Trade Ups the Chiefs Could Make on Draft Weekend

Areas of round one the Chiefs could be active

If you’re asking me what the most interesting offseason of the Brett Veach era has been, it’s the one leading up to the 2018 season — the build up to Patrick Mahomes’ debut as the team’s starter. The palpable energy and anticipation brought hope and curiosity in the months before the Mahomes era began.

The offseason we’re in the middle of right now, is a close second.

While the 2018 offseason ushered in a new era of Chiefs football, the 2022 is waving goodbye to that iteration. Tyreek Hill has been traded for five picks over the next two years, and the Chiefs are looking to replenish and build the next wave of talent around Mahomes.

Veach has been known to be aggressive to secure players he believes in. He now has the capital to do it, and some crucial positions to address — namely defensive end and wide receiver.

The Chiefs have ultimate flexibility to move up in the draft. They have six picks in the first two days of the draft: 29, 30, 50, 62, 94, and 103.

There are pockets in the first round of the draft that the Chiefs could be real players. When consulting the NFL trade chart (a model used to help create even values on trades that is largely adhered to by teams on draft weekend), there are some areas of the draft that their selections could be packaged to create even value with a team picking before them.

We do full analysis of recent Chiefs draft pick trades and give you a Chiefs’ trade chart as part of the KCSN Draft Guide.

It obviously take two to tango — a team has to be willing to move back in order to make a deal. But there are some spots that make sense. Here are areas of the draft the Chiefs could be active in trading up in round one.

Top Ten

For Chiefs fans, the draft likely starts getting interesting towards the end of the top ten. That’s when Veach has the ammo to really start making moves to acquire a blue chip prospect if he so chooses.

The Chiefs could package picks 29 and 30 (399 points on the value chart) to move into the back end of the top ten. The value sits between the 8th and 9th pick in the draft. They might even be able to get an additional day three pick back with the 9th or 10th pick to even out the values.

The target: EDGE. If the Chiefs make an aggressive move all the way into the top ten, I anticipate they’re moving up for one of the premier defensive ends falling. Perhaps Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson II would be a target in this scenario.

The Eagles Picks

The Philadelphia Eagles have three first round picks in the 2022 Draft — 15, 16, and 19. Andy Reid just happens to have a good relationship with his former team.

The math also adds up very well for these two teams to do a deal.

I would be surprised if the Eagles simply stood pat with their three first round picks and didn’t package to move up or back — they could even do both if they wanted.

The Chiefs could surrender one of picks 29 or 30 along with pick 50 (between 311 and 318 points) to move up with the Eagles for pick 15 or 16 (315 and 305 points).

Picks 30 and 62 (280 points) aligns almost perfectly with the Eagles’ 19th pick (278 points). The math on the draft capital aligns really well for the Chiefs to be a good partner should the Eagles want to trade out of any of their round one selections.

The target: EDGE or wide receiver, BPA.

Maybe the Chiefs aren’t as intent on surrendering both first round picks to secure a defensive end.

If they’re not, and one of the premier pass rushers (Kayvon Thibodeaux, Johnson) slips to the teens for various reasons, it makes a lot of sense for the Chiefs to try to move up for one. Then again, the Eagles might just want to take one of them if they fall.

Wide receiver is another route the Chiefs could take if they’re locked in on a very specific target — say a Jameson Williams out of Alabama.

Here’s a fun one: what about Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis? Teams don’t value interior defensive lineman, and while this should be the tail end of his draft range, it’s not unreasonable to think he could fall a little if a quarterback or two comes off the board.

Davis would likely be the best player available in this scenario. It’d be an interesting scenario I’d like to see the Chiefs in.

Mid-20s

A pair of NFC teams hold the 23rd (245 points) and 24th (237 points) picks in the draft — Arizona and Dallas. The Chiefs have the ammo to align well with either of these teams looking to move back. Pick 30 and 94 (244 points) matches with the Cardinals, and Pick 30 and 103 (238 points) matches well with the Cowboys.

It helps that these picks aren’t in the conference — it makes it more feasible to make a move.

The target: Wide receiver.

There aren’t a ton of edge rushers I could see the Chiefs trading up for in this range. If they are, I’d anticipate it’s a wide receiver.

Perhaps the run on receivers starts in between the Eagles picks and the mid-20s. If the Chiefs start getting nervous about their pocket of receivers coming off the board before 29, they could move up.

Players like Ohio State’s Chris Olave, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, or Georgia’s George Pickens start getting selected, the Chiefs might be aggressive.