Chiefs Targeting Hometown Hero Running Back at the 2024 NFL Draft
The Kansas City Chiefs are targeting the inspirational hometown hero with a late-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
By Cem Yolbulan
Like all 32 teams in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs have turned their attention to the 2024 NFL Draft. Armed with a total of seven draft picks, the Chiefs general manager Brett Veach will try to bolster the roster for a potentially historic run at a three-peat.
Because the Chiefs have only three picks in the first two days and they are the last pick of each round, they will need to find some value on the margins. This increases the importance of the mid and late-round picks Kansas City has in the draft.
It looks like they are casting a wide net to find that difference-maker. One of the intriguing prospects they are looking at is Mizzou team captain Cody Schrader.
Chiefs Interested in Mizzou Running Back Cody Schrader
Missouri @MizzouFootball running back Cody Schrader, an inspirational walk-on and team captain as @BurlsworthTrust winner who transferred from Division II Truman State and excelled in @SEC visited #Lions #Raiders #Chiefs All-American and All-SEC pick rushed for single-season…
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 19, 2024
According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs are one of the few teams visiting with Schrader.
The Missouri native has a truly unique and inspirational story. Schrader played Division II football at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. After dominating the competition there, he walked on to Missouri and showed that he was equally capable of making a huge impact in the SEC.
Rising all the way to team captain status in 2023, Schrader had a breakout campaign in his sixth collegiate season. For the Tigers, he ran for 1,627 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games, breaking the school's single-season rushing record, and surpassing Tyler Badie. In the Week 9 matchup against Tennessee, Schrader set an SEC record when he became the first player to record 200 rushing and 100 receiving yards in a game.
As a result, Schrader won the Burlsworth Trophy, as well as earning All-American and All-SEC honors. Now, he is looking to beat all odds once again and make it to the NFL.
Schrader is currently projected as a Day 3 pick. The Chiefs have a fourth-rounder, two fifth-rounders, and a seventh-round pick that they can use to land the hometown hero. His production at all levels throughout his career makes him an intriguing fit as a potential high-upside RB2/3 for Kansas City.
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