KC Chiefs add local linebacker in first round of 2021 NFL Mock Draft

With the No. 31 pick in the 2021 NFL Mock Draft, the KC Chiefs go with a linebacker who should help their defense improve. 

The 2020 season has come to an end and with that, it’s time to start heavily covering the 2021 NFL Draft! With their loss in the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs hold the No. 31 pick in the draft and have eight total picks as of now, including three in the sixth round.

Every year, I make it a point to do a bi-weekly mock draft until draft weekend and with the Chiefs going all the way to the Super Bowl, this is the first one I’ve put together. I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator, which is a really cool tool to use if you want to play GM and draft players for your team.

Without giving too much else away, let’s dive right into who I had the Chiefs selecting in the first KC Kingdom mock draft of the offseason!

KC Chiefs Mock Draft 1.0

Round 1: Pick 31 – Nick Bolton, LB (Missouri)

With the 31st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Nick Bolton out of Missouri. This would excite a lot of Chiefs Kingdom because Bolton played his college ball just two and a half hours away from Arrowhead Stadium and was the brightest spot on the Mizzou defense.

It’s no secret that linebacker has been a position of weakness and it’s been that way since Derrick Johnson was released prior to the 2018 season. The Chiefs made strides to get better at linebacker by drafting Willie Gay in the second round and Gay looked promising as a rookie. It was a shame he was injured in a meaningless game that kept him out of the Super Bowl.

Anyway, Ben Niemann is the only Chiefs linebacker hitting free agency and hopefully, KC doesn’t bring him back because he’s not good. Adding Bolton would give this unit a fiery young competitor who had 95 total tackles in 10 games while also notching two sacks. He’s a local player and he fills a position of need, so this would be a great pick for the Chiefs in the first round.