The NFL Draft has come and gone. Many new faces have joined the Kansas City Chiefs, many of whom will help immensely in the quest for more Super Bowls. As I have already written about the grades I give every pick over at College Football Dawgs, where you can read all about the pick and how they will fit in on the Kansas City Chiefs, I wanted to hear from you all as to what your personal thoughts and opinions were on each pick. Who are you most excited to see? Who do you think could be a bust? Who is the next great Kansas City Chief? Here are my thoughts below, leave yours in the comments or over social media!
The Burn's Thoughts...
I kind of alluded to who I am most excited about in my draft grades article, but I am really intrigued to see what Xavier Worthy and Jared Wiley can do in this offense. Yes, I realize it is somewhat of a cop-out to answer the two highest-drafted skill players, but I am genuinely excited to see what the guy who recorded the fastest 40-yard dash in combine history and the guy whose pro comparisons lined up almost exactly with Travis Kelce will do for this team. Worthy I believe needs to gain a bit more mass, which can easily be done with an NFL-style training regimen, hopefully not at the expense of his speed, but once done I think he will be a star in a Patrick Mahomes offense. A sure-handed catcher with great separation ability, Worthy has been compared to Tyreek Hill (with better hands) a multitude of times, which has Chiefs fans including myself salivating. Wiley is sure to impress too, especially after he develops and learns from the man he finds himself getting compared to. A big-bodied, physical ball-catcher who can block well and get downfield, you can see where the comparisons lie. Both guys, if developed correctly, will be major assets going forward and are sure to be a part of some explosive plays.
As far as the other picks go, I would like to see one of the mid to late defensive back choices (preferably both) develop into a star that stays here for the long term. It seems the Chiefs defensive back room has been a rotating door of guys who come in and then leave after about 4 years tops. Having a guy who is a stalwart in the defensive backfield would be huge, and I'm hoping Jaden Hicks or Kamal Hadden can end up being that guy if it isn't someone that is already on the team like Trent McDuffie or Justin Reid.
Finally, two of the three offensive line picks I don't see having a huge impact on the team. One of them could certainly be an unsung hero, a Nick Allegretti-type player, but I believe at least one will not pan out/ride the bench for their career with the Chiefs. There are simply too many cooks in the kitchen with the players the Chiefs have in that room already and I feel like Veach overcorrected a bit. I do NOT think that that guy will be Kingsley Sumataia, though, the 2nd round choice who is athletic and physical, and I feel like could be Mahomes's next blindside protector. Sumataia impressed me with the games and films I watched from him, far more than the other two who were decent, but not as much of a physical force as Sumataia, who imposed his will on defenders with authority. It is pretty crazy that he fell to the late second round.
I also think a couple of UDFAs could pan out and even become really strong players. Two I have my eye on are Fabian Lovett and Curtis Jacobs. These two fill the draft needs of defensive line and linebacker, respectively, and should have been drafted, for what it's worth. Great production from both players in college as well as being almost perfect scheme fits are what get me excited about these two. Lovett is a run-stopper who can pair well with anyone on the Chiefs defensive line. He could force guys out on the edge, where the Chiefs' deep and dangerous EDGE and outside linebacker crew can clean it up. A new addition to that linebacking crew though would be Curtis Jacobs, who has size, strength, and speed that is much akin to a bigger, mildly slower but potentially, surer tackler Willie Gay. Jacobs comes from Penn State, which is known for being a linebacker factory, but also was one of the better linebackers in the Big Ten. He will have a chip on his shoulder going into training camp, be on the lookout for both him and Lovett to make noise.
Conclusion
Overall, I think the Chiefs did really well in this draft. They filled their needs and the needs that were less pressing but still in need of filling they filled with UDFAs who could get the job done. I would have liked to have seen perhaps a linebacker or defensive lineman drafted, but the Chiefs recovered well in their UDFA pickups to where I think it isn't much of an issue anymore. What do you think though? Who do you think will be the next great Chief? Any further thoughts on this draft? Leave a comment for a chance to be featured on the ScorchCast!
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