Re-Grading the Chiefs' Last 5 First-Round Picks

The 2024 NFL Draft is just over a week away, giving the Chiefs have a fantastic opportunity to add to their Super Bowl-caliber roster in the first round and beyond.

This is a loaded draft class and Brett Veach has a variety of directions he could go. Betting markets favor a wide receiver, though an offensive lineman, cornerback, and defensive lineman are options as well.

We've already ranked the Chiefs' last 10 first-round picks and while Veach nailed a lot of them, he has some misses sprinkled in too. As we enter the homestretch of draft season, let's re-grade the last five first-round selections with the benefit of hindsight.

Re-Grading the KC Chiefs' Last 5 First-Round NFL Draft Picks

2023 - DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah: C

This is an incomplete grade, as the former Kansas State Wildcat star didn't see the field much due to the significant depth the Chiefs have on the defensive line. However, that's kind of the point. Kansas City still has Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Charles Omenihu, and Mike Danna ahead of Felix Anudike-Uzomah as proven veterans.

If there isn't a clear path to playing time in year two for a player with first-round draft capital, isn't that pick a waste of resources? Conventional wisdom says that you can never have too many pass rushers and Anudike-Uzomah may see extended playing time early in the season while Omenihu recovers from his torn ACL, but a first-round pick is a hefty price to pay for peace of mind.

Felix displays good traits and an ability to impact the run game as well as the pass. I expect that Veach intends to let Omenihu walk after this season, paving the way for Anudike-Uzomah to play a key role in 2025-26 and beyond.

If Anudike-Uzomah succeeds and the Chiefs' defensive line remains elite, this pick will deserve at least a B. That being said, it's hard not to see the early success of a pass-catching weapon like the Lions' Sam LaPorta, who went in the second round, and wonder what he could do with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

For now, I'll give the Chiefs a "C" grade for the 2023 pick with the possibility of revision once we have a larger sample size to evaluate.

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