Todd McShay released his first 2018 mock draft this week, but Kansas City Chiefs fans won’t be able to partake in the normal overreactions without a first round pick this year.
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has kicked off his mock drafts for 2018. One of the best things about covering an NFL team for a sports blog is the NFL draft, especially when the mock drafts start coming out. However, that won’t be true of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 as the team used it’s pick to trade up for Patrick Mahomes this past year.
Without a first round pick, Kansas City won’t be getting much attention at all from the draft analysts. We won’t be getting many rumors coming out about what players they are targeting. There won’t be any extended television segments talking about what they might be doing. It’s going to be a bit depressing really.
NFL draft analysis is one of the most entertaining things in sports to follow. Unlike other sports, the NFL draft is an absolute circus that is unmatched. The coverage that comes along with it is beyond compare. Without a first round pick, the Chiefs won’t be much of a part of all that…which is boring for us.
Of course, we will still be covering Kansas City’s draft plans and options all winter, even if the big networks ignore the Chiefs.
Current top-10 order of the 2018 NFL Draft:
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 11, 2017
1) #Browns
2) #Giants
3) #49ers
4) #Colts
5) #Browns (from HOU)
6) #Broncos
7) #Buccaneers
8) #Bears
9) #Bengals
10) #Jets
No Regrets…Yet
The big thing to remember with the 2018 NFL Draft is that the Kansas City Chiefs have already invested their first round pick. For the most part, I don’t think there are any Chiefs fans that would trade the selection of Patrick Mahomes just to have a first round pick this year. Well…maybe some. There are a few fans that really take their mock drafts seriously.
With Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City has invested in their future at quarterback, which is what fans have been wanting for decades. The afterglow on that still hasn’t worn off, and won’t for some time. Chiefs fans remain confident in the future of the team with Mahomes at the helm.
Related Story: Kansas City Chiefs: Reaction To Patrick Mahomes Pick
However, that is not a sentiment that is without end. Ultimately, the decision to draft Patrick Mahomes will have to bear fruit. Most experts agree that will begin in 2018 when Mahomes takes over as the starter. At that point, the true evaluation of the pick will begin. It would not be a stretch to say that several careers depend on him working out.
First Draft Is Not An Easy One
Taking the reigns for the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time will be new general manager Brett Veach. The new GM replaced John Dorsey this offseason, and has had some early victories to take credit for. Veach is also the man credited with putting Patrick Mahomes on the radar for the Chiefs.
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However, this will be an entirely different monster for Brett Veach. Not only is this his first draft as GM, but it will be with limited assets. The Chiefs don’t have a lot of draft picks right now, which will put some added pressure on the scouting department to get things right. That’s not an ideal situation for a new GM to start out with.
Kansas City should be able to add some more draft pieces this offseason, and many believe that they will. However, that will also be a test for Brett Veach to make sure he gets as much value as possible. The Chiefs need to be thinking about how they are going to rebuild in certain areas. The pressure of that will fall directly on Veach.
It’s going to be strange this year not being able to jump all over the mock drafts of Todd McShay and others. While there should be no regrets as to how the Kansas City Chiefs used their 2018 first round pick, that doesn’t make “mock draft season” any more enjoyable. However, if that’s the trade off for a franchise quarterback…I’ll take it.