The Case For Every Position to Be Taken in the First Round

Draft weekend starts tomorrow! The Chiefs are loaded with draft capital — having two picks in each of the first four rounds. There’s a lot of ways this draft can go, and I won’t be too shocked by most of the things that could happen.

Every year, I just want to understand the “why” behind the picks the Chiefs make. I love being able to look back at the end of the weekend to understand the full picture of how the Chiefs approached the draft.

There’s always curveballs though. The draft will not go the way you expect it to. There will likely still be a clear “why” by the time the Chiefs have made their final picks. Let’s get ahead of it a little. I’ve provided an explanation for every offensive and defensive position, and why it would make sense for the Chiefs to take them in the first round.

Enjoy!

Quarterback

I mean, when are the Chiefs going to have a chance to draft one of the three best quarterbacks in the draft again?

Likelihood: LOL

Running Back

Breece Hall blew up the NFL Combine to answer questions about his athletic testing. The 5’11” 217 pound back has the requisite size to handle a significant workload. He has a complete skill set to play all three downs. If the Chiefs feel they’re missing something in the room, Hall can provide it as a runner and receiver.

Likelihood: Low

Wide Receiver

When the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for a war chest of picks, they left a hole on the roster. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Juju Smith-Schuster are here to help strengthen the position, but there’s still short and long term needs at pass catcher.

This year’s draft class has several receivers worthy of being taken in the first round. There’s a chance the best player available is a receiver — someone that could change the complexion of the Chiefs’ offense for 2022 and beyond.

Likelihood: High

Tight End

It’s highly likely that no tight end will be drafted before the Chiefs which means they would have the pick of any they would like. Travis Kelce is already starting to see some load management. It might be wise to find someone capable of being a viable target at the position when Kelce is off the field.

Likelihood: Low

Interior Offensive Line

The Chiefs have four of their offensive line positions set for the foreseeable future. Perhaps they could find a way to sneak a player like Kenyon Green into that group — a player with interior and tackle experience. Offensive line coach Andy Heck plays the best five, and Green would certainly be in the top five.

Likelihood: Extremely low

Offensive Tackle

There’s a need for a right tackle to complete an otherwise outstanding offensive line that Veach has put together. The final piece to the puzzle up front could be a stable, quality tackle early in the draft.

Securing a tackle early gives the Chiefs a dominant, air tight offensive line in front of the best player in the world, Patrick Mahomes.

Likelihood: Medium

Defensive End

It’s hard to find a high quality pass rusher in the draft the farther away from the first pick that you get. The number is few, and the fall off is severe as early as the top 20 picks in most drafts. You have to grab them early, perhaps even trading up for one.

The Chiefs badly need juice off the edge. You can argue it’s the biggest position of need heading into draft weekend. They have yet to make a move to improve a position that struggled last year — and have yet to resign Melvin Ingram.

Likelihood: Very High

Defensive Tackle

If the opportunities to grab an edge rusher aren’t available to the Chiefs, defensive tackle could be a consolation.

Defensive tackle is also a sneaky bigger need than you may think. The Chiefs prefer to draft a year ahead, and they could look to move on from Chris Jones after this season. Also, bolstering the interior of the defensive line could help a weak edge position.

Likelihood: Medium

Linebacker

The Chiefs have taken linebackers with one of their first two picks in each of the last two drafts. They value the position highly, and could improve the third level of the defense with additional length, athleticism, and coverage ability.

Likelihood: Low

Cornerback

The biggest free agent contract given to a member of the 2021 Chiefs in free agency was Charvarius Ward.

Both starting cornerbacks from week one of last season are not on the roster. While the Chiefs have been able to get away with investing minimally at the position in Veach’s tenure, the lack of talent and experience is as glaring as any on the roster. Ward’s absence leaves a significant amount of snaps available, and not a ton of options that instill confidence to take them.

The Chiefs need to add to the room in a big way.

Likelihood: High

Safety

The Chiefs have historically prioritized the safety position over cornerback under Steve Spagnuolo. Big investments have been made in the likes of Tyrann Mathieu and Justin Reid in free agency, and Juan Thornhill in the draft.

There could be great value at safety at the bottom of round one — with players like Lewis Cine and Daxton Hill projected to go off the board in that range. Much like defensive tackle helping defensive line, early investments at safety could help support the cornerback position.

Likelhood: Medium