The Kansas City Chiefs just had a very different draft, and the opinions on how they did varied across the board.
The Kansas City Chiefs just had one of the most fascinating drafts in their recent history, which wasn’t all that surprising given that the Chiefs were drafting in the top ten for the first time in quite a while. They’re getting mostly positive grades for their efforts with some noteworthy followup, and Mike Sando of The Athletic provided some comments that revealed the opinions of fellow NFL executives.
The Chiefs stuck the landing with their top pick, cornerback Mansoor Delaney of LSU. He was the top corner in the draft for a reason, and at least one executive thinks he’ll be standing at the top of the defensive class at the end of the year.
“I think the LSU corner (Delane) is Defensive Rookie of the Year,” the exec said. “The movement skills, the production on the ball, the physicality. They get a cost-controlled guy who is going to be really productive, and they moved up to get him instead of waiting to see what happens. I give them credit when a lot of people thought they were going to sit tight and take an offensive lineman.”
The problem with getting Delane was the trade the Chiefs felt they had to make to ensure his availability. The Chiefs gave up two other picks, and that might end up costing them in other areas.
“Mansoor does compare to [traded cornerback Trent] McDuffie, so that is a good thing,” another exec said. “I think they wanted that third-round pick. It could have cost them from getting a receiver.”
That produced another opinion about the receiver position. The Chiefs passed on multiple possibilities once Ohio State star Carnell Tate came off the board, including Malachi Fields and Zachariah Branch.
Instead they chose to go with Cyrus Allen in the fifth round, which was a slightly controversial choice given the value Allen might provide.
“Cyrus Allen is pretty good for what they are getting,” a third exec said. “He will be the choice runner, the slot guy, the guy they throw bubbles to.”
That might not excite the fan base, but at least the quarterback machinations will be interesting to follow. The Chiefs drafted LSU product Garrett Nussmeier, who was once thought to be a first-rounder, so there’s no doubt Kansas City got value by selecting Nussmeier in the seventh round.
None of the executives commented about that move, but it is intriguing after Kansas City’s trade for Justin Fields. Fields is a fine runner who can’t throw, while Nussmeier has solid pocket passing skills but isn’t nearly as mobile, which should make for a fun watch in camp.