The Kansas City Chiefs are going to use the NFL draft to attempt to add quality playmakers to this roster. After trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, the Chiefs now have two first-rounders at their disposal.
In total, the Chiefs have nine total picks, and they'll certainly use at least one on a receiver. There's a good chance a high draft pick will be used on a receiver, and that would spell bad news for Tyquan Thornton. Rashee Rice and Thornton were on TikTok live together. They were asked if they wanted a vet or a rookie in the receiver room, and they replied, "We need a dog."
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate was floated as a name by these guys, yet if that were the case, Thornton would be pushed down the depth chart.
Chiefs Drafting a WR Would Make Thigs Harder for Tyquan Thornton
Tate is regarded as one of the best WRs in this draft class and had a top-30 visit with the Chiefs, as they wanted to get to know him more. He's 6'2" and thrives as a contested catch receiver. Tate would give this offense something it doesn't have, and that's a physical pass catcher at WR.
But even if they don't go down that route, ESPN's Peter Schrager released his first mock draft and revealed it's "what I'm hearing, rather than what I would personally do at each slot." In this mock, he has the Chiefs nabbing Arizona State WR Jordan Tyson with the ninth overall pick.
Tyson's injury history sparked some concerns regarding him, but when healthy, he's an uber-talented receiver who can win on all three levels of the field and would give this aerial attack some juice.
Even if the Chiefs don't take a WR at No. 9, they have No. 29 and No. 40 as options. Indiana's Omar Cooper (No. 23), Texas A&M KC Concepcion (No. 29), and Washington's Denzel Boston (No. 32) are other receivers that are ranked in the top 40 of overall players on the NFL Mock Draft database.
Fans shouldn't be shocked to see the team add a receiver fairly high, even with Thornton back in the fold. The Chiefs brought him back on a two-year, $11 million deal in free agency, which featured $7.4 million guaranteed. They do like what he brings to the table, after he posted career-highs in receiving yards (438), touchdowns (3), and yards per reception (23.1).
While he is certainly a deep threat for this team, the Chiefs are looking to get better at this position, especially since no receiver finished with more than 587 receiving yards last season. Kansas City liked what Thornton did, but before landing with the Chiefs, he didn't finish with more than 247 yards in a season.
It's risky to lean on him and hope he takes a step, even after getting a new deal from the team. If the Chiefs decide to pass on a WR, that will show their faith in Thornton having a big role, but if they do draft someone high, the Baylor product will likely have to fight for snaps, but would fall to No. 4 in the pecking order behind Rice, Xavier Worthy, and whatever rookie is selected.