KCKingdom
Fansided

Chiefs Mock Draft 2.0: Post Combine

By West Valentine

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 20: Daxton Hill #30 of the Michigan Wolverines defends against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium on November 20, 2021 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 20: Daxton Hill #30 of the Michigan Wolverines defends against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium on November 20, 2021 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next

The Kansas City Chiefs load up on defense in Mock Draft 2.0 with some impressive defensive prospects making a move up the board.

I love the weeks before and after the NFL Combine. Before, prospects for the NFL Draft are graded almost exclusively by their on-field production. There are usually 3-4 years of tape for teams like the Kansas City Chiefs to watch on any given prospect. Evaluators can see the physical and mental growth of a player.

They can make predictions on a player’s instincts, scheme fits, and general physical gifts and deficiencies.

All that gets thrown in a blender once the NFL Combine starts.

Players that looked fast, shockingly run slow 40-times. Players that seemed slow, post amazing shuttle times. Players that had high grades entering the Combine suddenly slide to the 2nd or 3rd round and physical freaks from directional schools vault from the 7th round into the 4th.

It’s bizarre. It’s fascinating. It’s NFL Draft season – the most fun fans have outside of actual football games.

So now that a few hundred young men have been poked and prodded, how does that possibly change what the Chiefs will do with their draft class?

For my draft, I used the Pro Football Focus Draft Simulator. It’s a lot of fun, you can make trades, and they’ll even provide a draft grade for you – though the formula for that grade remains nebulous.

I put the pressure on myself and agreed I’d only get one shot. I didn’t perform multiple simulations until I got exactly what I wanted. I drafted one time and, though I wanted to make trades, I just stood pat with what the picks the Chiefs actually own at this time.

Assessing needs

As the erstwhile GM of the Chiefs, I have a plan going into the draft. Part of that plan is assessing what my priorities are by position.

Most pundits agree that defensive end, safety, linebacker, and wide receiver are immediate needs. I don’t disagree with that list. I’d add cornerback, too, as Charvarius Ward is still not under contract and you can never have too many good CBs in the system.

It’s also difficult to know what happens in Free Agency. If the Chiefs sign a veteran WR, that need in the draft drops precipitously. At this point, it doesn’t matter. This Mock Draft is based on the Chiefs shoring up the roster in Free Agency, but not really landing any long term solutions.

Home/Kansas City Chiefs