Our first Chiefs five-round mock draft for 2021: big Tide tackle with No. 31 selection
In less than a month, the Chiefs will be on the clock in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Until then, the team’s evaluation process remains in high gear.
The Chiefs are coming off a second straight Super Bowl appearance, but the most recent experience didn’t go nearly as well as the first. Thus, this team has some clear needs on the heels of a free agency.
The obvious spotlight falls on bookend positions on the offensive line after the Chiefs released Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz before the start of free agency.
Whether the Chiefs can address at least one of the tackle positions before the draft — they were in the hunt for free agent Trent Williams before he opted to re-sign with San Francisco — remains to be seen. That will help shape how they attack the NFL’s annual three-day selection process.
For now, this is the season of speculation, especially when it comes to mock drafts. Throughout these exercises, remember there’s no exact science to media mocks. How we, the media, and even fans view a player or positions of need often won’t match how a team’s personnel department evaluate those areas.
The following mock draft is the first of four we’ll present before the clock officially starts ticking on April 29. It highlights players who could fill specific needs in Kansas City.
And one last caveat: There’s no guarantee the Chiefs will stand pat with the eight selections they currently hold. General manager Brett Veach could decide to package picks for a trade to either move up or down in the order.
Here’s our first shot with Mock 1.0.
Round 1 (31st overall): OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
This selection greatly depends on the Chiefs’ ability to add a veteran free-agent tackle before the draft, of course, but grabbing a player to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blindside for the future makes sense.
Highly touted prospects Rashawn Slater, Christian Darrisaw and Teven Jenkins should be long gone by the time the Chiefs are on the clock. But if a capable tackle remains on the team’s draft board when No. 31 comes around, grabbing a player with a high ceiling might be the way to go.
The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Leatherwood fits the bill after starting 40 games for the Crimson Tide. He comes with a winning pedigree, having played on two national champion ‘Bama teams (2017, 2020).
He finished his accomplished collegiate career as the Outland Trophy recipient in 2020, was a two-time All-SEC selection (2019-20) and garnered a first-team All-America selection in 2020.
Is this too high for Leatherwood? Perhaps, especially when he might be available later in the second round. But if the Chiefs aren’t willing to risk losing him to another team, this is the opportunity to grab him.
Leatherwood looks the part of a left tackle of the future. Lucas Niang and Mike Remmers are projected to battle for the starting job at right tackle. Leatherwood also showed position flexibility in college, playing left tackle and right guard.
And it’s no secret that Chiefs coach Andy Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck covet versatility on the front five.
Round 2 (63rd): LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
The Chiefs used a second-round pick on linebacker Willie Gay Jr. in 2020. The 2021 draft could be a pseudo-repeat with the selection of Bolton.
The 6-foot, 232-pound Bolton is a known commodity to the Chiefs, who spent time getting to know him during the pre-draft process. And he’s poised to enter the professional ranks with plenty of production on his resume.
He’s a proven high-impact tackling machine, totaling 220 (139 solo), four sacks, two interceptions and 12 passes defensed in three seasons at Missouri.
This projection greatly hinges on Bolton’s availability, as some NFL Draft prognosticators and analysts project he’ll be selected in the first or second round. If he slides to this spot, the Chiefs should pounce.
Damien Wilson is currently an unrestricted free agent, while Anthony Hitchens, who turns 29 on June 10, has two years remaining on his contract.
Securing Bolton alongside Gay would provide a bright future at the linebacker spots.
Round 3 (94th): WR Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
While the Chiefs re-signed Demarcus Robinson, the wide receiver position group took a hit when Sammy Watkins signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency.
The Chiefs have Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle, whom the team is high on, as complementary pieces, but their need for a No. 2 receiver alongside Tyreek Hill still exists. The Chiefs entered free agency with this need in mind but missed out on JuJu Smith-Schuster, who elected to return to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal.
Enter the 6-foot, 185-pound Wallace, who totaled 205 catches for 3,434 yards and 26 touchdowns in four seasons with Oklahoma State. He can operate in numerous areas within the offense and showed in college he has the ability to make plays, averaging an excellent 16.8 yards per catch.
In the Chiefs’ offense, Mahomes can never have too many pass-catching options.
Round 4 (136th): DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Notre Dame
Addressing the pass rusher spot took on some urgency with Tanoh Kpassagnon signing a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints and Alex Okafor currently an unrestricted free agent.
While the Chiefs brought back Taco Charlton on a one-year deal, finding a complementary piece on the opposite edge of Frank Clark is a good approach here.
The 6-foot-4, 268-pound Ogundeji provides intrigue with his prototypical size and length. He finished his college career with 71 tackles, including 15 for a loss, and 10.5 sacks.
Ogundeji will likely need time to develop. But the Chiefs have capable players, in Charlton, second-year pro Mike Danna and Tim Ward, to help ease in Ogundeji for a rotational role while he learns the scheme during his rookie year.
Round 4 (144th, compensatory pick): OL Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina
The Chiefs are projected to roll with Joe Thuney, who signed a massive five-year deal worth up to $80 million during free agency, at left guard. But adding depth with a potential future starter at right guard could be in order.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who returns after opting out in 2020, will likely battle newcomer Kyle Long at right guard. Long, however, is only signed to a one-year deal and the Chiefs need depth behind Andrew Wylie and Nick Allegretti.
The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Hutcherson checks the box. He’s flexible enough to play either inside or outside, having spent time at both tackle and right guard in college. He’s strong, too: He reportedly bench-pressed 225 pounds 36 times at South Carolina’s Pro Day workout.
The Chiefs were awarded this extra pick after losing cornerback Kendall Fuller to free agency in 2020.
Round 5 (175th): TE Matt Bushman, BYU
Yes, Travis Kelce is arguably the best tight end in the NFL. Yes, the Chiefs signed him to a four-year extension in 2020.
But it’s time for this team to address its No. 2 complementary role to Kelce through the draft.
The Chiefs enjoy deploying a 12-personnel package, which features Kelce in the receiving role, and have gone through numerous tight ends over the years without securing anyone with staying power.
Blake Bell returns after spending the 2020 season with the Dallas Cowboys, but he’s signed on just a one-year deal. Nick Keizer, who absorbed the No. 2 role with Bell gone last season, didn’t seize the spot, and the Chiefs’ use of 12-personnel subsequently dipped in 2020.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Bushman played at Reid’s alma mater, so there’d be a sentimental flavor to the Chiefs making this pick.
From 2017 to 2019, Bushman totaled 125 catches for 1,719 yards and nine touchdowns before suffering an Achilles injury before the start of the 2020 season. The Chiefs will need to feel comfortable with Bushman’s recovery process before even consider using this spot to select him, but if they do, he could be their guy.
Round 5 (181st, compensatory pick): CB Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State
Bashaud Breeland remains on the market as an unrestricted free agent, but the Chiefs should be set with Charvarius Ward and second-year pro L’Jarius Sneed, who excelled in his rookie season, as their starters.
Deandre Baker is signed to a reserve/future deal and Baker, a former 2019 first-round pick of the New York Giants, is intriguing. Rashad Fenton also returns.
But teams can’t have enough cornerbacks in the pass-happy NFL, and the Chiefs aren’t likely to turn down an opportunity to add depth and competition.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Castro-Fields finished his collegiate career with 106 tackles, a sack, three interceptions and 19 passes defensed.
The Chiefs were awarded this extra pick after losing defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah to free agency in 2020.
Round 6 (207th, via Miami): S Deontay Anderson, Houston
The Chiefs own this pick after trading running back DeAndre Washington to the Dolphins last year and should use it to bolster their depth on the back end of coverage.
At 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, Anderson has good size and can play safety and linebacker, a spot he filled during his senior year at Houston. That versatility would fit how the Chiefs deploy their safety packages: Tyrann Mathieu or Daniel Sorensen often play a hybrid linebacker role in the box.
Anderson started his collegiate career at Ole Miss before transferring to Houston. He finished his college career with 114 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and 19 passes defensed.
A safety selection here would be for depth purposes, because the Chiefs are set with Mathieu and Juan Thornhill as their starters.
