Kansas City’s seventh-round offensive tackle brings athleticism, technique, and motivation to the table.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected offensive tackle C.J. Hanson in the seventh round (248th overall). While it is unusual for such a pick to have a long-term influence on an NFL team, Hanson possesses the athletic ability, technique, and physical nature that will allow him to remain around.
Details
Hanson was a three-year starter at Holy Cross, where he garnered multiple All-Patriot League honors and an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Hanson measured 6 feet 5 and 305 pounds (with 32 3/8-inch arms), making him undersized — at least by traditional standards — for an NFL guard. Nonetheless, his athletic testing revealed him as one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the 2024 draft class.
Hanson’s 33.5-inch vertical jump, 9-foot-7 broad jump, and 5.0-second 40-yard sprint (with a 1.76-second 10-yard split) placed him among the top athletes in his position. Specifically, his 10-yard split demonstrated his ability to explode out of a stance and manoeuvre in space.
Film evaluation
His film depicts Hanson as a powerful, technically sound player. Hanson was an excellent pass protector at Holy Cross, capitalising on his athleticism (as well as his understanding of basics).
This is an excellent fundamental pass-blocking rep. It depicts three aspects of Hanson’s game: athleticism, technique, and physicality.
On the snap, the offensive line uses slide-left protection. Hanson (against a tight 3-technique) and the right tackle go one-on-one with their respective opponents. Hanson makes a rapid set with his right foot, thrusting both hands into the defensive tackle’s chest. He locks on, holding his hands tight, and sinks his hips to anchor down. The defensive tackle attempts leaning to gain extra strength, but as Hanson sinks his hips, he employs a snatch technique to knock the defender to the ground. Hanson set the tone for the Holy Cross offence, and he found plenty of ways to make his opponents aware of it.
Here, the defence has a jumbled front following pre-snap movement, but Holy Cross uses slide-right protection. On that side, Hanson is in charge of the B-gap, which is directly in front of the defensive tackle.
However, on the snap, the defender returns to the A-gap, becoming the center’s responsibility. This frees Hanson. While retaining his position, Hanson assists the centre while keeping an eye on the B-gap, where the edge rusher is headed. After ensuring that the centre has complete control of the defensive tackle, Hanson charges towards the edge, landing a body shot that knocks the defensive lineman off his feet. As you can see, Hanson goes all out, all the time. On this play, his perseverance not only aided his teammates, but also sent a message to the defence. Hanson has superb running technique.
On this rep, the offence utilises a man-blocking running plan. To make the play work, Hanson must relocate his block.
On the snap, the left guard is pulling to kick out a blitzing defender, while Hanson is in charge of the head-up defensive tackle. He takes a rapid step with his left foot and then verticalizes with his right foot before firing his hands into the defensive tackle’s chest. Hanson digs out the defensive tackle with excellent hand placement (and leverage), forcing him downfield through the echo of the whistle. Hanson’s athletic ability allows him to pull and make massive blocks in space.
Holy Cross plays G-Lead, in which the play-side guard is the lead blocker as he draws outside. This makes ideal use of Hanson’s skill set, and on the snap, he launches out of his stance, kicking out the end on the line of scrimmage. Then he uses excellent body control to square up to the edge defender and drive him out of the hole, allowing the remaining blockers (and the ball carrier) to find open field.
The bottom line
Hanson is a top-tier developmental offensive lineman. He was a multiple-year starter in college and tested as one of the draft’s most athletic offensive guards. His film exemplifies near-perfect technique—as well as a vicious streak. It is easy to understand why the Chiefs were interested in him.
He is a great fit for the Chiefs’ scheme — and also brings a terrific mentality. At college football’s lower levels, players like Hanson can dominate with pure athletic prowess. But his emphasis on consistent technique (and high effort) set him apart from other small-college prospects.
Hanson will have to add strength — and likely some size — in order to be able to compete at the next level. In his first Kansas City season — as he adjusts to the league’s strength and speed — he is likely be a developmental player.
But while the Chiefs’ starting offensive line is set in 2024, the front five could look much different in 2025. That will be just the first time during his rookie contract that Hanson will have a chance to compete for a starting job.
I’ll be honest: it was hard to find tape where Hanson was bad. If he can continue to develop his physique, he will be a player to watch in the NFL.
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