Kansas City Chiefs: Ranking 5 most realistic targets at pick No. 31

With the 2021 NFL Draft coming up, let’s take a look at some realistic draft options for the Kansas City Chiefs with the 31st pick. 

Drafting at the end of the first round means that the Kansas City Chiefs had a good season, but it also means the top-tier talent in the draft is long off the board. Sometimes we’ll stumble on a draft where a premier player will land to the Chiefs at pick No. 31, but more often than not, that’s just a pipe dream.

So, I compiled five recent mock drafts from around the web and ranked the players who were linked to the Chiefs in said mock drafts. This is based on how much of an impact this player would have on the Chiefs. Let’s get to it.

Ranking Kansas City Chiefs realistic draft targets

No. 5: Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan)

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report had the Chiefs taking Jalen Mayfield in his most recent mock drafts. I get the appeal here for Mayfield, I really do. He’s a talented tackle and the Chiefs need a tackle to help upgrade their offensive line, which was decimated with injuries last year.

The problem with Mayfield, and the main reason why KC Kingdom’s own John McCarty listed him as a draft prospect to avoid, is that he played right tackle at Michigan. The Chiefs honestly appear to be in a decent spot at right tackle, as they have Kyle Long, Lucas Niang, and Mike Remmers to battle for that spot.

Left tackle is what needs to be addressed in the 2021 NFL Draft and Mayfield doesn’t have a ton of experience there. For that reason, he’s ranked fifth on my list of realistic draft targets.