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KC Chiefs: Positions to target in round three of 2020 NFL Draft

By John McCarty

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 29: A Kansas City Chiefs helmet is displayed prior to a press conference with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for Super Bowl LIV at the Hilton Miami Downtown on January 29, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The San Francisco 49ers will face the Chiefs in the 54th playing of the Super Bowl, Sunday February 2nd. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 29: A Kansas City Chiefs helmet is displayed prior to a press conference with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for Super Bowl LIV at the Hilton Miami Downtown on January 29, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The San Francisco 49ers will face the Chiefs in the 54th playing of the Super Bowl, Sunday February 2nd. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) /
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After a surprise in drafting a running back in the first round and grabbing a linebacker in round two, what position groups do the KC Chiefs need to look at in the third round?

Often times teams simply go with the player they like the best in the draft regardless of anything else. Perhaps that is the case with the selection of LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire at pick 32 on Thursday night. With a new running back in the mix and a new inside linebacker in the form of Willie Gay, what positions still need to be addressed in the third round?

Defensive Back

The Chiefs do return Bashaud Breeland, but he’s only under contract for this season. Past him and fellow starter Charvarius Ward are only questions. If the Chiefs are going to score a bunch of points this season,and it certainly appears they will, defending a lot of four and five receiver sets will be a must. In my opinion, the Chiefs need to address this issue.

They can do it either with a corner, or, if they believe the value is not there, address by adding an additional safety. Obviously would prefer a corner, but with the empty sets, finding a player that can help cover in the slot and also be helpful in the run game would also be a benefit. Considering there will be questions about Juan Thornhill‘s recovery from ACL surgery until he actually steps on the field, depth here at defensive back is vital.

Names to watch – Stanford Samuels (Florida State) Bryce Hall (Virginia), Terrell Burgess (Utah), Cameron Dantzler (Mississippi State)

Wide Receiver

The limited offseason this year and free agency questions after the season (Both Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson are free agent and the Chiefs will have to address the Tyreek Hill contract after the 2021 season) this may be a good draft to slide in a receiver, allow them to learn this season, and step in to fill the void of the likely departure of those two.

While it may appear the Chiefs are deep at receiver, this is an offense that requires a lot of talented pass catchers, and developing the depth now could be a smart move towards looking to be competitive in the future.

Pass Rusher/EDGE

I don’t view this position group quite as important perhaps as some, but, if you can get pass rush out of the middle rounds of the draft, that certainly helps the defense. Also, Andy Reid teams love to draft defensive linemen, so regardless of what is going on with Chris Jones, don’t be surprised if the Chiefs add depth, especially along the edge as someone to develop to play along the end. Both Frank Clark and Alex Okafor missed multiple games last season and Emmanuel Ogbah has departed in free agency.

Names to watch- Curtis Weaver (Boise State), Bradley Anae (Utah), Alton Robinson (Syracuse)

Offensive Line

The Chiefs have never truly valued the offensive line in a way perhaps that others have, and it will be interesting to see how the weekend shakes out. The Chiefs love to draft college offensive tackles and then move them around, and there are a couple of those prospect types available at this portion of the draft, but will they do it?

The position group is fairly deep and strong, so this may be an area the Chiefs put off for a year. If you want to find a name, you must first find a college offensive tackle known for athleticism.

Names to watch- Lloyd Cushenberry (LSU), Ben Bartch (St. John), Shaadiq Charles (LSU)

What do I think happens?

I think/hope the Chiefs add a corner, and preferably in the third round, though the Chiefs and I view the position group differently. That’s fine, they are coming off a Super Bowl victory, so who am I to say differently right? Perhaps the Chiefs add pass rushing instead. Maybe they don’t go wide receiver after bringing back both Watkins and Robinson.

I also won’t be surprised if the Chiefs look to add 2021 draft assets, though with Brett Veach as the GM, I might also be stunned. While I think moving down and adding assets for next year while also adding depth this year is a good idea, that’s just not something Veach has been shown to be willing to do. So we’ll see what happens.

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