The Chiefs fixed the offensive line. Next? Address these needs at the NFL Draft
The Chiefs’ decision-makers will gather in a room over the next few days, and as part of their final preparation for next week’s NFL Draft, they’ll complete an exercise hundreds of others — maybe even yourself — have completed.
A mock draft.
With a purpose. The Chiefs’ draft board is set, but having to wait until the 58th and 63rd overall picks, the draft could unfold in several different ways before they make a selection.
And so they attempt to predict the unpredictable.
“I think the more dialogue and the mock scenarios you go through, the better prepared you are, so that’s where we’re at this stage in the game,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “And, look, it’s a lot of fun.”
The exercise was more valuable when the Chiefs actually had a first-round draft pick — which they dealt to Baltimore last week to acquire left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. — but with a Veach-led front office, nothing is out of the question. They’ll monitor to see if a player they like falls too far.
Notice the key word there. Player. Not position.
The Chiefs have addressed their top priority of the offseason, adding at least four new starters to completely overhaul the offensive line. The remainder of their needs are relative — more like desires than must-haves. That allows them to stick to best-available-player selections, Veach said, at least in the earlier rounds.
Having acknowledged that, there are some positions we’d expect the Chiefs to target at some point over the course of their six selections, considering this is the last quality opportunity to supplement the roster.
Edge rusher
The Chiefs were worse at pressuring the quarterback in 2020 than they were one year earlier, and they haven’t done a lot to change that.
They added Jarran Reed to help in the interior of the defensive line, and he’s capable of sacks, to be sure, but his biggest strength is as a run defender. His presence allows the Chiefs to move Chris Jones to the edge in certain situations, but ideally they would draft an edge rusher who helps them pressure from all four spots — Clark, Reed, Jones and a rookie defensive end.
There’s a lot to like about the crop of talent in this year’s edge rusher class. Many are projected to be late first-round picks, though, and the Chiefs sacrificed that selection to land Orlando Brown Jr. from the Ravens. Can they find an impact rusher in the next wave?
Wide receiver
Because of Sammy Watkins’ injuries, the Chiefs played nearly half their 2020 season with the group that remains in place for 2021 — Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle. And Patrick Mahomes still led the league in passing yards per game.
But this is a quality draft class of wide receivers, and that remains true well after the opening round. The Chiefs could find some value in the middle rounds or even the later ones.
This need might not be classified as urgent, but the Chiefs don’t have a lot of protection if, say, Tyreek Hill misses a few games with an injury — just as he did in 2019. Add to that, Pringle and Robinson will be free agents after the season.
We’ve mentioned some receivers we like who should last into Day Two, headlined by North Carolina’s Dyami Brown.
Linebacker
At the onset of the offseason, Veach listed a few positions in which he’d like to improve, and linebacker was among them. The Chiefs, however, bypassed that opportunity in free agency, which leaves the draft.
Damien Wilson departed for Jacksonville, so there’s a spot to fill. The team remains optimistic about Willie Gay’s future, but even if that development goes as planned, the Chiefs need another body here.
The problem is this isn’t considered a particularly deep linebacker class.
How about Mizzou’s Nick Bolton?
Offensive line
More than any other positions, the Chiefs have already bolstered their offensive line this offseason. So why is it on the list?
The acquisitions have been short-term deals, with the notable exception of guard Joe Thuney. Orlando Brown Jr. is on the final year of his rookie contract. Kyle Long and Austin Blythe signed one-year deals. Mike Remmers re-signed for just one season. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif heads into the final year of his contract.
Get the idea?
In a draft class deep on lineman, the Chiefs could draft one in the middle rounds, stash and develop him for a season and then activate a more prominent role in 2022.