Mocking the Depth: What a Too Early Draft Says About This Year’s Chiefs – With DT Chris Jones locked up long term, the bulk of the Kansas City Chiefs offseason plans come to close. More than a little uncertainty remains about the 2020 season, in regards to Covid-19, but assuming it does take place, the Chiefs are the obvious favorite. Without much in the way of new news, it seems like a good time to do a, too early mock draft. This far ahead though, a mock draft tells us more about the current team, than the potential prospects. As a perennial optimist, it’s easy to view positional depth through rose-colored glasses. Doing a mock draft can kind of reveal some underlying concerns.
Round 1: Defense End Aidan Hutchinson and the Edge Depth
Chiefs are going all Michigan with their edge defenders. Hutchinson is a big, physical player, at 6-foot-5, 278 lbs., one who plays with intensity and tenacity. Length and Strength are his calling cards. Ability to play inside, in obvious passing situations is there. His technique needs some work, but he has all the tools to thrive in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
The Chiefs are done being able to pay pass rushers, and the DE depth isn’t that great. Frank Clark and Chris Jones will be cornerstone players for at least three years. Alex Okafor is probably playing his last season, and can’t seem to stay healthy. Tanoh Kpassagnon is finally showing some promise, going into the last year of his deal. The rest of the group consists of promising prospects who under-performed such as: Breeland Speaks, Taco Charlton, and unknown quantities like: Mike Danna, Tim Ward and Demone Harris. The Chiefs have to hope their stars stay healthy this year, and get serious about bolstering their depth, for the future.
Round 2: Offensive Lineman Rashawn Slater and the Interior OL
Rashawn Slater is a physical Left Tackle out of Northwestern, who would be best suited to Offensive Guard in the NFL. He plays with the nastiness you look for, anchors well, and should provide a reliable blocker in pass sets. He might not be the best suited for Chiefs Zone Blocking run scheme, due to average athleticism, but he can be adequate, as a run blocker, and excellent as a pass protector.
The Chiefs have a lot of questions surrounding the interior OL. Left Guard is an open competition, with the likely winner, Andrew Wylie, a free agent next year. RG is manned by Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, whose contract looks designed for him to be cut next year. At Center, Austin Reiter logged his first full season, as a starter, and was underwhelming. K.C. has some interesting options waiting in the wings: notably Daryl Williams, Yasir Durant, and Nick Allegretti. Fans should temper expectations though, as the 7th round pick the Chiefs invested in Allegretti, is the most they have wrapped up in that group. Much like the position of CB, the Chiefs have tried to get by with a minimal amount of investment. Unlike CB, it hasn’t really worked, thus far.
Round 3: CB Elijah Molden and the Curious Absence of Slot CBs
Fans of 2019 CB, Byron Murphy, rejoice, the Chiefs find themselves a potentially elite slot CB, from the University of Washington. Molden is undersized, but incredibly smart. He plays with ferocity and hits well above his weight. Molden can give Chiefs a solid slot CB and a deserving understudy for Tyrann Mathieu.
In 2019, K.C. got adequate play in the slot from Rashad Fenton. This was a stroke of good luck, as Fenton is much more suited to playing on the outside. Ultimately, by year’s end, Tyrann Mathieu ended up taking a lot of the reps in the slot. Traditional options in the slot, outside Mathieu, mostly consist of UDFAs and the Chiefs no longer have an option to effectively replace Mathieu’s role at Safety. Spagnuolo has shown an ability to scheme around this weakness, but until the Chiefs address it properly, their options will continue to be limited.
Round 4: Ronnie Bell and the WR Pipeline
WR Ronnie Bell has good tape in the Michigan offense, but his production was limited by bad QB play. Bell possesses good agility and speed, with the knack to make plays all over the field. He’s not especially dynamic, after the catch, but his ball skills and awareness fit really well with the Chiefs scheme.
For this year, the Chiefs have great depth at WR. Next year, Sammy Watkins will be gone, probably along with Demarcus Robinson, plus Byron Pringle will be an Exclusive Rights Free Agent, who should play one more year in K.C.. Mecole Hardman will have to fight for opportunities this year, but the Chiefs will depend on him to be a star next year. His development will be a key to watch for, as the playoffs approach.
Round 5: Greg Eisworth II and the Safety Depth
Greg Eisworth II has football character in spades. He makes calls on the field for Iowa State, with hits that jar the ball loose. Eisworth isn’t an optimal athlete and his NFL destiny lies in the box, as a strong safety. If Spags can cover some of his limitations, he will be an impact defender. He consistently sniffs out screens and WRs struggle to block him, in the run game.
Juan Thornhill and Tyrann Mathieu are two of the best Safeties in the game. Daniel Sorensen isn’t elite, but he’s a solid player. Outside of that, K.C. doesn’t really have much in the way of depth at the position. While many had high hopes for Armani Watts, his complete lack of playtime when Juan Thornhill went down, is a pretty major red flag. Injury at Safety, could be catastrophic for the Chiefs defense, this year. That vulnerability is likely to elevate for 2021, as Sorenson is set to hit Free Agency.
[Editor’s Note: Kansas City traded their 2021, 6th-round pick, to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2020 7th-round pick, which they used to take CB, Bopete Keyes.]
Round 7: RB Michael Carter and the Future Behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Michael Carter is a smaller back with great vision. Didn’t get much help from his OL, but he was always finding a hole to slither through. Solid pass protector with pretty good hands and nice acceleration. Carter isn’t especially physical. Gets most of his yards by making guys miss rather than dragging piles, but he’s a good fit for Chiefs in the passing game.
The Chiefs have a full RB room, but not a loaded room. After Clyde Edwards-Helaire, most of Chiefs backs represent minimal investment and a few of them will soon be free agents. While they adequate options in house for 2020, upgrading in the future will be necessary. With most of their cap space tied up, later round players who can contribute on more than just special teams and will be a big key to ongoing success.
A Too Early Mock Summary
As the Chiefs wrap up their offseason contract work, significant uncertainty still surrounds the depth at DE, OL, and DB. There’s still time for unheralded players to step in and fill those roles but, if none do, it will be an area to invest in, next year, along with WR and RB. Continued success will depend largely upon, the health of their stars and the quality of their depth. With the current state of the salary cap, that depth will be built… and built almost entirely through the draft.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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