The Kansas City Chiefs may shift attention to wide receiver in the draft and sign this free agent running back instead of drafting Jeremiyah Love.
A lot of recent mock drafts by National Football League draft analysts have mostly shown the Kansas City Chiefs taking one of two players with the No. 9 pick in the draft.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who many analysts believe is the best overall player in the draft this year, and Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., one of the top two defensive end prospects projected to go in the top 10.
Running back and defensive line, specifically defensive end, should be the top priorities for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach heading into free agency and the draft. However, while those position groups may be addressed during those phases of the offseason, a new mock draft shows the Chiefs targeting a different position with their first pick: wide receiver.
After the scouting combine caused a lot of players to rise and fall on draft boards, ESPN’s Jordan Reid now has the Chiefs selecting Ohio State’s star WR Carnell Tate, with Bain being drafted fourth-overall to the Tennessee Titans and Love being taken one spot ahead of Kansas City to the New Orleans Saints.
“The Chiefs desperately need to give Patrick Mahomes a receiver who can consistently beat man-to-man coverage,” Reid wrote Tuesday. “Tate is a silky-smooth route runner who has plenty of range as a pass-catcher. He also has arguably the best hands in this class, with only one drop on 67 targets last season.
“He is a three-level threat who displays his polish on all branches of the route tree. While he wasn't as productive in college, Tate reminds me of DeVonta Smith in body type and how they win routes and could be a similar high-end No. 2 receiver in the NFL.”
Tate thrived as the second option for quarterback Julian Sayin, posting 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception, excelling in gaining tons of separation on defensive backs consistently.
Kansas City was among the NFL leaders in drops, so this pick would make a lot of sense. Not only that, it also opens the door for the Chiefs to go out and address the hole at RB prior to the draft, as both Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco are free agents.
Former Seattle Seahawk and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Kenneth Walker III has been linked to the Chiefs and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that the Seahawks are not expected to tag Walker and he will be an unrestricted free agent.
Walker fits the mold that the Chiefs are looking for – a dominant dual-threat RB that is explosive – and he can be signed long before the draft, allowing the Chiefs to not be glued to Love, who could go before the ninth selection which would handcuff the franchise.
After freeing up a ton of cap space by restructuring QB Patrick Mahomes’ contract and cutting several players including right tackle Jawaan Taylor, the team can now make a free agency splash and address the worst part of the offense in 2025.