Kansas City Chiefs: 2017 Draft class ranked one year later

The Kansas City Chiefs 2017 draft class looks to be a promising group one year later. What should we look for in year two for the class?

The Kansas City Chiefs selected six players in the 2017 NFL Draft. One year later, we still know very little about most of the players drafted a season ago. Only one player good significant playing time and that was rookie running back Kareem Hunt out of Toledo.

After fumbling on his first NFL carry in the NFL opener against the New England Patriots, Hunt went on to have not only a successful rest of the game but a phenomenal season. Leading the league in rushing yards with 1,327, Hunt proved to be one of the best running backs in the league with only one season under his belt.

Hunt is not the player being talked about the most in Kansas City despite his breakout rookie campaign. The center of conversations revolves around quarterback Patrick Mahomes who takes over for the Chiefs former starting quarterback Alex Smith. Coming out of Texas Tech’s air raid offense, many have their doubts about Mahomes, but his arm talent and football IQ give a reason for Chiefs fans to have such high hopes.

While fans have seen very little of Mahomes, only getting one regular-season start last season, there is plenty to be excited about. In his one game against the Denver Broncos to close out the regular season, Mahomes threw for 284 yards and a single interception. Those might not be numbers to rave about, but considering who he did it with, it shows that he’s ready to start.

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Against the Broncos starting defense for most of the game, Mahomes led his team to a victory with almost entirely backups. His top wide receiver was Albert Wilson; his starting tight end was Demetrius Harris and his running back was fullback Anthony Sherman. Mahomes was benched toward the end of the game to allow quarterback Tyler Bray some playing time until Bray struggled tremendously.

It was exciting to see Mahomes not only come back into the game but to watch him lead his offense full of backups down the field to put them in position to win the game. We saw the young quarterback show great promise and talent in his one start and it was enough for the organization as they made a deal with the Washington Redskins to trade away Alex Smith before the Super Bowl had even been played.

Even Broncos starting defensive players raved about Mahomes and his performance. One of those players being shut down veteran cornerback Aqib Talib. Star edge rusher Von Miller also spoke about how well Mahomes looked on the field in the week 17 matchup.

The rest of the 2017 draft class remains a complete mystery. We have yet to see much playing time for outside linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon who looked to show some development as the season went on. Other players like linebacker Ukeme Eligwe, wide receiver Jehu Chesson, and safety Leon McQuay remain unknowns for Kansas City.

Next: What does Breeland Speaks bring to the Chiefs in 2018?

With that being said, Kansas City ranked 14th on a list by Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton of “Power Ranking Every NFL Team’s 2017 Draft Haul One Year Later“. Easily the best in the AFC West as the other teams failed to show much promise. The Denver Broncos landed the worst on the list at 31st, the Oakland Raiders at 30th, and the Los Angeles Chargers at 22nd.

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Kansas City Chiefs: 2017 Draft Class Ranked One Year Later

By Travis Steffen | Jul 16, 2018

The Kansas City Chiefs 2017 draft class looks to be a promising group one year later. What should we look for in year two for the class?

More from Kansas City Chiefs