Creed
Humphrey.
Creed
Humphrey.
Oklahoma· 6'4"· 302 lb· 5.11s 40
"An Oklahoma center who profiled as both scheme-versatile and immediately starter-ready — the kind of Round-2 slider that wins Rookie of the Year debates in a normal year."Pre-draft read
He aligns as a center who wins with hip flip and reactive quickness in both zone and gap schemes. He reaches 1-techniques to the play side and climbs to linebackers on combination blocks, demonstrating correct angles and hip sink into his anchor against true nose bull rushes.
His pass protection is differentiated by suddenness against interior stunts and A-gap crossers. He uses quick lateral steps and hand replacement to close windows, which other centers often yield. He possesses a high football IQ, making him adept at pre-snap protection identification and MIKE calls. This player relies on technique, suddenness, and strength rather than a physical mauling style.
Versatile interior lineman who excels in both gap/power and zone run schemes, with the mental and physical tools to play center in a Shanahan outside zone or an RPO offense.
Immediate Day 1 starting center in any scheme that values intelligence, technique, and core strength, with the ceiling to be a perennial All-Pro.
A purely wide-zone scheme that demands elite explosive lateral quickness and consistent pulling ability into space, as his foot quickness is only average.
His high football IQ and sturdy pass protection make him a reliable anchor for any offensive line, capable of upgrading an interior instantly.
The Impact of Oklahoma Center Creed Humphrey
Pre-draft Stadium feature on the Rimington finalist — Oklahoma zone/RPO reps, reach blocks and pass-pro anchor that framed the top-40 grade.
Creed Humphrey was the best center in football as a rookie | Film Room
Independent film breakdown of the rookie-year All-Rookie season — stunt pickups, A-gap crossers and the Mahomes protection role validating the pick.
93: Creed Humphrey (C, Chiefs) | NFL Top 100 Players of 2025
Official NFL Top 100 tape confirming All-Pro/multi-ring outcome — the definitional consensus-best pick of the 2021 class.
This center prospect projects as a functional zone/RPO scheme athlete who consistently executed reach blocks on 1-techniques and 3-techniques, climbed to linebackers on combo blocks, and set protection on pre-snap RPO reads. He offers a clean athletic profile, measuring 6'4" and 302 pounds, with a pro-day 5.15 forty-yard dash, indicating good functional athleticism for the position.
He was a three-year starter during his college career, anchoring the RPO/spread offense for Oklahoma. He was recognized as a 2019 Rimington Trophy finalist and the 2020 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year. He consistently started games throughout his college tenure, with a best season starting 14 games, indicating sustained performance and reliability on the field.
Despite a consensus top-40 media grade, he saw his draft stock slide to pick #63, a common occurrence for interior offensive linemen, particularly centers, who rarely get selected in the first round of modern drafts. Evaluators saw a high-floor player with a clear role, yet the position generally commands a later draft investment.
- 01
Pass protection anchor
Exhibits a sturdy base with functional strength against interior bull rushers, sinking hips to re-anchor and provide a stable pocket.
- 02
Football IQ
Consistent identification of stunts and pressures, handing off games cleanly, showcasing intelligence and communication skills.
- 03
Heavy hands
Displays real jolt at contact, allowing him to lock out defenders after winning the first punch, rarely getting stacked or shed.
- 04
Run game finisher
Effectively drives 3-techniques off the line on down blocks and consistently finishes blocks through the whistle.
- 05
College experience
A three-year starter anchoring Oklahoma's RPO/spread offense, recognized as a 2019 Rimington Trophy finalist.
- 01
Heavy-footedness
His footwork limits effectiveness when pulling, executing reach blocks, or in screen situations in a wide-zone scheme.
- 02
Average lateral agility
Twitchier 3-techniques and looping edges can work him half a man on interior stunts due to winning with quickness.
- 03
Technique over traits
His athletic ceiling is capped by reliance on technique rather than elite physical traits, limiting his overall upside.
- 04
Functional strength
Can be walked back into the quarterback’s lap by elite NFL bull rushers when his pad level rises.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.11sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 112inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.50sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.49sp50
- Bench
- 29repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Oklahoma | 14 |
| 2019 | Oklahoma | 14 |
| 2020 | Oklahoma | 11 |
| Career | — | 39 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Realistic: multi-Pro-Bowl technician C with anchor and stunt-pickup traits
Ceiling: All-Pro zone center + communicator, alignment on scheme fit and IQ profile
Floor: durable Pro-Bowl-caliber pass-pro C, still a franchise-anchor outcome
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Steal of the round. Immediate starter, All-Rookie center 2021, First-Team All-Pro 2023, Second-Team 2024. Signed 4-year, $72M extension in 2024 (top-of-market for a center). Multiple Super Bowl anchor. Best value pick of the entire round.
Pre-draft context: Three-year Oklahoma starter, 2019 Rimington Trophy finalist and 2020 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year who anchored an RPO/spread offense for Jalen Hurts and Spencer Rattler. Measured 6'4"/302 with 32 3/8" arms and posted a clean pro-day (5.15 forty, 30 bench, 30 1/2" vertical) — a functional zone-scheme athletic profile rather than an elite tester.
Ran a heavy zone/RPO scheme that asked him to reach 1-techs and 3-techs at speed, climb to backers on combo blocks and set protection on pre-snap RPO reads. Consensus top-40 media grade slid to #63 because interior OL rarely goes in Round 1 and centers routinely fall in modern boards.
Fit with Kansas City: The Kansas City organization drafted him at #63 to protect Patrick Mahomes after the 2021 Super Bowl LV interior collapse. Rookie year immediate Day-1 starter with PFF #1 rookie center grade + All-Rookie team.
2022 first-team All-Pro (youngest first-team AP center since 1985). 2023 Pro Bowl + Super Bowl LVII/LVIII rings. 2024 signed a 4-year, $72M extension ($30M guaranteed), the richest center contract in NFL history at signing. Retrospective: Consensus best pick of the entire 2021 draft in outcome-vs-slot terms — a slot-63 top-5 player at his position by Year 2, and the interior anchor of a Chiefs three-Super Bowl run.