Mel Kiper predicts KC Chiefs find their next left tackle in mock draft
Mel Kiper has the KC Chiefs selecting an offensive tackle with the No. 31 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
After their not-so-great outing in Super Bowl LV, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offensive line is going to be under a microscope this offseason and it’s best for the team to add some depth there early in the 2021 NFL Draft. That’s exactly what Mel Kiper has the Chiefs doing in his second mock draft of the offseason (you must be an ESPN+ subscriber to read the whole article).
In this mock draft, Kiper mocked Stanford’s Walker Little to the Chiefs. Little was actually slated to enter last year’s draft, but was injured early on in the 2019 season and then made the difficult decision to opt-out of the 2020 campaign. He hasn’t played much football since 2018, which would make me wary of this pick, but there’s no debating that Kansas City needs help at tackle.
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Eric Fisher — the Chiefs’ No. 1 overall pick in 2013 — suffered an Achilles injury in the AFC Championship Game while Mitchell Schwartz — who signed with the Chiefs back in 2016 — started just six games before missing the rest of the season. Schwartz just had surgery on his back and Achilles injuries take quite some time to come back from, so it’s very possible that the Chiefs don’t have either of these guys when they kick off the 2021 season.
The KC Chiefs need offensive tackles, but is Walker Little the right man for the job?
Normally if I see a name linked to the Chiefs and the position is one of need, I’m all for it. This pick would worry me though.
As mentioned above, Little hasn’t really played much football recently, having gotten hurt early in the 2019 season, and that’s reason enough to steer clear. He was good in 2017 and 2018, but those were several years ago. Who’s to say he’s the same kind of player he was prior to his injury?
With the injury history and the long hiatus from playing, Little is probably going to be available in the second round and that’s where I’d be more comfortable with the Chiefs ultimately making this pick. That’s assuming, of course, that they do indeed go with an offensive lineman of some type. They haven’t drafted an o-lineman in the first round since they took Fisher No. 1 overall in 2013.
Mock Draft 2.0: Chiefs Find Left Tackle of Future. dark. Next
What do you think of this pick, Chiefs fans? Would you be okay with Kansas City selecting Walker Little in the first round or would you be cautious about this pick?