Full 7-Round NFL Draft: Kansas City Chiefs
NFL Free Agency is in full swing, and the signings and departures from each team have changed the needs of all 32 teams. I recently conducted a full 7-round mock draft on Pro Football Focus, acting as the general manager for every team. Taking into consideration team needs and positional value I made all 257 picks in the best interest of each team on the clock. This is how the Kansas City Chiefs fared in the draft.
After winning yet another Super Bowl, the Chiefs locked down their two biggest free agents, putting the franchise tag on cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, and giving defensive lineman Chris Jones a 5-year deal for $159 million. There have been trade rumors about Sneed, but nothing has happened. The team had issues at wide receiver, but 2023 rookie Rashee Rice showed out in a big way in the postseason. They also signed Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.
The best quarterback in the NFL is still at the helm, and the team seems poised to make another run at the Super Bowl in 2024. That's not to say they don't have holes to fill, and they will look to do so in the NFL Draft. Because this was a "no-trade" mock draft, the Chiefs will draft where scheduled (32, 64, 132, 159, 173, and 252).
Round 1, Pick 32: Tyler Guyton, Tackle, Oklahoma
Last offseason the Chiefs let Orlando Brown Jr walk, and replaced him with Jawaan Taylor who did not play up to expectations. Right tackle Donovan Smith was also disappointing, and if the team plans to keep riding the arm of Patrick Mahomes, they need to protect him. With their first round pick in 2024 they select Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton. He is a wall at 6'7 and 327 pounds. He ran the forty in 5.19 seconds at the combine. The last two seasons at Oklahoma, Guyton played 1,064 snaps and allowed just 2 sacks. He displays nimble footwork and good mobility for someone his size. He explodes out of the snap, especially in run blocking. Despite his size, Guyton does not use it to his advantage on every play, and his limited playing time in college has some questioning his readiness for the NFL game.
Round 2, Pick 64: Ja'Lynn Polk, Wide Receiver, Washington
Rashee Rice emerged as a potential number one receiver last season, and the Chiefs did sign Marquise Brown, but it's an inescapable fact that Rice and tight end Travis Kelce were 10th and 11th in the league in drops last season. Kadarius Toney proved to be a huge disappointment. The team needs another receiver, and they grab one at pick number 64 with Ja'Lynn Polk out of Washington.
Polk was overshadowed by teammate Rome Odunze last season, but he's a good receiver in his own right. He's 6'1 and 203 pounds, and runs a
4.52 forty. Last season he was targeted 108 times and pulled in 69 catches for 1,159 yards (16.8 yards per catch) and 9 touchdowns. He has incredible hand strength and grab the ball away from his body on even the hardest throws. Polk is great after the catch and will be able to make long gains out of short throws.
Round 4, Pick 132: Will Shipley, Running Back, Clemson
Isiah Pacheco runs like a man possessed. Like Billy Cole in The Last Boyscout (if you haven't seen the film it stars Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans, and is well worth the watch). He is big and bruising, and the Chiefs don't really have a change of pace back to go with him. There will be a run on running backs in the draft between rounds three and four, and that's where the Chiefs will take Clemson back Will Shipley. He is 5'11 and 206 pounds, and runs a sub4.40 forty.
In three years at Clemson,
Shipley carried the ball 526 times for 2,748 yards (5.2 YPC) and 31 touchdowns. He also caught 85 balls. He has natural hands and may be the best receiving back in the draft. He is small and shifty and the perfect compliment to Pacheco's style. The only knocks on his game are that he doesn't show traits of an every down back, but that's not how he will be used. Round 5, Pick 159: Malik Mustapha, Safety, Wake Forest
Safety may not seem like an immediate need, and it's not. Justin Reid is in the last year of his deal, and the team is always looking to save money, so it makes sense to start preparing for the future. Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha will be their pick at 159 in the draft. He is 5-10 and 209 pounds and runs a 4.33 forty. Last season he played 670 defensive snaps, logging 78 total tackles and 26 stops. In pass coverage he had 3 pass breakups and an interception. Mustapha plays extremely fast, and hits hard. He can play any type of NFL coverage, but prefers lining up in press so he can manhandle receivers at the line of scrimmage. He is great in run support and an aggressive tackler. Mustapha gave up a lot of big plays in college, which is concerning because he has elite speed.
Round 5, Pick 173: Braiden McGregor, Edge, Michigan Successful teams start on the inside and work their way out. The Chiefs made the right move giving nine figures to Chris Jones and taking Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the 2023 NFL draft. As a follow-up they grab Braiden McGregor out of Michigan in the fifth round of the 2024 draft. He has great length at 6'5 and 257 pounds. He runs a 4.68 forty. Last season for the Wolverines he recorded 24 total tackles and 19 stops. At seasons end he had 17 hurries and 5 sacks. McGregor has exceptional change of direction and upper body strength. He also shows versatility and can play with his hand down in a 4-3 defense or standing up in a 3-4. He gets off the snap quick and can beat athletic lineman to get to the quarterback. His spin move is slow and his counter moves are weak, but those are things he can improve on at the pro level.
Round 7, Pick 252: Tyler Owens, Safety, Texas Tech This close to the end of the draft, the name of the game is rolling the dice. What better player to roll the dice on than possibly the most athletic player in the draft? Tyler Owens out of Texas Tech is an absolute athletic freak of nature. He's 6'2 and 216 pounds. At the combine, he showed off a 41" vertical and a 12'2 broad jump. Unfortunately, he pulled up with a strained hamstring during the forty, where Las Vegas had him as the odds-on favorite to run the fastest time (not Xavier Worthy).
Owens has an uncanny ability to read the quarterbacks' eyes when in coverage, which is why he is always around the ball. He is extremely raw, and unpolished, but he has all the tools you want to start with when you draft a player at any position.
,Wayne G is a contributor and the host of The NFL Experts podcast. He is interactive on ,Twitter.
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homa. He led the Big 12 in Passing touchdowns, total yards, touchdowns responsible for, total yards per play, and completions.
The South Carolina play-caller had a good year in 2023 as well, posting a 68.9% completion rate with a career-high 3,186 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions, and four rushing touchdowns. He has had 18+ passing touchdowns in three out of his five collegiate seasons. With his good Senior Bowl showing, Rattler could be on the Steelers radar.
Steelers probably won’t have
sitting on the sideline holding a clipboard, instead, they have crafted an entire new quarterback room. Mike Tomlin said he wanted to bring in competition for Pickett, and now there is no Pickett to be completed with. It’ll be an entirely new room. EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS: Order your favorite whiskey or spirit for the big game right to your doorstep and use code STADIUMRANT10 for a 10% discount at
Use code STADIUMRANT20 for a 20% discount at ,Bulletproof Coffee, ,SwingJuice ,Performix.
If you love to shotgun beers, use code STADIUMRANT10 at
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