Kansas City Chiefs: Revisiting the 2019 NFL Draft

With the draft just days away, let’s jump in the time machine and revisit the Kansas City Chiefs‘ picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after they had traded their first-rounder to the Seahawks in exchange for defensive end, Frank Clark. We can debate on if Clark was worthy of that kind of haul or not (Spoiler alert: He wasn’t) another time. Right now, let’s look back at the 2019 NFL Draft in which the Chiefs added six rookies to their squad.

• No. 56 – Mecole Hardman, WR (Georgia)
• No. 63 – Juan Thornhill, S (Virginia)
• No. 84 – Khalen Saunders, DT (Western Illinois)
• No. 201 – Rashad Fenton, CB (South Carolina)
• No. 214 – Darwin Thompson, RB (Utah State)
• No. 216 – Nick Allegretti, IOL (Illinois)

I’ll say it right now — This was a strange draft.

The Chiefs didn’t make a selection until near the end of the second round and then had no picks in the fourth or fifth rounds. It made for a different type of draft weekend as far as attempting to cover it went because there was a lot of downtime in between picks.

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted six players in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Continuing on with how this was a strange draft for the Chiefs, that was showcased further with their first pick of the draft. If Tyreek Hill wasn’t involved in an alleged abuse scandal with his ex-fiancé over their son, then Mecole Hardman probably doesn’t land with the Chiefs. The Chiefs took Hardman to cover their tracks just in case they found themselves in a situation where they were forced to cut Hill.

Hardman hasn’t really developed into the kind of wide receiver the Chiefs were hoping for. Sure, it’s only been two years, but with a head coach like Andy Reid and a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, Hardman should be flourishing in this offense. He’s totaled 1,098 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns through two seasons, but will have a chance to up the ante in 2021 potentially as the No. 2 wide receiver.

Thornhill was a nice pick and was one that Chiefs fans were excited about. He’s gotten off to slower starts in both of his seasons but has come into his own by season’s end. It was unfortunate when he was injured at the end of the 2019 season and didn’t get to play in the postseason.

Saunders has been a disappointment for the most part. He’s appeared in just 15 games through two seasons, including just three in 2020. He was injured early on and then, despite being healthy when he returned off the IR, didn’t get back on the field due to other players jumping him on the depth chart. That’s not a good sign for Saunders moving forward.

After Saunders’ selection in the third round, the Chiefs waited until round six to take their next player. Fans were upset that the Chiefs waited until the sixth round to take a cornerback, but Fenton has been good and is one of the better picks from this draft class. He’s appeared in 28 games as a depth piece at cornerback and hauled in three interceptions this past season.

The selection of Thompson had Chiefs Kingdom all kinds of excited, simply because of Thompson’s ability to both run with and catch the ball out of the backfield. That excitement died quickly, as Thompson didn’t do much as a rookie and continues to get passed on the depth chart by Darrel Williams.

Thompson has totaled 225 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns with 108 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown through 26 games. While he hasn’t been an exciting player, Thompson was the one who recovered that fumble in the AFC Divisional Round against the Texans and that was a huge turning point in that game.

Lastly, the Chiefs scooped up Allegretti with their final pick of the draft and he was one of their most surprising players a season ago. Allegretti filled in at left guard when the offensive line became ravaged by injuries and played quite well there. He won’t be the left guard in 2021 due to the acquisition of Joe Thuney, but he played center in college, so that could be where he competes for a job.

The Kansas City Chiefs added some nice depth late in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Fenton and Allegretti were two of the better picks in this draft and they were late selections. Thornhill is probably the best from this group and has done well paired with Tyrann Mathieu in the secondary.

Hardman hasn’t been a bust by any means but it’s interesting to think about who the Chiefs could have taken in this spot had Hill not been in trouble at the time. Maybe they take Thornhill nearly 10 picks sooner to ensure they got him or maybe it’s an entirely different player.

What are your thoughts on the Chiefs’ 2019 draft class?