How did Brett Veach do in the 2022 Draft? Well, of course, this is far too early to see a result. For that, a “Re_Draft” in early 2023 will reveal more of the truth.
At this point, and after hearing about what is going on in the OTAs, the following outlook is probably very valid.
1 PFF#11 (21) Trent McDuffie CB Washington Huskies 5’11” 195
1 PFF#10 (30) George Karlaftis DE Purdue Boilermakers 6’4″ 275
2 PFF#22 (54) Skyy Moore WR Western Michigan Broncos 5’10” 195
2 PFF#71 (62) Bryan Cook S Cincinnati Bearcats 6’1″ 210
3 PFF#36 (103) Leo Chenal LB Wisconsin Badgers 6’2″ 255
4 30 (135) Joshua Williams CB – 6’3″ 197
5 PFF#79 (145) Darian Kinnard T Kentucky Wildcats 6’5″ 345
7 PFF#187 (243) Jaylen Watson DB Washington State Cougars 6’3″ 204
7 30 (251) Isiah Pacheco RB Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5’11” 215
7 38 (259) Nazeeh Johnson S Marshall Thundering Herd 6’2″ 189
Breaking It Down
See PFF’s grades for players below to break down the above listing.
#10 – EDGE George Karlaftis, Purdue
Karlaftis is a versatile iron man who can do almost anything a team could ask of him.
He played at least 49 snaps in all but one game this past season and finished with a
90.6 PFF pass-rushing grade.
#11 – CB Trent McDuffie, Washington
Outside of length, McDuffie has everything you could want from a high-end cornerback.
At only 5-foot-11, he plays consistently bigger than his listed size. He allowed only
16 catches from 36 targets for 111 yards with no scores and five pass breakups in 2021.
#22- WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
Moore has the elite shiftiness that plays so well at the receiver position. Whether it’s
shaking press coverage or breaking an FBS-high 26 tackles last year, he will make defenders
miss with ease.
#36 – LB Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
Chenal is going to thrive in man-blitz-heavy schemes. He packs a punch as a downhill player,
as he can light up offensive linemen with ease. His 94.1 run-defense grade wasn’t too far
behind Micah Parsons ‘(94.8) PFF college record.
#71 – S Bryan Cook, Cincinnati
Cook is one of the most assignment-sure safeties and won’t be missing many tackles. He whiffed
only seven times on 100 attempts in 2021
#79 – OT Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
Kinnard is one of the most accomplished run-blockers at the tackle position in college football.
Even though he may end up at guard, he earned 89.0-plus run-blocking grades over the past three
seasons.
#140 – UDFA WR Justyn Ross, Clemson (Obtaining Ross was an outstanding acquisition)
Ross’ extensive injury history sidetracked what was a promising career after he led the nation
in yards per route as a true freshman. He didn’t notch 1,000 yards in a season after that.
167. LB – Mike Rose, Iowa State (I was pleased when Rose was brought aboard as a UDFA)
168. CB Jaylen Watson, Washington St. ( actually had Watson inside the top 150)
I think the above Listing and specific Player Brief inform us of how prepared the Veach Scouting Staff was in prepping for the draft. How that matched up with the player analysis of PFF is telling. This draft was an “Ace” by Veach and his Scouting staff, who collaborated with Reid and the coaching staff to build the Chief’s Draft board for 2022. As a result, the Chiefs drafted 6 of the top 100 players as ranked by PFF.
How Many of These Selections Are Home Runs?
Think about it: a team picking from the bottom of the list. A team that has 12 draft picks in the situation of being a Super Bowl competitor and AFC title team so frequently since 2018? Yes, The Chiefs saw major players depart: Tyreek Hill was the most difficult of all those players going elsewhere in Free Agency. BUT: This is the draft that sets up the future. At least, that is my estimation. It appears that 2022 sets up 2023, a year in which the Chiefs will have 11 draft picks. You can credit Brett Veach and Co. with getting things prepped in 2022. Still, what more could Veach have done? If you ask me, he was feeding the slots with golden Dollar coins. If I had any regret about the draft, it would be that we weren’t able to obtain a pass-rush DT to add to the mix.
Yeah, I think Brett Veach is the “Mick” of GMs, and he doesn’t have a gimpy knee. Now? It’s up to the players to follow through and “prove It”! In the same vein as Phil Maxwell’s article, yesterday creates the construct of “the Proof Is in the Pudding!
David Bell – ArrowheadOne