Joshua
Kaindoh.
Joshua
Kaindoh.
Florida St.· 6'6"· 260 lb
"A 6-6, 260-pound former five-star Florida State edge with elite length and only 6.0 career sacks over four injury-shortened seasons — a Day 3 traits-and-tools bet on athletic recovery, not production."Pre-draft read
This edge defender plays upright, utilizing his length and initial burst. He is best suited for wide-9 or 5-technique, primarily as a designated pass rusher on obvious passing downs. He shoots upfield gaps and uses arm length to lock out tackles and stack the point. His first step can beat oversetting tackles to the landmark.
His plan when the rush stalls is limited: inside counters are late, and his hands do not consistently reset. He plays with high pad level, allowing shorter tackles to gain leverage. Against the run, he sets the edge with length but is inconsistent staying square in the C-gap and can get washed. Pursuit effort shows flashes when healthy. Structural limitations include poor ankle flexion to flatten and an unfinished lower half.
The Kansas City Chiefs run an aggressive gap-shooting 4-3/4-2-5 nickel scheme, emphasizing single-gap penetration from its defensive linemen and outside linebackers.
Rotational sub-package pass rusher in Year 1 with the ceiling of a high-end designated pass rusher on passing downs.
A two-gap 3-4 scheme that requires him to consistently hold the point, disengage, and pursue rather than shoot gaps.
Kaindoh's exceptional length and first-step burst make him a valuable designated pass rusher, but his high pad level and underdeveloped counter moves limit his every-down effectiveness.
Joshua Kaindoh FSU Career Highlights
Career reel at Florida State featuring first-step wins off the edge and long-arm rushes.
Janarius Robinson / Joshua Kaindoh 2019 FSU Highlights
2019 tape before the leg injury; healthiest look at Kaindoh's get-off and length in ACC play.
Joshua Kaindoh with a Sack vs. Cleveland Browns
Rare NFL highlight showing him win a rush rep in a Chiefs preseason/regular-season snap.
Kaindoh projected as a developmental sub-package rusher destined for the mid-rounds. His value stemmed from his raw physical tools: a 6-6, 260-pound frame with 34-plus-inch arms and legitimate first-step burst. Teams envisioned a long-term project capable of providing situational pass rush, relying on his unrefined athleticism rather than consistent collegiate production.
He arrived at Florida State as the top strong-side end in the 2017 class, but his production never met the initial expectations, totaling 6.0 career sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 30 games. A significant leg injury in 2019 limited his availability, and his time at Florida State coincided with a period of programmatic decline, requiring evaluators to project his tools beyond the tape provided. He primarily demonstrated his flashes from wider alignments.
Concerns about his production and durability contributed to a consensus placing him in the fourth-to-fifth-round range. Without a standardized athletic profile due to a scaled-down combine and inconsistent pro-day reporting, teams betting on Kaindoh were largely investing in his frame and occasional flashes. The Kansas City Chiefs drafted him 144th overall.
- 01
Elite Frame & Length
Elite Frame & Length — At 6-6, 260 pounds with 34-plus-inch arms, he has a legitimate NFL edge frame with reach to lock out tackles.
- 02
First-Step Burst
First-Step Burst — His first-step burst off the ball from a wide-9 alignment allows him to get leverage on tackles quickly.
- 03
Recruiting Pedigree
Recruiting Pedigree — As the top strong-side end in the 2017 class, his athletic foundation and physical tools are clear.
- 04
Length Usage
Length Usage — Uses length on initial punch to extend into tackles' chests and create separation, forming a base for a power rush.
- 05
Situational Pass Rusher
Situational Pass Rusher — He is best suited for wide-9 or 5-technique, primarily as a designated pass rusher on obvious passing downs.
- 01
Limited Production
Limited Production — His production did not match his pedigree, with 6.0 career sacks and 12.5 TFL in 30 games.
- 02
Injury History
Injury History — A significant leg injury in 2019 and other dings raise questions about his career durability.
- 03
Unrefined Pass-Rush Plan
Unrefined Pass-Rush Plan — His rush plan is limited, with late inside counters and hands not consistently resetting.
- 04
High Pad Level
High Pad Level — He plays with high pad level, allowing shorter tackles to gain leverage against him.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Florida State | 13 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Florida State | 12 | 20 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | Florida State | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Florida State | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 36 | 60 | 8.5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Long-armed 4-3 end who carves out a rotational role on a good defense without ever becoming a full-time double-digit-sack starter.
Long, twitchy edge whose development curve caught up to his pedigree as a rotational sub-package rusher with real length.
Former blue-chip recruit whose injuries and stalled development leave him a Day 3 pick who never establishes an NFL role.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Bust. 1 career NFL sack across three years in Kansas City, cut in 2024. Signed with the Ravens on a futures deal, out of the league by 2025.
Pre-draft context. Joshua Kaindoh arrived at Florida State in 2017 as the No. 1 strong-side end in the class, a 6-6, 260-pound five-star out of IMG Academy with 34-plus-inch arms and legitimate first-step burst. The Seminoles never got the ceiling on tape: 6.0 career sacks and 12.5 TFLs across 30 games, a leg injury that ended his 2019 season, and a program that cycled through multiple leadership changes while regressing around him. The 2021 combine was scaled down for COVID and Kaindoh did not post a standardized athletic profile; his pro-day splits were not consistently reported, leaving evaluators to grade the tools off flashes and the frame. Consensus landed him in the fourth-to-fifth-round range as a developmental sub-package rusher.
NFL fit — Kansas City Chiefs. The defensive scheme values long, twitchy edges as designated pass-rush pieces, and Kansas City took Kaindoh at 144 to fold behind Frank Clark and Chris Jones on obvious passing downs. As a rookie he appeared in three regular-season games, logged no defensive statistics, and spent most of the year inactive or on special-teams-only game plans. The team was betting on the traits, not immediate production.
Retrospective. Injuries kept the developmental curve from ever bending. Kaindoh spent time on Kansas City's injured-reserve and practice-squad units through 2022 and 2023 without carving out a defensive role, and by 2024 he was out of the team's plans. The pre-draft flags — thin sack production, durability, an unfinished counter package — proved to be the story rather than the noise, and the pick reads as a fourth-round miss in retrospect: real tools and pedigree, no NFL foothold.