(610 Sports) – The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their Derrick Thomas and Mack Lee Hill award-winners for the 2021 NFL season. The Chiefs finished 12-5 during the 2021 regular season, winning their sixth-straight AFC West title. After clinching the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs, they would go on to defeat the Steelers and Bills in the first two rounds before eventually losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game, their fourth-straight appearance in the conference championship.
The team votes on the awards once the season concludes:
Derrick Thomas Award (most valuable player)
Safety Tyrann Mathieu was named the Chiefs’ Derrick Thomas award recipient for most valuable player in 2021, his second time winning the award as he was also the recipient in 2019.
Mathieu recorded six passes defended and three interceptions on the year. His leadership has been recognized as helping ignite a monumental mid-season turnaround for the defense, this season.
Mack Lee Hill Award (rookie of the year)
2021 second-round draft pick, linebacker Nick Bolton, took home the Chiefs’ Mack Lee Hill award for top rookie.
Bolton was tremendous in his rookie season, racking up 112 tackles, the most for any rookie in Chiefs' franchise history. He was one of just three players in the NFL this season to record at least 110 tackles and 10 tackles-for-loss, just the ninth rookie to hit each of those marks since 2000.