The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII with the help of their 2022 NFL draft class. A whopping nine draft picks played snaps, with four drawing starts in the big game.
For Kansas City, the draft will become ever more important as they get deeper into Patrick Mahomes’ contract. They must continue to find young talent to contribute early in their careers, to keep their window open in a very competitive AFC conference.
Now that the first wave of free agency is behind us, it means the needs for all 32 NFL teams have been shaken up. How has that impacted recent mock drafts? There are only a few that are up-to-date and relevant after those initial waves of free agency.
Here’s a look at the latest mock drafts and who analysts have sent to the Chiefs in the first round:
College Sports Wire - Patrick Conn
Chiefs select Tennessee RT Darnell Wright.
The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs cap the first round by addressing offensive tackle. Wright looks to fill the vacancy at right tackle and solidify the starting five.
Draft Wire - Natalie Miller
Chiefs select Boston College WR Zay Flowers.
There are not a ton of holes along the Super Bowl Champ’s roster, which could allow for a bit of a luxury pick here. With the departure of Mecole Hardman, and none of the receivers from last years group really stepping up as the number one guy, Zay Flowers could step in and be that for the Chiefs. He was an explosive and ultra productive threat for Boston College, and could continue to be as much for the Chiefs. He should be able to play just about anywhere the Chiefs ask him to.
Vikings Wire - Kevin Fielder
Chiefs select Auburn EDGE Derick Hall.
The Kansas City Chiefs made some signings during the off-season to address the offensive line, and that should allow them to look elsewhere in the draft. With the uncertainty at edge rusher, the Chiefs should look towards that position. Derick Hall would be a logical first-round pick, given his explosiveness and skillet as a power rusher. He’d likely be an immediate contributor for the Chiefs, especially on third downs.
Touchdown Wire - Doug Farrar
Chiefs select Utah TE Dalton Kincaid.
No analysis in the post, but some from Farrar on Twitter:
I want the Chiefs to select Dalton Kincaid with the 31st pick, so the TE room looks like this https://t.co/KuSFE2Whz4 pic.twitter.com/7m2GlywRFK
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 15, 2023
Draft Wire - Curt Popejoy
Chiefs select Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt.
No analysis, so a few thoughts of my own:
- Hyatt could be a sneaky good option at 31 if there is an early run on receivers.
- It might be wiser to wait to draft a receiver with a player like Bryan Breseee inexplicably being available at this pick.
- Zay Flowers was also available with this pick.
Pro Football Focus - Trevor Sikkema
Chiefs select Utah TE Dalton Kincaid.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster gone, the Chiefs could try to replace him with one of the wide receivers left. But the best options on this board are players of smaller size, which the Chiefs still have. Instead, they could switch it up and take a chance on a receiving tight end to pair with Travis Kelce. I like the size option with Kincaid.
Chiefs Wire - Charles Goldman
Chiefs select Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith (TRADE).
Trade terms: Chiefs trade pick Round 1, No. 31 + 2024 Round 3 + Round 4, No. 134 (Approx. 257 value) to Minnesota for Round 1, pick No. 23 + 2024 Round 5 (Approx. 257 value).
In the 10 simulations that I ran for Round 1, Smith only made it past pick No. 23 twice and only went before pick No. 23 twice. That let me know, if I wanted this player, I had to move up with Minnesota. I figure they’re a team that would happily stockpile some picks as they seem to be retooling their roster with a new regime. Adding a third-rounder in 2024 might be appealing given that they might be hunting for a new quarterback next year.
Maybe I’m reading too much into the fact that the Chiefs sent their defensive line coach to the Georgia pro day and he ran their defensive line drills. Some people expect that it was to learn more about Jalen Carter after his fall from grace. Let’s remember that Kansas City also had a formal with Smith at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
The Chiefs are lacking an alpha type in the edge rushing department now that Frank Clark has gone. There’s no doubt in my mind that Smith can be just that for Kansas City. Would he actually be available at this spot for the Chiefs, though?
While Smith absolutely crushed the combine, he’s got an injury history that could scare away some NFL teams. In 2021, he missed one game with an elbow injury. This past season, Smith only appeared in nine games after tearing his pec. There’s also the issue of production. He has just 12.5 sacks over four seasons at Georgia with no more than 3.5 in a single year. There is a lot of projection here and that’s something that sometimes scares away NFL teams, no matter how exciting the athlete is. The Chiefs, fresh off a Super Bowl win, can afford to take a risk here.
Notes on latest mock drafts:
The addition of Jawaan Taylor in free agency seems to have alleviated the concern at the tackle position, but the addition of Charles Omenihu didn’t seem to do the same at the edge rusher position. That’s a bit strange, but it’s a fairly small sample size too.
Adding a pass-catcher seems to be paramount with JuJu Smith-Schuster departing in free agency. There aren’t many options out there in the free agent market, so draft analysts seem to have the team investing early.
For some that meant grabbing a receiver, but others went for one of the top-ranked tight ends in the class in Utah’s Dalton Kincaid. Could he be a complement and eventual successor to Travis Kelce? The Chiefs are looking into it at the very least.
