Could the Kansas City Chiefs target a local prospect in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft? ESPN’s longest-tenured draftnik, Mel Kiper Jr., seems to think so.
In Kiper’s post-free agency mock draft, four quarterbacks are taken in the first five selections. Six cornerbacks are taken in the first round, which helps push down some talent in the trenches to Kansas City. Instead of opting for Clemson’s Myles Murphy or Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison, who are inexplicably still available, Kiper has the Chiefs selecting Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
The Kansas City, Missouri native who played high school football at Lee’s Summit would return to his hometown team after being named a First-Team All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. Here’s what Kiper had to say about the selection:
The Chiefs let JuJu Smith-Schuster leave in free agency, and their wide receiver depth chart looks a little thin. I thought about Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee) as a new deep threat for Patrick Mahomes, but I’m going to trust in Andy Reid’s ability to find contributors just about anywhere. That leads me to the edge rushers, and Anudike-Uzomah is a player I really wanted to get in these predictions somewhere.
There’s some buzz among NFL teams about Anudike-Uzomah after the combine. He had a great workout there, and he was super productive in college, racking up 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Kansas City replaced Frank Clark with Charles Omenihu, so Anudike-Uzomah likely would be a situational pass-rusher as a rookie.
I like the thought process from Kiper here. The team should always look to get weapons for Patrick Mahomes, but the Chiefs certainly need to add to their pass rush after Frank Clark’s departure. Anudike-Uzomah is a player that can help there immediately in a certain role even as a rookie.
Even if his 6-foot-3 and 255-pound size is on the lighter end of Steve Spagnuolo’s preferences, Anudike-Uzomah has got an incredibly impressive get-off. He’s clearly a student of the game given how developed his pass-rush plan is. He almost reminds me a bit of Tamba Hali when it comes to his hand usage and his ability to force fumbles (eight over the past two seasons). Beyond the story of a local kid coming home to help the reigning Super Bowl champions, I think this would be a slam-dunk football decision for Kansas City.
