KC Chiefs' Saunders, Williams, Blanton, in Super Bowl LVII

Feb 12, 2023

A trio of former Missouri prep track and field athletes and their Kansas City Chiefs teammates are in Arizona today looking to win the NFL's Super Bowl LVII. Two are former All-State throwers who man the defensive line. The other is a tight end who won the Super Bowl last year with the Rams.

St. Louis native Khalen Saunders is a 4th-year defensive tackle. Saunders was a 60' shot putter for Parkway Central. The 2014 grad earned three All-State medals in the shot put for the Colts and had a 4th state qualification in the discus as a senior. His personal bests are 60-7'' in the shot put and 156-9'' in the discus. Saunders was 2nd in the Class 4 (of 4) shot put each of his final three years of high school, just missing out on earning a state title.

In football, the now 6-0', 324-pounder, was an excellent tailback and defensive lineman. His athleticism and agility were jaw-dropping. Despite that, Saunders only had one football scholarship offer. He turned down track and field scholarship offers and went to Western Illinois to play for the Leathernecks. Saunders surpassed all outside expectations. At the senior bowl, Saunders went viral for doing an Ozzie Smith-style flip.

The Chiefs took Saunders in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Saunders made a quick impact as a rookie helping the Chiefs win Super Bowl 54. Injuries limited Saunders the past two seasons, but he has shined this year. Saunders and his fellow linemen had an impact on All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones' 3rd-place finish in the defensive player of the year voting. Saunder may have earned himself a free agent contract too rich for the Chiefs with salary cap restrictions.

Saunders high school highlights on hudl.com.