Mock Offseason:
Thanks to many of you on the board that contributed to this Frankenstein of a mock! Max leverage, spend it all, 3-peat or bust!!!
I've been calling a Super Bowl with my mocks all year and been adamant we'll keep both Jones and Sneed, so here goes again.
No expenses spared, clever Veach, Andy finds a way...
Free Agency:
Current Cap Space = $27m
1. Trade WR K. Toney for a 7th = +$2.5m
2. Cut WR MVS = +$12m
3. Restructure DL Omenihu -> IR = +$4.5m
4. Restructure QB Mahomes = +$26m
5. Extend SS Justin Reid 3y/$42.25m w/$14.0m SB + convert $7.0m '24 salary to '25 OB 24.0m GAS = $10.8m Cap Hit = -$3.5m
Updated Cap Space = $72m
DT Chris Jones 3y/$90m, w/$18m SB = -$18m
CB L’Jarius Sneed 4y/$70m, w/$12m SB = -$8.5m
LB Tranquill 3yr/$10.5m = -$3.5m
OG Alegretti 1yr/$2.5m = -$2.5m
+
WR Marquise Brown 3y/36.0m w/12.0m SB + 17.8m GAS = -$5.8m
OT Tyron Smith 2yr/$20m = -$7.5m
DE Jadaveon Clowney 1+1y/$15m = -$7.5m
RB Austin Ekeler 1+1y/$12m = -$6m
WR DJ Chark 2yr/$7m = -$3m
DT Foku 1y/$2.5m = -$2.5m
QB Wentz 1y/$1m = -$1m
DL Hurst 1y/$1m = -$1m
Remaining Cap = $8.7m
*Veach likes to fill as many holes in FA as he can before going into the draft. If we want to win a 3-peat, we're going to have to ask Mahomes to help pay for it with a restructure and then attract some quality vets hungry for their 1st Super Bowl on prove-it deals. Motivations are all there for this to happen. This list of outside FAs is pretty sexy, I'd probably be happy with half of them, but they come at relatively low cost so its whatever Pat and brass are willing to do with his contract. Let's say the stars align here.
*M Brown and DJ Chark give us the deep threats we covet, are significant improvements over MVS and Hardman, and will be ready to contribute rather than asking a rookie to handle the workload in year one. More likely Hardman returns or MVS restructures to remain with the champs and in that case we probably only end up with one outside WR addition.
*Tyron Smith feels like the kind of value OT Veach can attract and Morris can spell him when/if he's injured during the year, no better improvement at his rate available at the most important position after QB. Some might prefer D. Smith here for consistency, I'd be happy with that, but feels like the majority prefer and upgrade.
*Ekeler is a high-performer, frustrated with his current org so probably motivated to join the champs, and a perfect fit in Andy's offense on a prove it deal to try and find himself one more decent multi year after a season of success.
*Clowney is our Omenihu replacement, Foku is a big 6-4 335 lb plus-motor NT type to help free CJ up, and Hurst has shined enough to get into our rotation to keep the pressure on and supplement some of what we lost from Omenihu's injury.
Draft:
1. DT T'Vondre Sweat, TX, 6-4, 362 lbs
-15.3% pass rush win rate and 92% rating against the run!
Spoiler!
"At 6'4", 362 LBs with nimble feet, good burst and quick hands, Sweat is a mountain of a man that may remind Chiefs fans of Dontari Poe. Considered one of the best run defenders in the nation, he led a swarming Longhorns defense and routinely chewed up double teams while tallying 28 QB pressures this season.
It's easy to imagine Sweat in Chris Jones' role, absorbing blockers up the middle to allow George Karlaftis, Charles Omenihu and others to shine on the outside. If Jones sticks around, Sweat could learn from the former Defensive Player of the Year candidate and grow before ultimately taking his place.
Sweat looked dominant at the Senior Bowl against top competition and scouts rave about his motor. There are questions about his lack of a dominant pass-rush move, but that's why learning under defensive line coach Joe Cullen and potentially Jones would be so valuable.
The Chiefs can afford to be patient with Sweat, and the sky is the limit for a player with his size and power. After watching how miserable the Chiefs made Brock Purdy in the Super Bowl by getting pressure up the middle, I'm salivating at the idea of what Sweat could be after a couple of years with the organization.
It's certainly possible Kansas City looks at a wide receiver or even an offensive tackle here, and Oregon's Troy Franklin was certainly a consideration, though for the purposes of this mock I wanted to see what those options would look like in later rounds."
2. WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina, 6-3, 227 lbs, 4.29
-85.6% rating against man coverage, 3.15 yards per route run, 6.4 YAC, 2.7% drop rate, wins at all 3 levels, playmaker.
Spoiler!
"Legette is an interesting evaluation, catching only 42 passes for 423 yards and five TDs in his first four college seasons combined before exploding on the scene in 2023 with 71 catches, 1,255 yards and seven TDs.
Despite being a late-bloomer, Legette has excellent speed and is one of the best deep-ball trackers in the class. He's got soft hands and plucks deep balls out of the air, a trait Kansas City receivers have lacked since trading away Tyreek Hill.
Listed at 6'3" and 222 LBs with a low 4.3 40-time, Legette could stretch defenses while Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce work underneath for easy completions.
He had a QB rating of 127.7 when targeted this year and his combination of elite speed and ability to make contested catches down the field has me drooling at the idea of what he could do with Patrick Mahomes under center.
Legette's freakish athletic ability has been compared to D.K. Metcalf, whom the Chiefs infamously passed on in 2019 to select Mecole Hardman. What better way to atone for past mistakes than to snag a potential second-coming?
Though his route-running needs improvement, pairing Sweat with Legette with the first two picks would give the Chiefs two of the best athletes in the class. For an offense that lacks what Legette brings to the table, he's worth the gamble.
He played QB in high school as well, for what it's worth, so he could have that connection with Mahomes that Travis Kelce's past as a QB enabled."
3. LB Junior Colson, Michigan, 6-3, 247 lbs
-80% rating against the run and 83.4% coverage rating.
4. RB Jalen Wright, TEN, 5-11, 210 lbs, 4.31
-91.2% Rushing Grade, 7 yards per run avg, 4.35 YAC, 132.2 Elusiveness Rating.
Spoiler!
"Wright runs with violence; he’s capable of thrashing through tacklers, and Wright has the natural balance to withstand contact.
He keeps his pads low and consistently falls forward. Unlike most backs his size, he has the lateral movement and stop-start ability to make defenders whiff. He has breakaway speed in the open field.
Made Bruce Feldman's Freak's List - ranked #24. He wrote " The 5-11 Wright is up to 200 pounds but displayed some serious juice this offseason, clocking 23.6 mph in practice. Beyond that, Wright vertical-jumped 44 inches and did a 10-8 broad jump."
He gets low and rarely absorbs significant contact, and he shows a nice blend of quickness and patience, maximizing his blocking.
He is a natural playmaker, at his best with the ball in his hands.
He shows good vision and good explosion upfield once he plants his foot. Wright has lateral movement skills and enough speed to threaten big plays. He’s excellent in the passing game, capable of flexing out as a receiver and creating mismatches against linebackers, and he’s a solid back in the screen game.
Fits a zone system, can sift through oncoming traffic and explode through tiny creases and cutback lanes. Elite, darting stop-and-go acceleration. Dangerous in the open field."
5a. TE Ben Sinnott, KST, 6-4. 245 lbs
-81% receiving grade, 6.8 YAC, 14 missed tackles.
5b. OT Zion Nelson, Miami, 6-5, 316 lbs
-Former 1st Rd talent had back to back injury years and has fallen way down the board.
7. DT Evan Anderson, FAU, 6-3, 356 lbs
-5 sacks in 2023 from the NT position.
*WR Franklin is my top choice, currently, but if we can attract a quality WR #1 vet like M Brown and an upgraded deep threat in DJ Chark I'm open to going elsewhere in the 1st.
*DT Sweat is a beast against the run and the pass! Anderson has a lot of the same traits but played against lesser talent. I like a rotation of aggressive, high-motor Goliath's requiring constant double teams in Foku, Sweat, and Anderson to help free up Jones now that Omenihu is out. Karlaftis and Clowney would be set up for big year's too! Colson fits perfectly as Gay's replacement for now, has been compared to Nick Bolton and the sound of having two Boltons is exciting, who he could eventually replacement on the roster if necessary.
*WR Legette has been a bit polarizing amongst fans, but he has the physical traits to make an impact in year one and there's no one I'd trust more to scheme plays up for him than Andy Reid. He's a 5th year, and physical specimen, so I expect him to contribute his rookie year. Wright, Sinnott, and Nelson are all depth pieces with significant upside.
ROSTER:
QB: P. Mahomes,
Wentz
RB: I. Pacheco,
Ekeler,
Wright
WR:
M. Brown, R. Rice,
DJ Chark,
Legette, J. Watson, Moore, Ross
TE: T. Kelce,
Stinnot, Gray
LT:
T. Smith,
Nelson
LG: J. Thuney, Niang
OC: C. Humphrey
RG: T. Smith, N. Allegretti
RT: J. Taylor, W. Morris
DE: Karlaftis, Thompson
DT: Jones, Hurst
DT:
Latu,
Sweat, Ferrel,
Anderson
DE:
Clowney, F. Anudike-Uzomah, {*Omenihu-Playoffs???}
LB: N. Bolton, D. Tranquill, L. Chenal,
Colson
CB: T. McDuffie, L. Sneed, J. Williams, J. Watson
DB: B. Cook, J. Reid, C. Conner
*This team's better than the one that won the Super Bowl the last two years!
*Let's ****ing dominate!!
*3-Peat!!!