KC Chiefs: Alijah Vera-Tucker would be the perfect fit at pick No. 31

The KC Chiefs need help along their offensive line and Alijah Vera-Tucker would be a great fit for them. Plus, he’s likely to still be on the board late in the first round. 

Anyone who watched Super Bowl LV now knows that the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offensive line could certainly use some help. While it was an unusual circumstance where over half the line was injured and couldn’t play, the line still needs some fine-tuning and the draft is the most efficient way to do that.

The Chiefs have been continuously linked to offensive linemen throughout the offseason and the most recent name they’ve been attached to is USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. Seth Galina of Pro Football Focus paired the two up in his recent mock draft.

"We don’t know about the interior of the Chiefs’ offensive line right now. We assume that the tackles will be healthy again to start next season, but with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif taking a year off and Kelechi Osemele getting injured during the season, they might need immediate help at the position. The players who stood in at guard throughout the 2020 season did not perform up to Chiefs levels."

While Vera-Tucker played left tackle at USC, he projects as a starting left guard in the NFL, which the Chiefs could definitely use. As Galina mentioned in the blurb above, LDT is returning, but he’ll be at right guard. Kelechi Osemele only signed a one-year deal last year and it’s doubtful he’ll return (though who knows? He was playing well before the injury).

Nick Allegretti played well at left guard in 2020, especially for a seventh-round pick, but if Austin Reiter signs elsewhere in free agency, Allegretti would likely slide over and play center instead. That would, once again, left a vacant left guard position and the Chiefs have had a really tough time finding consistency there. Vera-Tucker would be that consistency at left guard.

The KC Chiefs need help all along the o-line, making Alijah Vera-Tucker a good option.

The Chiefs need help at offensive line and Vera-Tucker gives them that. In a pinch, maybe he can play left tackle, but the Chiefs have had a hard time finding someone permanent at the left guard position and Alijah Vera-Tucker would solve that issue. The only problem I’d have with it would be that the Chiefs would still need to fill their tackle(s) position, but that’s not a knock on Vera-Tucker whatsoever.

How would you feel about this pick if the Chiefs truly went in this direction?