Draft Week is officially upon us, folks, and with all the talk about what the Chiefs will do in their first draft in the own backyard, you already know I had to get in on the pickings. Gonna do the first 3 rounds though instead of a full draft, the last time I did a full draft this article was insanely long, so for sake of brevity, 3 rounds it is. Let's begin:
Rd. 1, Pick 31: TRADE UP to Rd. 1, Pick 18, Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
I expect the Chiefs to trade up from 31 here. With this trade, the Lions are a key target, and I believe in order to get up into the top 20 to secure a marquee wide receiver, the Chiefs will offer up future picks and potentially even Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Lions backfield is pretty weak, especially after Jamaal Williams left. Clyde could certainly make a significant impact. Yes, Deandre Hopkins is an intriguing prospect even still, but I don't think Veach is going to be willing to trade for him if he has not already.
As for the pick itself, I believe that if the Chiefs end up trading up they will select wide receiver out of Boston College Zay Flowers. Flowers impressed in the combine and has been connected to the Chiefs by going through Top-30 interviews as well as down to Texas to hone skills with Patrick Mahomes. Flowers amassed 200 receptions for 3056 yards, 15.3 yards/reception, and 29 receiving TDs, as well as 345 total yards rushing with 2 TDs on 57 attempts. He is a gadget type guy, he's fast, and fits the trend of Chiefs wide receivers over the past few years. I think he is certainly the Chiefs' 1st choice at wide receiver. HOWEVER, if the Chiefs end up not trading up, expect them to draft either Jalen Hyatt or Quinton Johnston (If he falls that far) I believe the Chiefs go receiver here though no matter what, as the EDGE class and tackle class is deep. The wide receiver class is front-loaded but does have a few potential late round gems if need be.
Rd. 2, Pick 63: Matthew Bergeron, T, Syracuse
A lot of people want to go with Cody Mauch out of North Dakota State with this pick. I want to say right now that there's another tackle that fits the Chiefs' offensive scheme better. His name is Matthew Bergeron and is ranked just one spot lower than Mauch. Bergeron is a proven pass-blocker, and in an offense that is centered around Patrick Mahomes and protecting him, Bergeron just makes more sense. Mauch's strengths lie in the run game, and while that could potentially be something that catches the eye of Veach and Reid (Depending on how much more they want to utilize Isiah Pacheco this year), I believe the Chiefs will stay the course and select Bergeron for his strengths. Not only that, while NDSU is a perennial contender in the FCS, I think the Chiefs go with a FBS guy here who has faced the likes of Myles Murphy and Keion White, two of the Top 10 EDGES in this draft. I still wouldn't mind Mauch like I said, but he needs to work on pass protection more before I am totally sold on him. Bergeron has those strengths and is serviceable at least in the run game, making him the superior pick here in my opinion.
Rd. 3, Pick 95: Isaiah McGuire, EDGE, Missouri
Isaiah McGuire is an extremely underrated prospect, I think. He doesn't have the explosiveness and athleticism that you'd look for per se in an EDGE, but the numbers don't lie and the body type sure doesn't either. At 6'4", 270 lbs, he's got the length and size Steve Spagunolo salivates over when looking at defensive linemen. With 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season in the SEC too, there's potential and proven ability. Being a local kid certainly helps as well.
A lot of pundits have the Chiefs going EDGE really early in the draft, which I think personally is unwise. The Chiefs don't need a day one starter in this draft at EDGE. You have Mike Danna, George Karlaftis, and Charles Omenihu, who all three have proven to be at the very least serviceable. At the very best, potentially elite status depending on how this year goes. McGuire will need time to develop, yes, but that's completely alright. Expect a rotational guy that develops into something special with how the Chiefs go about drafting an EDGE this year, and McGuire fits that mold perfectly. Shoot, he's more prepared than a lot of people think and could turn into a key asset in the first year...
Overall, I think the Chiefs will obviously fill their biggest needs first in this draft. This mock does exactly that in the order that I believe is most rational. People will talk about rumors all they want, but I think the Chiefs know what they're doing and will go into this draft with a plan. The most we can do as fans and pundits is predict and strategize, in the end, it's #VeachBlackMagic that will once again define this draft, and in #VeachBlackMagic we trust. Given how calm it feels around town the week of the draft, that statement certainly rings true.
Burn Notice: 10/10, Another mock draft, hot off the press.
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