The Chiefs Approaches to the 2023 NFL Draft

Laddie Morse

The Kansas City Chiefs are hard at work right now putting together another run at the next Super Bowl: SB 58. David Bell has eluded to this, that Brett Veach and his staff are already putting together their 2023 draft board. Lyle Graversen of ArrowheadAddict has already made his case that the Chiefs don’t need to re-sign any of their own Free Agents, and I would agree, mostly. I say mostly because, depending on who the Chiefs draft, and what positions they draft, they may attempt to bring back some players who have been on the team previously. Consequently, I don’t exppect the Chiefs to be big players when NFL Free Agency initially opens on March 15, at 3:00 PM CST.

The first three (3) rounds are critical for the success of the team moving forward. Yes, K.C. got “lucky”… or you could say Veach and his team are very skilled talent evaluators (think Isiah Pacheco, a 7th rounder who became their Mack Lee Hill Award Winner and 101 Rookie of the Year), but we’ll focus on the first three rounds today… especially since those first 100, or so, players will likely make the biggest impact in 2023.

First, let’s take a look back at the last four seasons of the Brett Veach draft and who exactly he was able to draft in those first three (3) rounds:

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Key = the number below their name is the round in which they were drafted.

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Just doing a head count of positions drafted, it would seem to me that the positions of need would be players drafted in the top 100 who are a WR, OT, CB, DT, DE, and TE. Now, I must qualify some of my opinions. First, I’ve heard Any Reid say you can never have enough cornerbacks. So, there’s that. Also, while the deals of JuJu Smith-Schuster and even MVS are to be haggled over, the drafting of a top flight wideout could solve problems down the line if Travis Kelce decides to hang up his cleats anytime in the next two years. Plus, the situation with Orlando Brown Jr. and Lucas Niang are unpredictable so picking up an good OT would help that situation. Let’s take a look at some mocks done recently:

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Getting an Edge player early in the draft seems a likely route for Veach. Yes, he got Karlaftis last year, but I have the feelign he sees the DL, and specifically DE, as a position he is in the process of re-building. Getting a RB this high will probably upset some Kingdom fans, but I’ve had my eye on Charbonnet for two years now and he was once ranked as a first rounder. Charbonnet is 6-foot-1 and goes 220: the size Veach targets in his RBs. Charbonnet has 4.41 speed and was 4th in the NCAA in rush yards per carry. WR, Rashee Rice can go up and get the ball with the best of them. He reminds me a bit of Stefon Diggs. Brandon Joseph this low is a steal and Luke Schoonmaker should move into the Kelce #1 TE role within a year.

Here’s a mock based upon BPA – Best Player Available.

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This simulator didn’t give me an extra 3rd round pick for some reason. Michael Mayer is ranked as the top TE in this draft by multiple ranking services. I’ve seen him called the “Little Gronk.” He’s 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 265. We don’t want anyone giving Kelce the idea that we’re trying to urge him towards the door, but you can’t help but want to be prepared for his eventual — yes, eventual — retirement. Anton Harrison reminds me of Will Shields not only in looks with his glasses, but in his play on the field. If he is half the (football) man Shields is…. Getting a good Safety to pair with Justin Reid should be a priority in this draft.

Again, this simulator — FanSpeak –only allows me to take three picks in the first three rounds:

Note: I looked it up and that’s because the Chiefs have two 4th round picks, not an extra 3rd rounder. That means K.C. has 5 of the top 134 picks. The first mock listed above shows the two 4th round picks.

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WR, Zay Flowers is ranked as the #1 small wideout (5-foot-10, 172 lbs. with 4.37 speed) of all those in that category this year. He has the talents Reid loves to see in a WR: shifty, speedy and with good hands. The following transition makes me go… Hmm…

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Christopher Smith II is a gifted Safety and would slot right in next to Justin Reid. CB Darius Rush is 6-foot-2 and 195 lbs., has 4.41 speed and reminds me a bit of L’Jarius Sneed who can play all over the field. Rush doesn’t use his speed as a crutch and wait to play catch up with the Wideouts he’s covering. He’s already there and turns his head well.

Here’s a Mock David Bell sent to me, which I think is pretty good:

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B.J. Ojulari is very good, but may not fit as he weighs in a 244 and stands at 6-foot-3, which is light in the loafers, even compared to Dee Ford. However, he hails from LSU and has played against mucho big time SEC competition, with 16.5 sacks in 31 games over a three (3) year span. I’m with David Bell when he says he hopes that Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap both come back because a guy like B.J. Ojulari could really use their after practice tutelage. Nathaniel Dell runs a 4.42 and although that is not really the kind of time the Chiefs like to target in their WRs. Over the past two seasons Dell has had more than 1,300 receiving in each year and he could he be the guy! Christopher Smith II: see above. At 6-foot-4, and 300, DE Karl Brooks may be more the kind of Edge Rusher the Chiefs need. However, is he quick enough? With George Karlaftis in house, what K.C. needs now is a quick-twitch DE.

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Unknowns

What is mostly unknown to the those of us who like to play the guessing game of: “Who Will Be Drafted?”… is that we just don’t know about prospect’s personalities and how they will mesh with the current cast of characters. The stats and other data, we can get at. What is never known, is the way a General Manager sees the temperament, attitude and desire of a particular prospect. If those traits match up… we get to see first hand how a new personality fits with the current players on board. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much a player matches the players on board, like with Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He was thought to be a perfect fit as a RB of the future in K.C.. His personality may have fit, but his output on the field has not. At least, not enough. Now, a 7th round pick — Isiah Pacheco — looks to take his place as the starting RB of the future.

It’s all about “Team” and the Chiefs have figured out how to make a team, a real team.

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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