KC Chiefs: Do They Need to Draft a Wide Receiver in 2017

The KC Chiefs don’t have a whole lot of holes on their roster, but wide receiver is still a big need for them. Could they decide to draft one early on in the 2017 NFL Draft?

Not too long ago I wrote that wide receiver was no longer a need for the Kansas City Chiefs. Several weeks later, however, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

George Stockburger of NFL Mocks recently wrote the biggest draft needs for all 32 teams in the 2017 NFL Draft. He listed that the Chiefs needed to draft a quarterback, a defensive end, and he put their biggest need was a wide receiver.

Now personally, the need for a wide receiver has never seemed that prominent. Alex Smith doesn’t need a top notch receiver because the Chiefs offense tries to spread the ball around to just about everyone on the offense.

Travis Kelce currently leads the team in receptions and in receiving yards. He has 73 receptions for 957 yards, both career highs. While that’s all fine and dandy, he’s a tight end. The Chiefs need that elite pass catching receiver to make plays for them.

Many thought that might be Jeremy Maclin‘s role when he signed a five-year deal in the 2015 offseason, but injuries have held him back this season. He did look like the 2015 version of himself in last week’s game against the Titans though, which was promising for sure.

Chris Conley hasn’t been all that he was advertised as when joining this team in 2015, but the guy is still young. Hopefully he can figure it out soon and won’t earn that bust label next season.

Stockburger said of the need to draft a receiver,

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"Kansas City’s receivers are not the strong point of their team, and with a stellar defense, and good running game it shouldn’t be farfetched to see them take a talented receiver. There was a time when their receivers didn’t score a touchdown for over a calendar year, stockpiling talent can ensure that won’t happen again."

The Chiefs have Tyreek Hill as one of their better receiving threats, but once he starts to slow down he won’t be nearly as effective. It’s also tough to imagine him being THIS good for the rest of his career. Teams will figure out ways to stop him eventually.

While wide receiver will likely always be a need for this team, John Dorsey has shown that he’s not the type to go after an offensive player in the first round of the draft. In four years with the Chiefs, Dorsey has only gone offense once and that was Eric Fisher when they had the first overall pick in 2013.

The Chiefs have shown that they excel on the defensive side of the ball. That’s likely why they’d go with a defensive end or an inside linebacker in round one. They’re not a flashy team when it comes to drafting early on and that’s why if they decided to address the receiver position, it wouldn’t be until the third round or later.

Next: Building the Draft Board Part 1

By the third round, guys like James Washington or Artavis Scott would be decent options for Kansas City. Washington is a stud out of Oklahoma State and Scott has been catching dimes from Deshaun Watson at Clemson.

When it comes down to it, wide receiver is likely always going to be a need for this team. Ultimately – I just don’t see Dorsey grabbing one of the top guys in the draft.

What do you think, Chiefs Kingdom? Is wide receiver a major need for the Chiefs?

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