Here’s our projection for all 12 Kansas City Chiefs picks in the April 28-30 NFL Draft
The Chiefs are less than a month away from the 2022 NFL Draft, meaning general manager Brett Veach and his staff are burning the midnight oil evaluating prospects.
The team has clear needs to address during the April 28-30 draft process, and the Chiefs are well-positioned to add some impact talent: They have a total of 12 draft picks, including three gained from the Miami Dolphins via the Tyreek Hill trade.
Five of the Chiefs’ picks will come with in the first 100 selections. That’s typically fertile territory for landing potential Day 1 starters.
Of course, that total of 12 could change — Veach could decide leading up to (or during) the three-day selection process to package some picks and trade up or down in the draft order.
The following mock draft is the first of four that The Star will present before the real draft begins in Las Vegas on April 28. We’ll highlight players and position groups that fill specific needs in Kansas City.
In recent years, The Star’s Mock Draft 1.0 has been pretty accurate. We correctly projected running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the Chiefs in 2020 and linebacker and Mizzou product Nick Bolton to KC in 2021. Can we make it three years in a row?
With no further ado, here’s our first mock of speculation season 2022.
Round 1 (29th overall-from Miami): DE George Karlaftis, Purdue
Veach said after the Chiefs lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game that he would place some of his offseason focus on the defensive line.
After not adding an impact pass rusher during free agency, the time is now.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Karlaftis projects as a late first-round pick, and the Chiefs should jump on him if he slides to this spot. Karlaftis finished his college career with 97 tackles, including 29 for a loss, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and six passes defensed.
With Melvin Ingram and Alex Okafor unrestricted free agents, the Chiefs must address the pass rush early in this draft with a potential Day 1 starter. Karlaftis would step in immediately as a complementary piece to Frank Clark, who mans the right side in KC.
Round 1 (30th): CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson
Getting a cornerback with starting potential alongside L’Jarius Sneed makes sense in several ways. First, the Chiefs lost Charvarius Ward during free agency. Second, Rashad Fenton is in the final year of his contract.
The 6-foot, 194-pound Booth has the size needed to play press-man coverage or zone coverage in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme. And the athletic cornerback with ball-hawking skills comes from a proven program at Clemson, where he totaled 68 tackles, five interceptions and nine passes defensed in three seasons.
There is a medical concern here, though: Booth recently underwent sports hernia surgery. The good news is he reportedly will be ready in time for training camp.
Booth was a projected first-round pick before the procedure and he might slip into the second round. But the Chiefs risk losing out if they wait, and this pick would be a good fit if the team is comfortable he’d indeed be available for the regular season.
Round 2 (50th-from Miami): WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
The receiver position still needs work. The Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling during free agency, but incumbent Mecole Hardman enters the final year of his rookie contract and Smith-Schuster’s contract is only for one year.
Securing a receiver here would bolster the position group for the future, and the Chiefs will have options to consider.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Moore would be a nice choice. He went off last season to the tune of 95 receptions for 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 13.6 yards per catch.
While he will need time to absorb the Chiefs’ complex scheme, Moore has the physical tools to fit in nicely as a prime target for star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Round 2 (62nd): S Daxton Hill, Michigan
The first thing that jumps out about Hill is his blazing speed: He ran a clocked 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Take that speed and combine it with Hill’s athletic 6-foot, 191-pound frame, and the Chiefs would have a versatile defensive back capable of playing in multiple coverage assignments, including in the slot. At Michigan, he had 149 tackles, four picks and 15 passes defensed.
The Chiefs added Justin Reid in free agency as the heir apparent to Tyrann Mathieu, but now Juan Thornhill is entering the final year of his contract. The Chiefs should address the safety position here.
Round 3 (94th): DT Phidarian Mathis, Alabama
The roster reload continues with the 6-4, 310-pound Mathis, who earned his stripes playing in the highly competitive SEC.
Mathis is a strong run-stuffer, a hallmark of Crimson Tide defensive tackles, but he also showed he could get after the quarterback, totaling a career-high nine sacks.
The Chiefs could choose to develop Mathis behind Derrick Nnadi, who returns on a one-year deal, and then pair him up with Chris Jones to form a formidable interior pass rush.
Round 3 (103rd-comp pick): T Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
The Chiefs’ O-line is mostly set: left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., left guard Joe Thuney, center Creed Humphrey, right guard Trey Smith.
Right tackle, though, was a revolving door in 2021, with Lucas Niang, Mike Remmers and Andrew Wylie, back on a one-year deal, all starting at various points last season. Remmers is an unrestricted free agent, and a more permanent solution must be found if Niang and Wylie aren’t viewed as viable starters for the longer term.
Enter the 6-foot-5, 322-pound Kinnard, a three-year starter at right tackle at Kentucky. He also has flexibility to slide inside to play guard if needed. With Humphrey, Smith and Niang, the Chiefs showed last year they aren’t afraid to start rookies on the offensive line.
Round 4 (121st-from Miami): CB Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
There are speed concerns because the 6-foot-1, 193-pound Bryant clocked a 4.54 time at the NFL Scouting Combine. But there are no worries about whether he can produce.
Bryant garnered last season’s prestigious Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, bestowed to the nation’s top college DB. He finished his college career with 170 tackles, nine interceptions and 35 passes defensed.
Round 4 (135th): WR Romeo Doubs, Nevada
In rebuilding the Chiefs’ wide receiver corps, the productive 6-foot-2, 201-pound Doubs could be a nice middle-round addition.
In four college seasons, Doubs made 225 catches for 3,322 yards and 26 touchdowns. He recorded two straight 1,000-yard receiving campaigns to close out his Nevada career.
He is projected as a fifth-round pick by many analysts and prognosticators, but the Chiefs won’t pick again after this spot until the seventh round. That is, unless they trade into the fifth to sixth rounds. Doubs’ size alone might entice the Chiefs to take him here.
Round 7 (233rd-from Minnesota): LB Jeremiah Moon, Florida
At this stage of the draft, teams often seek developmental prospects with a view toward having them contribute on special teams. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Moon projects as a backup in the NFL, but he’s shown the versatility to play inside and outside.
Round 7 (243rd-from Las Vegas via New England): RB Jordan Mason, Georgia Tech
While the Chiefs don’t necessarily need to draft the position, it wouldn’t hurt to add another rusher to enhance competition.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Mason occupied a complementary role to Yellow Jackets leading rusher Jahmyr Gibbs last season. But even in limited work, Mason averaged a respectable 5 yards per carry and clocked a sub-4.5 time at Georgia Tech’s Pro Day workout.
Barring a free-agent signing before the draft, the Chiefs’ top three rushers project as Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones and Derrick Gore. Any running back taken in the draft has a tough road to make the initial 53-player roster, but he would benefit from time on the Chiefs’ practice squad.
Round 7 (251st): S Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Indiana
At 6-foot, 214 pounds, McCrary-Ball is a solid tackler, totaling 242 takedowns in his college career.
He could compete for a roster spot on special teams, a role previously held by Daniel Sorensen, who signed a free-agent deal with the New Orleans Saints, and Armani Watts, who remains an unrestricted free agent.
Round 7 (259th-comp pick): CB DaMarcus Fields, Texas Tech
The 6-foot, 193-pound Fields possesses 4.48 speed and had a head-turning 41 passes defensed in college. With the addition of Russell Wilson in Denver, the AFC West figures to be more pass-happy than ever. The Chiefs can’t have enough cornerback prospects.
