers so just being able to come in and compete early um I'm excited to meet my vets uh I think I them next week um just learn from them see what they know um but it from what I've been it's been really great the coaches have been really helpful um they there's no dumb questions like I'm I'm asking a million questions I probably had like 20 pages of notes from this weekend so it's that's good stuff it's definitely a lot but it's it's just great to be able to be around coaches and really just get back to playing ball you know this process is more geared towards speed training and getting ready for the 40 yard dash but it's just great to be out there playing ball again yeah and it it's something that I know you love is is getting into the the Weeds on the details and understanding the defense and I guess the question is how much more complicated or how similar is uh an NFL defensive playbook to what you experienced at Penn State uh it's it's a lot more different um there's definitely a lot more communication um between guys I feel like a lot of the guys that have been in the league five 10 years they they have that communic down packed um they know what to talk about it it can even just be a look and they're already on the same page but just me as a guy stepping in the door I'm I have to know everything I have to figure out the signals figure out the little Communications that we have with each other um I feel like that's been a part of development for me um but just really just getting getting the Playbook it's it's my first week doing it so I I know I'll be able to develop and get better from here when you're um looking at kind of the things where you fit into the defense or I guess where are you working on that you see okay this is what they like to do here I want to improve at X so that I know that I'll be you know a good fit here I think you're a good fit just generally because the defense from what I've seen historically similar to what you did at Penn State in terms of like overall structure but uh there's a lot more adaptability it seems like in NFL defenses so is there anything that you're picking up on okay I'm going to get better at this to make sure that I give myself the best chance yeah right now it's just my eyes um a lot of this um Camp OTA stuff is more passing stuff um it's not really geared towards the Run game so just being able to improve in coverage um I feel like that is a main factor of one of my strengths um but I can definitely continue to get better um as this summer goes on yeah I I know um I never know with with questions like this but you seem like you're you've got a good perspective on everything what was the draft process like for you um it's it's definitely nerve-wracking um if you don't have the right people talking to you telling you what it's going to be like but I had a bunch of guys that I was able to talk to as resources um being able to reach out to guys like Micah uh jquan brisker Jesse um even a guy like Ellis Brooks all all guys that have been through the process had different stories different experiences uh of what it was like for them um and being able to lean on those guys and then you you have the things you don't really know about like uh training I didn't know training was like that intense like at Penn State we do we do our thing we do our practices but when you're training for the draft it's like you train in the morning uh you have your your off time that's where you study film um have your interviews do that stuff and then you have another uh slot in the afternoon where you're training so I didn't know it was that intense that fast pace um and then really drilling trying to get better um and then you have the combine uh the combine being what you look at as a kid like oh this is this is amazing I can't wait to be on that stage be on that thing um but you know like you don't know that it's geared to mentally stress you out that whole week so the guy that perform on the day of they're top tier athletes cuz they take care of their body they're able to do all these things even though they're having meetings with coaches from like 8 to 1 in the morning you know yeah all day I I don't think people realize that the combine starts before the onfield stuff where you're going through meetings and interviews like how insane it was like you you got guys that are in the hospital for four hours on a time getting their MRIs and stuff you have um guys that have six or seven interviews uh in formal interviews in front of coaches and then after that you still have to do your uh routine and get get to a hotel room with your trainer doing stuff so it it's definitely a grind um but I'm I'm grateful for the experience like like I said not many people get to do that uh Stephen here in the chat want to make sure that everyone gets their voice heard he says thank you Curtis for playing so hard for Good Old State remember uh fans in PSU Nation Will Always Love You thank you so much Stephen thank you for being here thank you for you man um the draft day experience what what did you do where were you um I people love to know like these stories of what that process was like for you so what was your draft day like and your draft weekend yeah it was it was definitely nerve-wracking um I I had been pretty much coming in that week with the impression that um I was looking at a third to fourth round grade um I felt like I had a really good off season um obviously it didn't shake up like that but I was just happy that I was around family um had everyone around me supporting me um and then being able to get that call um from coach just telling me the situation that I could walk into um obviously it's not what you want to hear uh you want to hear uh we're drafting you but yeah you you get you have to quickly shift your mind like all right I need to make it uh it's no no time to really Sul about all this didn't happen um I just really started thinking about other guys that have been in that situation I even I even had a cousin he used to go to UVA he went UND he went undrafted to the Carolina Panthers so he guys like him calling me guys like PJ calling me um guys that have been through that situation um so I didn't really have a chance to really get mad or get sad about it um it was just time to go you know what I mean um when did they reach out to you how how does that work for guys who are going to be because it seemed like you were priority udfa where you were you were snapped up pretty quickly by the chief so how's that timeline work of the seventh round and then the close of that and then I'm assuming your agent is talking to people throughout then how did that work for you in terms of that process yeah my my agent was getting a bunch of calls um but I I just gotten a couple calls um I believe I got got a call from me personally I got a call from the Chiefs and the 49ers um those were pretty much my two top situations so just perennial Super Bowl contenders no big deal yeah yeah um those were the two teams that really reached out to me um both said neither of them took a linebacker um and they were really interested in me and I talked to my agent and we felt that Kansas City was the best option might have had something do with the taxes too that's fantastic that's that's uh thinking on multiple levels there for sure yeah they definitely they definitely drill that into and the I feel like the NFL PA does a great job throughout the process with uh seminars at the East West Shrine bu seminars at the combine just really informing us on what we're really getting into um and how to be responsible with your money when you get into it well Curtis I don't want to keep you too much longer I appreciate the time You' given us we've got to do this again we're going to make sure we get you on um in the future so we can get your thoughts on everything from the NFL to uh Pence football in the fall uh the I I'm I'm not going to bring it up I'm just going to say that I think you're in an incredible situation I think you've got a great opportunity here I just just don't don't beat the bills for me like just don't just the one thing just one thing for me I I ask that's it uh you got a uh you got to talk to them about you know they they gave us a dog right in uh what do you mean in the first round we got a um it was a receiver they picked up he he's really he's like yeah yeah oh as as a fan like I'm I'm neurotic and terrified of all of these things in all of the way those will work out but uh you know for sure when they play I'll be rooting for you so thank you so much for coming on the show I always appreciate you man I appreciate that I'll definitely be back