KC Chiefs: Christian Barmore is the run stopper this team needs

The KC Chiefs have really struggled with stopping the run the past few years and Christian Barmore, if he’s still available, provides a run-stopping ability. 

Most mock drafts to this point have tied the Kansas City Chiefs to an offensive lineman of some sort. Maybe it’s Liam Eichenberg of Notre Dame or Landon Dickerson of Alabama or someone else. The point is that many seem to think it’s a lock that the Chiefs are going that route come draft night.

Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, however, went in a different direction in his three-round mock draft. Instead of going with Jalen Mayfield or Eichenberg, both of whom were still on the board at this time, Wilson had the Chiefs selecting Alabama defensive lineman Christian Barmore.

"The Chiefs need to get better defensively, especially up front, and Barmore is an athletic marvel who, when he’s locked in, consistently finds his way into the backfield."

This really would only be a shocking pick because it has seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Kansas City is taking an o-lineman with their first round pick. Otherwise, selecting Barmore at No. 31 is a good move. It’d give the Chiefs a nice defensive option up front and he’s someone who has proven to be effective when it comes to stopping the run, which is one of the Chiefs’ biggest weaknesses.

Christian Barmore is depth on defense and gives the KC Chiefs a solid option when it comes to stopping the run.

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Wilson didn’t entirely ignore the offensive line needs for the Chiefs in this three-round mock. In round two, he had them selecting Aaron Banks of Notre Dame, which wouldn’t be a super popular pick, as Banks projects more as a guard. The Chiefs don’t need a guard, they need a tackle.

In round three, Kansas City lands Dayo Odeyingbo of Vanderbilt. Odeyingbo is someone the Chiefs would likely need to polish a little more before realistically expecting him to contribute as a pass rusher. He had five and a half sacks at Vanderbilt last season and definitely is a talented EDGE rusher, but he just needs some fine tuning.

I’m fine with the Barmore or Odeyingbo picks in Wilson’s mock draft, but if Kansas City is going to pass on a tackle in the first round, they have to take one in the second round. Banks is a good player, but he wouldn’t fit one of the Chiefs’ biggest needs and unless they want to throw someone unexperienced at left tackle this year, they’ll need to go a different route in the second round.

Barmore would be a fun addition to this defense though. He had eight sacks in 2020 and totaled nine and a half tackles for loss. The Chiefs could certainly use that kind of production on their defense.