Welcome back to the Arrowhead Pride Mailbag!Throughout the offseason, watch for your opportunity to submit your Kansas City Chiefs questions in The Feed, which is found on AP’s home page.
The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off Monday in Indianapolis. Ahead of the event, let’s see what draft questions are on readers’ minds.
Richardmillhousenixon asks:
What is the consensus among the draft gurus on how many players have first round grades? What positions are deep in talent? What positions are not very deep in talent?
Earlier this month, ESPN’s Matt Miller identified his 11 first round grades for this year’s class— and nine of the first 11 names on Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s current top 100 overlap with those players. Miller is much higher on Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and USC wideout Makai Lemon. Brugler has LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane and Utah tackle Spencer Fano higher in his rankings.
Most see this draft as deep at defensive tackle, off-ball linebacker, and defensive back (particularly Nickel corners and safeties) — all positions where the Chiefs could use help. However, Spotrac projects the ninth overall selection to sign a four-year fully guaranteed $31 million contract, meaning less rookie contract savings at these positions to realize versus signing a top free agent.
There are some good edge rushers and wide receivers, and the Chiefs can likely find good players at either spot, even early in the second round. At both positions, questions arise about the prospects vying to be top ten selections.
Early on, the Chiefs have been heavily associated with a certain running back from Notre Dame, but the position overall is not as deep as in recent drafts. Offensive line is somewhat top-heavy, particularly with players projected as tackles.
EPF asks:
This WR class is really intriguing. What kind of combine numbers would you expect would be required to move at least 3 of them into the top 10 picks?
Truthfully, if a wide receiver participates at the Combine, he’s probably not a top ten pick.
Only Rome Odunze of the Chicago Bears and Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets, appear to have done on-field work in Indianapolis of the nine wide receivers to go top 10 since 2020.
I won’t be surprised if Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson (who would be my favorite Chiefs fit if not for medical concerns) or Ohio State’s Carnell Tate wait for their pro days to work out. The Combine is more important for them behind the scenes. Tyson will be one of the draft’s most scrutinized players for medical testing. Tate will also face questions about how much of a workload he can handle when not playing opposite a generational talent in fellow Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Lemon looks more like the type that the Combine could make or break how high he goes, and he should do drills. His most important question in Indianapolis, however, is probably how close he measures to his listed 5-11 and 195-pound size.
I doubt any other receiver can catapult into the top 10, but Washington’s Denzel Boston could see his stock rise if he times faster than expected.
Andyreidsmustache_ asks:
What are the possibilities of general manager Brett Veach looking to bolster the offensive line through the early rounds of the draft?
If he does, do you see him drafting to shore up the RT position, or draft for more quality depth behind Simmons and Humphrey?
I’d be surprised if the Chiefs take OL early with four positions accounted for. The team will need to decide on right tackle, but I predict more competition between in-house players and maybe a modest free agent signing.
The ninth pick is probably the Chiefs’ only shot at a Week 1 starter between Fano and Miami’s Francis Mauigoa (who will face arm length questions in Indianapolis). Even after those two go, the lack of depth could see the next tier taken early on Day 2.
The Chiefs could easily draft a backup interior lineman in the mid rounds, but probably won’t use a premium pick there.
PettyMahomes asks:
Will the Chiefs draft or sign a running back to lean on early in the season while Mahomes heals up?
Notre Dame’s Jerimiyah Love has been a hot topic of early draft coverage. We will know early on how realistic the possibility is. If the Chiefs sign Breece Hall or Kenneth Walker early in free agency, they won’t double up by drafting Love at nine.
If Kansas City takes a raise the floor approach by targeting a player like Tyler Allgeier when the market opens, I’d expect one of their first three picks to be a running back to pair with him, possibly including Love in the first round.
Chief_DC asks:
In the past, the Chiefs have kicked the tires on some players pre-combine. What is their record for drafting players they looked at? Are there any clues or dead giveaways we might see to know who or what position they want to draft in the first/second round?
I don’t put significant importance on meetings at all-star games, which I think get overplayed because they come at a time when most fanbases are starved for content. At any of the main showcases, it is probable that each team at least momentarily crosses paths with every prospect.
Formal interviews at the Combine are more worth paying attention to, and any leaked “top-30 visits” to team facilities should be monitored. Official 30 visits for players with known injury or character concerns often mark the final decision of a player being on or off the team’s draft board.
Truthfully, we will only know a tiny fraction of the players the Chiefs meet with through the process. Rather than predicting which players they select, known visits are probably more useful for predicting the positions (and even player body types) the front office might be targeting.
DizzyKCFan asks:
If all the top mock draft picks are taken by pick 9, is there a player the Chiefs would be willing to reach for to fill a hole?
I hope not. Winning games earns you more of the right to be picky about drafting positions. The Chiefs were not a good team last year, and every position group could benefit from a first-round addition except quarterback and the interior offensive line.
Are there drawbacks to using a top 10 selection at a sub-premium position? Certainly, but more than anything, Kansas City needs a high-end player who can take snaps for the next five seasons. Taking a “one player away” approach runs a much higher risk of extending the slump than, for example, using a top 10 pick on a plug-and-play option at safety or linebacker.
Thank you for reading this week’s Arrowhead Pride Mailbag!After the Combine, we will be back with a deeper look at free agency as the league’s “legal tampering” period approaches. Keep watching The Feed for an opportunity to ask your questions for our next offseason edition.