Chiefs receive mostly A grades for its draft from NFL writers. Here’s what they said
The Chiefs went into the 2022 NFL Draft with a dozen picks, but thanks to trades they ended up selecting 10 players.
When the dust settled, the Chiefs 2022 draft class was ranked by national NFL writers as the very best or one of the best in the league. Here is a look at what was written about the Chiefs draft.
An A-plus grade was given to the Chiefs by the Ringer’s Danny Kelly.
Here is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs knocked it out of the park over the weekend, seemingly finding value with every pick they made. Kansas City general manager Brett Veach gave his defense a much-needed infusion of talent in Round 1, moving up a few spots to take a versatile cornerback in Washington’s Trent McDuffie before staying at no. 30 to take Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis. I loved that Kansas City came out of the second round with Western Michigan receiver Skyy Moore, who should soak up targets in the short and intermediate passing game and make life easier for Patrick Mahomes.”
The Chiefs got a B from USA Today’s Nate Davis.
Here is part of what he wrote: “They got a heavy return from Miami in the Tyreek Hill blockbuster – and the Cheetah had backed them into a financial corner – but QB Patrick Mahomes no longer has his most dangerous weapon. Yet interestingly, the perennial AFC West champs emphasized the other side of the ball with their acquired selections, five of their first six picks — including Round 1 CB Trent McDuffie and DE George Karlaftis — spent on a defense that will soon be facing far more formidable offenses in the AFC West. Second-round WR Skyy Moore should be a productive player straight away ... but, again, no Tyreek Hill here.”
A B-plus is the grade from the Washington Post’s Mark Maske.
This is from his story: “Passing on a wide receiver in the opening round, following the Tyreek Hill trade, was curious. But the Chiefs rebounded by taking WR Skyy Moore in the second, replenishing the receiver corps for QB Patrick Mahomes. And their first-round choices of CB Trent McDuffie and pass rusher George Karlaftis — even while producing alarm at a time when the hole Hill left so desperately needed to be addressed — will benefit the defense considerably.”
The Chiefs were given an A-plus from Pro Football Focus.
This is an excerpt from that story about Moore: “Skyy Moore was a first-round prospect in PFF’s eyes, once again giving the Chiefs one of the biggest steals of the NFL draft. The highest-graded wide receiver of the 2021 college football season wasn’t any of the Power Five top prospects — it was Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound receiver’s 26 broken tackles after the catch tied for the most among wide receivers in 2021, and he ranked in the 95th percentile in separation percentage. Despite his smaller stature, Moore had no issue handling press coverage on the outside, ranking top-five in yards per route run on those reps last season at 3.58. The cherry on top is his strong hands — the Western Michigan pass-catcher checked in with the largest hands of anyone at the Combine (10.25 inches) and dropped just three of his 125 targets in 2021 while catching eight of his 13 contested opportunities.”
Kansas City got an A grade from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.
This is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs found starters in the first round. They focused on McDuffie’s cover skills and aggressiveness rather than his lack of size and length, and Karlaftis’ superior hand usage and leverage rather than his lack of bend off the edge. Moore is a great fit in their offense and excellent value. (Cincinnati safety Bryan) Cook and (Wisconsin linebacker Leo) Chenal are nice picks who will play roles as rookies.”
The Chiefs received an A from the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy, who gave KC the third-best grade in the draft.
Here is what he wrote: “Can’t win shootouts forever, so the Chiefs were overdue to upgrade all three levels of defense. Mission accomplished with five of their first six picks, including the two first-rounders. Moore won’t be Tyreek Hill, but he’s destined for big numbers in that offense.”
The NFL’s Next Gen Stats had the Chiefs’ draft class ranked third overall:
The Chiefs were handed an A from the Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer, who had Kansas City’s class ranked as the fourth-best.
This is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs were very methodical in addressing their needs and getting great value everywhere starting with their two first-rounders, McDuffie and Karlaftis to boost the pass defense. Moore was the perfect pick to help replace the big-play punch of Tyreek Hill for Patrick Mahomes. Cook and Chenal are strong situational players and watch out for Kinnard being a steal for right tackle. Brett Veach and Andy Reid had confidence they could make the necessary tweaks and delivered again.”
Also giving the Chiefs an A was Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr.
Here is a snippet from his story: “We may be over-grading the Chiefs, falling victim to a trap typical of draft time: Loving the team who took the players we heard the most about during the pre-draft process. However, I had a chance to watch one of Karlaftis’ pre-draft workouts ... and came away impressed with his sheer size and motor.”
USA Today’s Touchdown Wire gave the Chiefs a B-plus grade.
This is a snippet of what Mark Schofield wrote: “In looking around the grades from other analysts, it seems opinions are varied on what the Kansas City Chiefs did in the draft. Count me (Mark) among those who are high on what the Chiefs accomplished over the past few days. That starts with the pick of Trent McDuffie in the first round, after trading up to 21. As someone who was a fan of McDuffie’s game, grabbing him at that point in the draft looked like a great pick to me. McDuffie can play both man and zone coverage well, and gives the Chiefs a solid option at corner on Day One. Getting George Karlaftis at the end of the first round, one of the more polished pass rushers in the draft, also looks like a great pick for Kansas City.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2022 at 8:44 AM.
