Chiefs: Focus on the Draft

Laddie Morse

With the Super Bowl more than a week behind us, it’s now time to turn our focus forward to the next season. The first order of business will be the Combine coming up next week and then of course Pro days and the NFL Draft after that. This time the draft will be held in Detroit. This year’s draft will be held around Campus Martius Park and the Hart Plaza — in Detroit — on the dates of April 25–to-27, 2024, Thursday evening through Saturday. Long before that happens, the Chiefs GM Brett Veach and HC Andy Reid will have decided what to do with their day one — and likely — their day two picks.

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We begin with a Defensive Tackle because we can never tell if Veach will re-sign Chris Jones or not. T’Vondre is 6-foot-4, 346 lbs. beast of a man and is ranked 36th overall by DrafTek, but only 69th overall by CBS Sports. BigBlueViwe.com says Sweat’s strength’s are his size, play strength, hand usage, competitive toughness and run defense. They list his weaknesses as foot speed and endurance. In any event, the Chiefs will have to make a move of some kind during the draft to get a man for the DL if they don’t re-sign Chris Jones… which is always a possibility. The bigblueview.com has this to say about Sweat’s weaknesses:

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“Sweat’s massive frame is a double-edged sword, and his weaknesses are the price paid for his exceptional mass and power. His most immediate weakness on a down-to-down basis is a lack of foot speed. Sweat has a great initial burst with surprising quickness and agility. However, his play speed slows considerably after his third step or so. He simply lacks the foot speed to pursue over any kind of distance and won’t be running anyone down from behind.”

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Compared to Chris Jones — is it really fair to compare anyone to CJ? — Sweat is likely to cause more QB’s to attempt to escape the pocket and do so successfully while Jones would not allow that to happen. On the other hand, Sweat may end up stopping the run better, but that will take years of training. I remember one of the draft gurus saying, when CJ came out in the draft, that one of his weaknesses was his taking plays off… but we’ve never seen that happen. Sweat is a Red Shirt Senior and here’s a breakdown of his skills and performance level abilities (7:43):

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“The Mock Draft Guy” says Sweat is a second round pick. However, he reminds me of a Dontari Poe… light. Maybe too light for some, but I can see Veach moving back to the second round and selecting this prospect. He may have Sweat ranked in the second round, but DrafTek and DraftBuzz have him rated as their top Interior Defensive Tackle in this year’s draft. Here’s the rankings by NFLDraftBuz.com

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Here’s the top five Interior Defensive Tackles by DrafTek:

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Keon Coleman has size. He’s 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 215. Coleman played his high school ball in Louisiana and played his college ball at first at Michigan State and then Florida. Coleman originally went to Michigan State because they said he could play Football and Basketball. NFLDraftBuzz.com has a boat load of Strengths and a few Weaknesses which are mostly route related. When I watch Coleman’s tape I don’t see the problem with his route running. Perhaps they see it, but his overall imposing physique may have something to do with that. Here’s what NFLDraftBuzz.com has to say about his Strengths:

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•“Prototype physicality: boasts elite size, frame density, and compact mass; prime athletic build for an NFL WR.

•Outstanding acceleration combined with exceptional foot speed and lateral twitch, especially considering his build.

•Superb at manipulating DB blind spots; employs efficient diamond releases and robust hand techniques to separate.

•Impressive ball skills: pairs elite timing and body control with remarkable strength at the catch point.

•Transcendent aerial adjustments: showcases gravity-defying contortions and consistently extends beyond his frame to secure catches.

•Threat after the catch: blends explosive agility, contact balance, and physicality to elude and overpower DBs.

•Distinguished for his proactive alpha mentality; adept at contested catches… instincts and sheer hand strength.

•Multifaceted athlete: showcased his versatility playing basketball under Tom Izzo; brings that multi-sport dynamism to the gridiron.”

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“Transcendent aerial adjustments“… when you see his tape you’ll understand more fully and wish Patrick Mahomes could employ a player who has tools such as Coleman’s! (5:41)

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Many have already said that this is a draft heavy with Wide Receiver talent. Coleman is ranked 4th best among all wideouts by NFLDraftBuzz, DrafTek, and CBS Sports.com.

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It’s understandable why many fans — of college ball — want to see Marvin Harrison Jr. hooked up with Patrick Mahomes… but… it’s just not in the cards. Period. So, let’s move on and let it go.

Coleman had 798 yards receiving in his Sophomore season at Michigan State, but only 658 receiving yards in his Junior year at Florida. So, I wouldn’t get too excited about him… that is, until you watch his highlight reel. Like Rashee Rice, he may take some time to develop, but I believe that once he does he will be a great receiver. He may only end up a #2 WR, but we’ve got Rice heading for the #1 WR position this coming season!

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There is a question about whether or not Donovan Smith will return for another year. If he was wanting to win a Super Bowl and get noticed for it, he may be getting an offer from another team long prior to the NFL Draft. If that’s the case, then Mr. Veach may be looking for help along the OL, and specifically at Offensive Tackle. Here, Joe Deleone and Ryan Roberts talk about Amarius Mims and go on and on about his superior ability as a Tackle. (12:29)

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Please note that Mims has played primarily Right Tackle in college so drafting him will likely require Jawaan Taylor to move over to Left Tackle, like we originally thought last year, prior to the time they brought Donovan Smith to the roster.

NFLDraftBuzz.com has a number of Strengths listed.

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•Boasts a massive frame with elite mass and length, carrying no bad weight.

•Explosive, high-energy athlete, akin to a move tight end in open space.

•Exceptional rotational freedom, length, and frame density contribute to his hyper-elite power capacity.

•Effective in loading his base and generating torque through extensions, easily displacing defensive linemen off the snap.

•Impressively agile in lateral movements, adept at matching stunting pass rushers.

•Utilizes his hinge flexibility to adjust alignment effectively.

•Excels in pass protection through a combination of athleticism, strength, and impressive wingspan.

•Strong understanding of leveraging in pass protection, employing controlled lean & knee bend to extend his reach.

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The Weaknesses are “playing too tall” and related to “positioning and using the correct angles,” but we know those are fixable issues that Andy Heck can take care of. Mims is far too talented to let him slip by the 32nd spot in the draft. Since he is ranked higher than that by CBS Sports (#24), NFLDraftBuz.com (#22) and DrafTek (#23)… I can see Veach moving up to get him. Mims is ranked 5th best among all Tackles in this draft by both NFLDraftBuzz and DrafTek:

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While I am enamored with Joe Alt like many of you simply because his father, John Alt, played for the Chiefs from 1984-to-1996, he will be long gone by the time the Chiefs step up to make their pick. I won’t be at all surprised to see one of these players listed above is selected by the Chiefs with their first or second picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Late Coaching News

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Chiefs extend several coaches including, Andy Reid, Steve Spagnuolo, Dave Toub, and Joe Cullen. Let’s not forget that LB coach Brendan Daly has been to ten straight AFC Championship games. Also, Dave Merritt is perhaps the best DB coach in the NFL and is unlikely to chase any DC jobs this year or the next.

Things are setting up nicely for the Chiefs for the 2024 season

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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