Derrick Baity to Texans; Darius West to Chiefs

UPDATE

Change of plans for Darius West, who is now joining the Kansas City Chiefs, per Jayson Geiser and Shawn Smith.

Because no contracts can officially be signed yet, it’s actually pretty common for undrafted free agents to agree to deals with teams, only to have another team swoop in and offer them a better deal and/or chance to compete for a 53-man roster spot.

None of these deals will be finalized until Sunday evening at the earliest.

Two more Kentucky Wildcats defender have found NFL homes.

Derrick Baity has agreed to a deal with the Houston Texans, per John McClain, while Darius West is joining the New York Giants, per Jayson Geiser. Baity joins former Wildcat Lonnie Johnson, who was Houston’s second-round pick. West joins George Asafo-Adjei, who was the Giants’ seventh-round pick.

Baity was such a vital part of last year’s strong Kentucky defense, and he’ll be a great addition to a Houston who is in desperate need of help in the secondary.

Baity had six interceptions during his time at Kentucky while also getting 25 pass deflections. However, his talent focuses more on his ability to cover a large area in the secondary making it very hard for receivers to find any open space.

Derrick stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 188 pounds. For a cornerback in the NFL, that’s exactly where you want to be, with the exception of a few pounds. With the work ethic he showed at Kentucky, Baity can come in an make an immediate impact for Houston, though it would likely be on special teams if he makes the 53-man roster.

Arguably, the most important characteristic of Baity’s game is his ability to lead. Last year, he was constantly communicating across the field making sure everyone was in the right spot, and he was one of many senior leaders inside the locker room that helped guide this team to 10 wins.

As for the 6-foot, 200-pound West, he too had a great season at Kentucky last year. He was all over the field as he recorded 86 total tackles. He also had a career high in interceptions with three, while recording four total throughout his time at Kentucky.

His best game last year might have been his last against Penn State where he recorded 10 total tackles and made some big ones down the stretch as the Cats were trying to close it out.

West also played a major role as a leader for this team. He was a senior, and alongside Mike Edwards, those two made sure the secondary was always in the right spot. He has a good chance to come in and make an impact in a Giants defense in need of safety help.