Laddie Morse
It occurs to me that in less than two weeks time, we’ll be inviting the newest Chiefs into the Kingdom. Right now we have no clue who that will be. Two weeks from now it will all be clear. That said, let’s take a deep dive into 8 prospects who very well could end up in the Kingdom. I’ll look at three prospects for each of the first two rounds and two for round three.
.
Adonai Mitchell
.
Mitchell is a WR out of Texas University and stands 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 205 lbs.. He’s been overshadowed by his team mate, Xavier Worthy, as Worthy ran a combine record in the 40 at 4.21. While that’s worth noting, Mitchell ran a 4.34 and for a man his size, that’s an extraordinarily fast 40 yard dash. DraftBuzz.com has Adonai Mitchell listed as their 5th best WR. CBSSports.com has Mitchell ranked as their 24th best overall prospect so according them the Chiefs would have to move up to draft him. DrafTek.com has him as the 31st best overall prospects and PFFProspects.com has Mitchell as their 31st best overall prospect as well. Sounds to me like, either way, K.C. would have to move up a little or a lot to get Mitchell.
.
.
Here’s a breakdown of Adonai Mitchell’s game (2:19):
.
.
The Chiefs — and Patrick Mahomes — need a WR who has a low Drop Rate and that’s the main reason I’ve listed Adonai Mitchell here first:
.
.
I have to admit, I’m hioping the Chiefs will draft Adonai Mitchell with the 32nd pick. If not, maybe they can get…
.
.
Brian Thomas Jr.
.
Brian Thomas Jr. is listed by most rating services as a prospect who will be drafted ahead of Adonai Mitchell. However, if by some chance he does fall into the 20s of this coming draft, I’d hope that GM Brett Veach has a plan in place to jump up and draft him. In my mind, there is a distinct possibility that Brian Thomas Jr. could end up being the best WR in this draft… especially with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball. Thomas stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 209 according to DraftBuzz.com.
BTJ runs a 4.33 – 40 yard dash.
Thomas has also been overshadowed, in in this case it’s by Malik Nabers, his team mate while at LSU. Sports-reference.com list Thomas as being 6-foot-5 and while that discrepancy is not significant to many, I find his height a standout feature whether he’s 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-5. Why would I find it a standout feature? Because he can go up and get balls other WRs can’t and more importantly… that most DBs can’t. Even Pro DBs.
Here’s Matt Harmon talking about Brian Thomas possibly being drafted by the Bears at pick #9 (0:54):
.
.
Here are some highlights of Brian Thomas Jr. (0:50):
.
.
If the top three WRs in this draft — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze, all Juniors — were not in this draft, both Brian Thomas Jr. and Adonai Mitchell would be drafted in the top ten. FYI, the top nine WRs in this draft are all Juniors.
If the Chiefs don’t go for a WR in the first round, it could be that they choose…
.
.
Amarius Mims
.
Amarius Mims is an Offensive Tackle who played for Georgia. He’s a huge man and according to pff.com he stands 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 340 lbs.. I think he weighs more than that, but the upside with him is… his girth. The downside is… can he last for four quarters?
I think the Chiefs are projecting Wanya Morris to the Left Tackle position prior to the draft so they won’t be planning on signing any one, like Donovan Smith, before then so they can see what happens. Meaning: if a good LOT falls to them they’ll draft that player. If not, no problem because they’ll just re-sign Donovan Smith in the aftermath.
PFF.com projects Mims as their 22nd best overall prospect. CBSSports.com projects Mims as their 18th best overall prospect. DrafTek projects Mims as their 27th best overall prospect. DraftBuzz.com has Mims as their 6th best OT.
Mims Relative Athletic Score (RAS) looks like this:
.
.
DraftBuzz had this to share about Amarius Mims:
.
“A five-star recruit who played sparingly until his final season. He started just two games in 2022 but showed promise in the College Football Playoff. In 2023, an ankle injury requiring tightrope surgery limited his playing time. Despite limited starts, he has garnered early-round interest for the 2024 NFL Draft.”
.
If injury is also an issue with Mims, I’d look for teams to back away from him in the first round. However, the Chiefs are in need of a good Tackle and they usually don’t let prior injuries keep them from drafting a prospect. PFF.com has this to say about Mims as a prospect:
.
“Mims is not a polished prospect — a level below former teammate and first-round pick Broderick Jones — but he brings sky-high potential. He’ll take some developing, but trench players built like this don’t make it out of the top 50.”
.
.
If any of these next three players appear when the Chiefs draft at #64, I’d expect them to race the draft card to the podium.
.
Kingsley Suamataia
Kingsley Suamataia is an OT from BYU. It’s that BYU connection that Andy Reid has which was in part the reason that Daniel Sorenson was signed by K.C.. Suamataia stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 326 lbs.. While Suamataia is a solid second round pick, I don’t expect him to be drafted in the first round. DraftBuzz has him as their 10th best OT and since K.C. is in need of depth their, he’s a likely choice at 64.
Kingsley played mostly Right Tackle for the past two seasons and DraftBuzz says of him:
.
“Hailing from Orem, Utah, Kingsley Suamataia carved a name for himself at Orem High School, earning a 5-star rating from 247 Sports and a 4-star from ESPN. His high school career culminated in four state championships, setting the stage for his collegiate journey. Initially committing to Oregon, Suamataia redshirted his freshman year in 2021, participating in one game. He then transferred to BYU, where he showcased his talent as a starting right tackle in 2022 and left tackle in 2023.”
.
Here’s Kingsley Suamataia during the Senior Bowl Week of practice (0:25):
.
.
Javon Bullard
.
Javon Bullard is a Safety who played his college ball at Georgia. Although he is smallish for a Safety at 5-foot-11 and 198 lbs. he is a big hitter. HIs most famous hit was on Marvin Harrison Jr. at the back of the end zone. A hit he was not flagged for.
.
.
DraftBuzz.com has Bullard listed as the second best Safety in this class and DrafTek.com ranks him as the 59th best overall prospect. Maybe I’m too old school but I found the hit on Harrison as a good hit. Also from DraftBuzz.com comes this:
.
“In 2023 as a junior Bullard played in 11 games and contributed on 555 snaps. He chalked up 45 tackles, 12 assists, and added 13 stops. In the secondary Bullard forced 5 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and gave up an incredible QB rating when targetted of 36.6.”
.
.
.
Ben Sinnott
Ben Sinnott is a Tight End who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 246. While he needs to put some weight on so he can be a better blocker in the pro game, his primary reason for being is to relieve all-world TE Travis Kelce. Kelce will be 35 in October and with his brother retiring earlier this year, and given his statements about retiring in the middle of last season… K.C. would be remise if they didn’t plan for Kelce’s eventual replacement. Enter Ben Sinnott.
While DraftBuzz.com ranks Sinnott as their 6th best TE, DrafTek lists Sinnott as the 145th best overall prospect. CBSSports.com has Sinnott as the 56th best overall prospect and PFFProspects.com has Sinnott ranked as their 133rd best overall prospect. Perhoas Ben Sinnott would best be drafted with the Chiefs 95th overall selection…
.
.
Zak Zinter
.
Zak Zinter stands 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 322 lbs.. Zinter is an OG who is ranked as the 4th best overall prospect by DraftBuzz.com. He is ranked as the 94th overall best prospect by DrafTek.com and the 147th best overall prospect by CBSSports.com. PFF.com currently has him at 160 best overall prospect but they used to have him higher.
The Chiefs will be looking for a new OG when Joe Thuney decides to call it a day. Or, if Thuney isn’t healed up from his pectoral injury previously, Zinter could find his way onto the field sooner than later.
.
DraftBuzz shares this about Zinter:
.
“His collegiate career is decorated with multiple accolades, including three-time All-Big Ten honors and unanimous All-American recognition in 2023. Beyond the field, Zinter’s academic achievements are equally impressive, earning him three-time Academic All-Big Ten and two-time CSC Academic All-American titles. On the field, his 2023 season was particularly standout, allowing only nine pressures on 389 pass-blocking snaps, cementing his reputation as a formidable pass protector.”
.
.
Braelon Allen
Braelon Allen is a RB and played for the Wisconsin Badgers. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 235 lbs.. Since Derrick Henry is just one inch taller and ten pounds heavier, that makes Allen’s stiff arm a force to be reckoned with. While I am not a fan of college teams with great RBs who are running behind even greater offensive lines… the size of Allen is something of note. Veach has already said he likes his RBs to be bigger and weigh in at 220 lbs. or bigger so, Allen meet that requirement. Many Kingdom fans are not happy with the CEH re-signing because he was once drafted in the first round, and shouldn’t have been. However, since K.C also drafted RB Kareem Hunt, let’s not forget that he was taken in the third round, and that’s what we’re talking about here.
Allen has averaged 1,165 yards per year on the ground for the past three years. That’s pretty darn good for 35 games total. Here’s an Allen tweet from last September:
.
.
Here’s a tweet from Allen’s freshman season:
.
.
What do you think? Have any Great Prospects you’d like to see Veach consider?
.
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
.