Josh Kingsley
I am back in the USA. Made it home comfortably in time to watch the round two and three coverage. Almost made it to the end but hit a massive wall after the CHIEFS second pick. I totally missed the Avs game 6, but woke up happy to see the win.
Round 2 Notes
All my thoughts aside on the prospect ranks Joey Porter Jr. to the Steelers to kick things off was cool. His dad spent seven awesome years as a Steelers player earning him a Super Bowl and spot on their all time team. The ESPN crew noted Porter Jr. as the highest Steelers pick of a Penn State player since Franco Harris at #13 in 1972.
The Will Levis memes finally stopped a couple minutes later when the Titans traded up to take him. I saw a good fit both ways. Levis, as most rookie QB, shouldn’t start week 1. Tannehill is still in place, so he won’t. This has Smith grooming Mahomes potential…if Tannehill is willing to do such things. Levis’ pro comps normally fall to Josh Allen for his big arm and reckless running. That could fly in the AFC South, which has potential for some fun QB duel over the next 10 years. The Levis pick also labels the Malik Willis pick last season a confirmed failure at least in the Titans’ eyes. The last note was this comment via text from Titans Anthony after the pick:
“I’m in shock right now, very cynical, but excited to see if big things can happen.”
I’m not sure if I should temper my praise or note the rough fall he and Titans fans had over the past 14 months.
CHIEFS Note: New WR
We saw the first of two moves directly illustrating Veach going after players he values. All CHIEFS Kingdom anxiously entered draft time looking for next WR. We dreamed of Johnston, Flowers, Hyatt and more. The trade popped on the ticker at pick 55. I could feel it and told Misty and the kids Veach was taking either Hyatt or Darnell Washington, Georgia TE. Veach took a WR, Rashee Rice from SMU as we all expected. Please correct me in the edits and/or comments if I missed something, but I do not recall this guy’s name at all in the time leading to the draft. A quick stat check shows the #3 WR in CFB last season with 1,355. The ESPN pre-draft analysis:
“Rice is an instinctive route runner who shreds zone looks and proved he’s more than a possession slot receiver with an impressive senior season and a strong workout at the NFL combine. He can make the first defender miss, has good contact balance and reaches his top-end speed quickly after the catch. He doesn’t have an elite second gear, but he runs well and can track down a deep ball. He made more plays downfield in 2022 than he did in 2021.” — Steve Muench
Sounds like a JuJu replacement. My open text thread with MKE fans brought confusion as well. One guy went as far as comparing the drafts under the GM before Dorsey, who I will not name, but will refer to as Voldemort moving forward. (I clapped back super hard on that one) The real aha moment from me was the family video when the CHIEFS took him. (BTW those videos of the packed family rooms are the best part of the draft) Patrick Mahomes was calling while the team was calling. Apparently they threw together too. Rice was a target all along largely unbeknownst to us mere mortals.
Round 3 Notes
I am cheating by adding the last pick of round 2 with this comment: oh yeah, there’s an NFL team in Denver too. Huh…
The Broncos emptied most of their picks moving up three times to grab Marvin Mims, WR from Oklahoma, Drew Sanders, ILB from Arkansas and Riley Moss, CB from Iowa. All three are solid prospects and show Denver’s hand even more. That team is reinforcing the D in hope that Peyton makes Russ cook again. Please note microwaving Easy Mac is cooking.
Detroit did something similar and leaves the first three rounds with a whopping 6 picks. They finally grabbed a Goff understudy in Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker early in round three. Iowa has a recent history of producing good TE. Detroit knows this as they had Hockenson until last season. They took the new model in Sam LaPorta early in the second (again, cheating a bit calling this round three).
Jalin Hyatt did not make it to the CHIEFS this draft ultimately falling to the Giants at 73rd overall. We will see him in red and gold for the 2026 season if my math is correct.
CHIEFS Note: New OT
The CHIEFS moved up again in the third to take an OL. Wanya Morris from Oklahoma was certainly on the radar. ESPN pre draft:
“Morris has started games at right and left tackle, and he’s strong enough to overwhelm defenders and flashes a mean streak in the run game. As a pass blocker, he has long arms and packs a powerful punch, but his footwork and hand placement are inconsistent.” — Steve Muench
I see two particulars. First, versatility as he started games at LT and RT. Second, the specific comment regarding mean streak in the running game. On paper the CHIEFS have two open OL position, LT and RT, which are large holes. In real life I see this crew in the order they joined the team:
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Andy Heck, Andy Reid and the offseason have to turn two of these guys, plus anyone else we add today, into starting tackles. I like their odds.
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Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne and Arrowhead Kingdom
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