KC Chiefs: 16 wide receivers that could replace Sammy Watkins

KC Chiefs could replace Watkins with…

Rashod Bateman

This would be my number one option for an X receiver for the Chiefs because Rashod Bateman has all the tools of a true X receiver. Bateman has the route running prowess, he has good acceleration when he runs, makes corners look silly, and he can make a lot of catches in traffic. Bateman’s career at Minnesota was a good one and he finished his career with a total of 147 catches for 2,395 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Bateman would probably be the best option for the Chiefs as an X receiver, but the problem is that he is pretty much a first-round pick. The Chiefs have other major concerns to look over at pick 31, i.e. an offensive tackle, hopefully, Alijah Vera-Tucker or any of the top tackles or interior lineman. The only way the Chiefs would have a chance at getting Bateman is if he slips out of the first round and the Chiefs trade up to get him.

If the Chiefs do get him though, this receiving corps would get a whole lot better. With Bateman in the lineup, the Chiefs could use him, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire to their fullest potentials.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Amon-Ra St. Brown would be a dream come true for the Chiefs as he is a true jack-of-all-trades wide receiver with a lot of upsides. St. Brown has a lot of good tools, which include being a good route-runner, elite body control, great ball tracker, and has a very high football IQ. St. Brown left college as a junior so he would be rawer as a receiver, but he has a lot of good traits that make him stand out.

St. Brown ended his college career with 178 catches for 2270 yards with 16 touchdowns, which is really good and compares very well with Rashod Bateman’s career numbers. If we were to compare St. Brown to Bateman, St. Brown is lacking in a full route tree and is rawer as a receiver, but both have a ton of upside that the KC Chiefs need.

For the Chiefs, St. Brown would be the ideal number one receiver in the draft as he is projected to be picked up in the middle or late second round. While he would need to work on some things to be a better receiver, the USC Trojan would still be a day one starter in this offense as a reliable target who can win one-on-ones in coverage and make contested catches.