The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of needs and a lot of draft capital, which makes their big draft board a puzzle.
If you’ve taken a run at putting together the Kansas City Chiefs’ big draft board, you probably already know that it’s something of an exercise in futility. The Chiefs have made so many moves across multiple position groups that there are possible puzzle pieces scattered all over the place.
Jesse Newell of The Athletic knows this team and how they think as well as anyone, and he flagged multiple players as names to watch as early draft picks, so let’s see what he came up with and what his thought process was in making several of his selections.
David Bailey, edge rusher
If you’ve been trying to track what the Chiefs will do with that ninth overall pick, the names you know are defensive end Ruben Bain of Miami and receiver Carnell Lake from Ohio State. Bain’s arms have been declared too short by multiple draft experts, so he’s become this year’s T-Rex lineman. Lake, meanwhile, has set up five pre-draft visits, including the Chiefs, but no one knows exactly where he’s going to land in the top ten.
Bailey’s an interesting name to watch. According to Newell, he’s got great speed and is considered by some to be the best edge rusher in the draft. There are questions about his fit, which is important for the Chiefs given that they have a 4-3 setup, and there are those who think he might be better as an outside linebacker for a 3-4 team.
Kayden McDonald, defensive tackle
After talking to GM Brett Veach at the NFL combine, Newell is convinced that the Chiefs are going to use a high draft pick to solidify the interior of their defensive line, even though they signed Khyiris Tonga of the New England Patriots in free agency to do just that.
McDonald is more of a run stuffer, and Newell identified the 29th pick as the “sweet spot” for the Ohio State defensive tackle. The trick here is that the Chiefs have two picks in the first round, so they’re going to have a lot of maneuverability that they could very well use to get the player they want by shifting out of this slot.
KC Concepcion, wide receiver
While Tate is the name everyone wants, Newell pointed to Concepcion as part of a glut of receivers who could fall to the Chiefs with the 40th pick. Newell described Concepcion as a “separation specialist” who could give quarterback Patrick Mahomes a viable quick option in the passing game.
The problem here is that the Chiefs already have a lot of hit-and-miss receivers whose roles and strengths overlap to at least some degree. They’re going to be looking for playmakers at receiver, hence the more obvious connection to Tate.