Chiefs: Two Mock Lessons Learned

Laddie Morse

When doing mocks repeatedly, you can learn some things that perhaps Veach and his team are also learning. These two mocks below have certain lessons that may be helpful when we look at the draft coming up in 17 days. So, let’s take a look.

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This first mock was done at ProFootballNetwork.com:

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The blue dots next to the numbered draft picks represents a pick that was traded for. Here, I had the Chiefs trade backwards one pick (from 32 to 33) and that was done with the Carolina Panthers, who ended up taking WR Keon Coleman. Since Coleman is a slow WR I saw no loss in that trade backwards after the Panthers selected him. The Chiefs also added pick #101 from the Panthers by making that trade backwards. It’s always helpful to have more picks in the top 100 (or so).

This move makes the possibility of a trade backwards a plus for all involved. The Panthers were able to get the man they wanted, while the Chiefs basically gave up nothing (that is… assuming they don’t want Keon Coleman).

With the first four picks (within the top 101 picks in this draft) K.C. was able to get a top OT, DT, RB, and a Safety. Let’s take a look at each.

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If Jordan Morgan wasn’t available, Chop Robinson was the next pick in the next mock and I might have taken him except the Chiefs just re-signed Edge rusher Mike Danna. Danna is a superior team mate and had his best year in 2023 with 6.5 sacks and 50 tackles. Danna is excellent at setting the edge and making sure RBs don’t get outside of him. OT Morgan has dropped 10 places in DrafTek’s overall ranking list from 34 to 44 and I wonder how much of that is perceptual, the optics. I had a hard time finding picture where Morgan was smiling and did not look half asleep, so maybe….

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Fiske is 6-foot-5 and is a svelte 297 lbs.. He could one day take over for Chris Jones and any time you can draft a guy like that…. Here are some of Fiske’s personal info. from the Combine:

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Fiske played for Western Michigan for four season then he played last year for Florida as a fifth year Senior. Here are his stats from Sports-Reference.com:

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The first thing I need to tell you is, don’t compare Jonathon Brooks to Jamaal Charles. Just because… they come from the same school and are both running backs… and both have those long locks flowing out from under their helmets… that doesn’t mean we should expect the same results. Charles wore #25 and Brooks wears #24 and maybe we should take that as a sign. They may have both averaged 6.2 yards per carry in college, but JC has the record for the NFL and that alone makes him HoF worthy. Brooks has a long way to go.

The biggest difference is…Brooks runs a 4.45 – 40 yard dash while JC ran a 4.36 – 40. That may end up being the straw that breaks the camel’s comparison back. Still, JC was drafted in the 3rd round with the 73 pick and I wasn’t taking Brooks until the 95th overall pic. Still, we should consider taking a RB with this pick as many of the better RBs will be gone by the time the Chiefs pick again (even though I’ve traded to get the 101st pick).

DraftBuzz, who has Brooks rated as their #1 RB, has this to say about Brooks:

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“Jonathon Brooks emerged from Hallettsville High School [half way between San Antonio and Houston] as a multi-faceted athlete, excelling in both football and basketball. In football, he was a versatile force, playing running back, kick returner, punter, and even defense. His diverse skills on the gridiron earned him a four-star recruiting ranking. At Texas, where he redshirted the 2021 season, Brooks initially saw limited action but stepped into a starring role in 2023 following the departures of Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. As a junior Brooks saw action in 11 games for the Longhorns. He ran for an outstanding 1135 yards on 187 attempts with a 6.1 ypc, with 10 TDs, with one fumble. As a receiver, he added 25 receptions for 286 yards.”

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DraftBuzz goes on to say:

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“SCOUTING REPORT: STRENGTHS

• Brooks boasts light, sudden feet and excellent start/stop ability, enabling him to deftly manipulate oncoming tacklers

• Exhibits impressive contact balance and an ability to contort away from tackles, making him a challenge to contain.

• Displays growing confidence in his ability to tackle, contributing to his status as one of the most elusive backs in college football.

• Sells play action very well, shows a deep knowledge of offensive schemes

• As a receiver, Brooks shows clean hands and an impressive catch radius, capable of making off-target receptions.

• His agility and vision make him a consistent threat, particularly when getting outside against defensive backs.

• Brooks has shown all the versatility and foot speed necessary for zone concepts and the physicality for downhill running in a vertical scheme.”

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DraftBuzz lists Jonathon Brooks Weaknesses as (which I’ve condensed):

• Only Senior season sample size so he needs more reps

• Takes too many risks

• Doesn’t have Home run ability

• Have to take his success within the context of a talented Texas team

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What I’ll say about Calen Bullock is that he is a big hitter. Yes, Mike Edwards moved on so Bullock “might” be seen as his replacement. Let’s tak a look at his highlights and you’ll see what I mean about him being a big hitter (2:49): Mute is you like.

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Now, we’ll move onto the second Mock.

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This mock was done at FanSpeak.com.

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This mock served as an homage to what appears to be many Kingdom fan’s desire to draft Xavier Worthy because of his fast 40 time of 4.21, which happened to be a Combine record. While I understand the motive, I think part of that is due to the loss of Tyreek Hill and the desire to return to the days of going long at almost any time and succeeding. While I don’t see Worthy becoming a John Ross I also don’t see him as a Tyreek Hill either. The best he could hope for is to be another Hollywood Brown. Oddly enough Hollywood Brown is on the Chiefs current roster. Having the two of them may end up equaling what Tyreek Hill did for the Chiefs three seasons ago and production wise, the two of them could end up equaling the 1,700+plus yards Hill has gained each of his first two seasons in Miami.

The question is… is their another WR out there who could develop and end up offering the Chiefs a different set of skills than Worthy, who is fast but has other WR traits worth exploring?

I think there is, and since this is such a good draft for WRs, why not take a look at some other possibilities which includes someone with speed and the ability to use his other skills like: body control, strength, quickness, reliable hands, physical stamina, concentration, focus, toughness, team pride (on and off the field), eye-hand coordination, QB-type vision, intelligence, the ability to conceptualize, and RAC (Run After Catch) ability… all the way to the end zone.

I’ve been saying to David Bell for years now that we just don’t know what Veach and his team knows about the personality or character of the prospects. What we do know is that Xavier Worthy is fast… and that’s about it.

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This is another prospect that Chiefs Kingdom has been calling for. While I am a fan of the big guy, it’s been speculated that he’d never be able to make it through an Andy Reid Training camp. Many are wondering what it would be like to have this massive giant of a footballer playing next to Chris Jones who is now considered the unquestioned king of Defensive Tackles in the NFL especially now that Aaron Donald is retired. T’Vondre Sweat is 6-foot-4 and goes 362 lbs.. That’s bigger than Dontari Poe if my memory serves me correct. Yep, just looked it up, and Poe is 6-foot-3 and goes 342 lbs..

Maybe Reid could design an offensive play for Sweat… if they draft him?!

What many don’t know about T’Vondre Sweat is that he’s the Outland Trophy winner (which is is awarded to the best college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America) and was a unanimous All-American as well. Plus his brother is Josh Sweat of the Eagles.

If Sweat falls to pick #64, I’d hope the Chiefs will consider him. I just don’t think he’s destined to fall that far. Here are some T’Vondre Sweat highlights (2:38):

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Shipley is a RB out of Clemson. He is 5-foot-11 tall and goes 210 lbs.. Please notice Shipley’s receiving yards below. 602 is more than the 468 — over the past three years — that CEH had as a Chiefs RB. Here’s his stats for the past three seasons at Clemson adapted from Sports-Reference.com:

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While Shipley’s rushing yards took a dip in 2023, his last season at Clemson, his total yards from Scrimmage, including receiving, was still over the 1,000 yard mark.

Here are some of Will Shipley’s highlights (3:12):

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While the last three picks of this mock include Patrick Paul and Delmar Glaze, I see Glaze as more of an IOL and could end up a great replacement for Joe Thuney.

What do you think?

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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