Where Should the Chiefs Look in the 2022 NFL Draft?
By Zach Gunter
With the Draft only 9 weeks away and the Combine beginning, these are players the KC Chiefs should keep an eye on for 2022
To start things off, let’s lay out how many picks the Kansas City Chiefs have and when they are.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chiefs have 10 picks. They are: Round 1, Pick 30; Round 2, Pick 62; Round 3, Pick 94; Round 3, Pick 102; Round 4, 133; Round 6, Pick 189; Round 7, Pick 231; Round 7, Pick 241; Round 7, Pick 249; and Round 7, Pick 260.
The highest team need, in my completely unprofessional opinion, is CB. WR is also an important need. However, I think that the team can pick one up in FA. With all of that laid out, it’s time to get into the mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 30
Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
While clearly he isn’t the best Corner in the draft, I believe he will be the best talent the Chiefs can grab at 30. He slid a bit in his final year with the Gators, however, sliding for Elam means only allowing 19 receptions on 36 targets for 191 yards and two TDs. Elam put up a fight with some of the SEC’s best and I believe he could do the same for the Chiefs.
Round 2, Pick 62
Josh Paschal, EDGE, Kentucky
EDGE is the second most important position in this draft in my mind. It would be the first, but the EDGE talent runs so deep in this draft that it should be okay to wait until the second to get one. And Paschal proves that. Boasting a Power-5-leading 12.4% run stop rate, Paschal could prove to be an elite Edge Rusher for the Chiefs. Paschal only recorded 13 career sacks, however, in the last three seasons alone, he recorded 10 QB hits and 55 hurries.
Round 3, Pick 94
Christian Watson, WR, NDSU
The night I wrote this article, I was talking to a friend who was doing a mock draft alongside me. In the third round, he finally convinced me to pick a WR. When I saw Watson, I knew we had to pick him. Though he may have played for an FCS school (The FCS Champion, though), his stats blew me away: 43 receptions for 801 yards, 18.6 yds/rec, seven TDs, and only five drops. The Chiefs need a big receiver and I think Watson is their guy. In the words of my friend, “He’s a faster Mike Evans”.
Round 4, Pick 133
Jack Sanborn, LB, Wisconsin
Wisconsin hasn’t had the greatest past few seasons. Funny statement coming from a Mizzou fan, I know. But, I believe Sanborn could be solid late fourth-round talent. In 2021, Sanborn recorded 40 solo tackles and 59 total tackles. He only missed 10 tackles on the season. Overall, he recorded 158 total career tackles. Combined with Nick Bolton, Sanborn could be a lethal force on the Chiefs defense if he is still available at 133.
Round 6, Pick 189
Percy Butler, S, Louisiana
We’ve gotten to the point in the draft where the players I pick I really don’t think will make the team. However, I still think that they have potential. Percy Butler is ranked 233 on the PFF Draft Board, but his stats aren’t actually all that bad. 616 snaps played, 41 solo tackles, 46 total, 1 TD allowed and one interception, and 58.0 Passer Rating allowed. While the stats aren’t amazing, they are OK for a late sixth-round pick.
Round 7, Pick 231
Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia
While I don’t believe that Woods will be any replacement for Kelce at any point in the future, it is always nice to have extra blocking help on the offensive line. Woods is a big man, standing at 6-foot-7, 265 pounds. His showing in the first day of the Combine showed that, even with his size, he is fast and a solid TE.
He ran a 4.61, caught nearly every pass thrown to him, and was very solid during the blocking drill. I don’t believe he will be a first-year star. Especially not on the Chiefs. However, I do believe that, given time and practice, he could show his skill in the League.
Round 7, Pick 241
Kalon Barnes, CB, Baylor
At this point in the draft, the pickings are slim. In fact, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to me if the team were to trade this and the following picks away to move up earlier. This and the following two picks are simply best available at a position of need.
Round 7, Pick 249
Jordan Jackson, DL, Air Force
Round 7, Pick 260
Dominique Robinson, EDGE, Miami (OH)
The NFL Draft is a tricky thing to decipher. Those of us who aren’t NFL GM’s aren’t for a reason. It’s an incredibly hard job. Sometimes those who we predict will be the next elite players turn out to be busts. And sometimes those who we think will be nobodies turn out to be incredible sleeper talents. So why did I chose to write about this for my first article when there’s such a high chance of me being wrong? Simple. I absolutely love mock drafts.