Reviewing the draft.

[Direckshun]

Looking over this draft, it kept feeling to me like the Chiefs were playing with house money. In the first round, I do think Veach was anchored to 31 by Clark Hunt wanting to teabag the NFL with the trophies- at the end of the night. I personally believe along with most of you that Hunt anchored the 2023 1st from being spent on Veach's quest to trade up for Jameson Williams last year. And after that display to close out Thursday night, I have to believe that Hunt anchored Veach again this year. He wanted the 31st, and he wanted the trophies out.

Hell, it would not surprise me if he laid into Veach a mild amount to draft Keion White, since Keion was in the green room. Bring out the trophies, dunk on the NFL with the last pick of the draft, take a player who's in the green room that can come out, slap on a Chiefs ballcap and get interviewed in front of Kansas City. I think he's probably okay with the hometown kid though who grew up worshipping Arrowhead and Tamba Hali. I've already said my piece on FAU; I think he's a really good piece to add and makes this roster better over the next 5-10 years; it was deflating only slightly because one of my favorite players in this draft played the exact same position and was literally taken the pick before to the only team that can beat us.

So.... this is the kind of shit you guys hate me saying, but Hunt's hubris looked damn cool but for all we know, it actually made the Chiefs less likely to win any number of Super Bowls in the future, as I think Nolan Smith is going to be a terror off the edge in Philadelphia, especially with Davis and Carter torturing interior lines. This draft by the Eagles will allow them to win a Super Bowl very soon. And while I think Niang would be perfectly fine at right tackle for the upcoming season... that Eagles line may have forced KC's hand a bit more than usual to spend that third on a tackle. My guess is that, unless the Bengals luck into another upset at Arrowhead in January, we're playing the Eagles twice next year.

That's pretty much it. That's the only team that I think can beat the Chiefs on a neutral field. It's far too early, none of these rookies have played a snap. The Bengals are hot on our heels, however, and the Bills may get to our level if they land Hopkins, who still remains an X factor.

Moving on.

I have been on the Rashee Rice train for several months now. SMU does not concern me at all: colleges all over the nation wanted this guy to transfer to them. He could have played anywhere. I completely stand by this rundown of him that I wrote in January:

The depth chart for the WR room for 2023 as it stands on this date in history: Valdez-Scantling, Toney, Moore, Justyn Ross. Justin Watson is a safe re-sign, which I would. JuJu would bring this WR corps close to completion, and I'd absolutely extend him. The Chiefs need his toughness, his fantastic hands, his YAC, his rapport with Mahomes.

But holy smokes. If JuJu is a bridge too far, allow me to sell you a guy with the JuJu skillset and Pro Bowl upside. Rashee Rice is a fantastic, big-bodied, angry-as-hell, hard blocking, jump ball dominating, alpha personality pissant who will put your DB in the turf first chance he gets. His film is so much fun, don't let the small school deter you: this is a guy who would start on any offense in college football. And in Kansas City? He'd pair with Kadarius Toney to give you the angriest WR room in the NFL.

That said, he's going to go dormant for a year, Skyy Moore style, as Andy Reid basically teaches him how to play an NFL route tree. His responsibilities at SMU have been extremely straight forward; he's never had to make the myriad of calculations that Reid asks of you. I trust Reid for that development, however, and this guy could be a Pro Bowl replacement for JuJu in Year 2. Slam dunk pick at the end of the 1st (if you're not already eyeing a more critical position for the team).

This all being said: I still think I make a play for Hopkins. He's almost certainly going to get cut now, and I imagine the Chiefs are first on the assembly line to add him once he does. The Bills and Ravens still make sense for him, but I'm not 100% certain how the Bills afford him. The Ravens have a shot. The Chiefs have an outside shot to afford him. I think you're only going to need him for a year if Rice develops well.

The 2022 WR corps: Smith-Schuster, Valdez-Scantling, Toney, Hardman, Moore, Watson
The 2023 WR corps: Toney, Valdez-Scantling, Moore, Watson, Rice, James

I think most of us would probably conclude that this WR is a half-step back from last year's, along with another-year-older Travis Kelce and a RB grouping that's still pretty much Pacheco and the corpse of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, end of list. It's a group that emphasizes separation more than last year's, but continues to need a Z-receiver X factor that Andy Reid loves to draw plays up for. That's a key reason I think we shouldn't sleep on John Ross, who won't need to do anything for Reid than be an even faster De'Anthony Thomas.

Wanya Morris is someone who the team will give every chance to win, but I have watched a ton of OU over the last couple years. This is a guy who, on paper, has literally everything you need to feel confident. He fits Andy Reid's mold at tackle, he plays angry, he's greatly nimble. He comes from an OU offensive line system that thrives under Reid, and already has familiarity with the right side of the current Chiefs' line. He's a Duke Mayweather guy, known to be a hard worker, and will 100% come in with the right attitude. My belief is that he will start at tackle Week 1.

My only hesitation is his tape. That's a big worry, I think. Morris is less ready to go than you think he may be, based on how polished OU lineman are, but he's going to take a ton of work. He gets beat in a lot of different ways, too: inside, over the edge, through his body.

Now, he plays right tackle, so long as Taylor is fine on the other side, Mahomes and Reid can navigate his struggles. But he is more of a pound of clay than you think. However, if you showed me this guy's tape, which I did not like for a 3rd round prospect, and say "what would it take for you to draft this guy in the third round," I'd probably say I'd need X, Y, and Z in order to feel good about it, and it's all there in Morris and Kansas City. This is why you have a hall of fame head coach, right?

The third day picks fall into two buckets. The first bucket is just one player: Keandre Coburn. This guy may legitimately start by the end of the year, and I honestly think he offers more of a rush for a nose tackle than people think. I don't think he's an immovable block of granite like Mazi Smith. I think by the end of his contract, he's going to be a starting nose tackle who can man 30% of the snaps any given game, entirely on early downs and short-yardage situations. But I'd put his peak on par with 2nd and 3rd year Derrick Nnadi.

The other three picks, Conner, Thompson, and Jones, were all love letters to Dave Toub. The Chiefs were poor at special teams last year, because Veach built such a deep roster that there simply weren't many "core" special teamers: guys who have little purpose on the roster other than to crush special teams. Conner and Thompson and Jones are those guys. Conner and Jones will both be four phase guys and play very little on defense, probably for the entirety of their rookie deals here. Thompson is a critical add for Toub: Toub needs a long string bean in the middle of his blocking units.

He got so desperate towards the end of the season that he literally had Orlando Brown standing behind the blocking unit, jumping up half-heartedly with his hand in the air. That's clearly a coordinator who is scraping the bottom of the barrel. And Kaindoh, who used to be that guy, couldn't get activated this year. The Chiefs desperately needed that guy, and I legitimately do think they'd spend a 5th on it. I bet Toub has been grousing about the lack of core special teamers for 15 months. The Chiefs probably liked their roster after Day 2, didn't see anybody who could change their plans on Day 3, and felt like they could body out some special teams.

What's left: I suspect the Chiefs will keep their finger on the pulse of the Hopkins situation. They lack bodies for the backfield, and I don't think their Day One fullback is on the roster yet. If they bring back Jerick McKinnon, they may not even sign a fullback, because McKinnon towards the end of the year was used to block a little towards the end of the year for Pacheco. And I think we're all going to be hitting F5 twelve times an hour at the November trade deadline to see what nose tackle the Chiefs trade for, as I'm guessing the DTs on the roster now will get steamrolled this season.

Aside from that: I think this team is a lock to be in the AFCCG again. I am watching the Bills situation, but I continue to think the Bengals are the only team who can stay with us. But I still don't know how they're doing what they're doing over there.

The only wildcard for me: the Aaron Rodgers Jets. The Jets absolutely smashed the draft last year, and if they have another draft that's even in the ballpark of that last one, they could shock some people, right up until Rodgers turns into a pumpkin in January yet again.

[MahomesMagic]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I really like Sam LePorta. He's going to be a dynamite weapon for them, paired with that running game.

I liked Kincaid and LaPorta the most as weapons and they were grabbed high.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I have more to say on the more substantial feedback in this thread. But I thought it was common knowledge that Hunt anchored the 2023 1st round pick so Veach couldn't trade up to get Jameson Williams last year. Do people deny that credible rumor?

If we believe that, it's not a leap of logic at all that Hunt was committed to the Chiefs' pageantry this year, and to have the display ready to roll at 31 soon as the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

I don't think he dictates players, however -- there's no evidence for that. He's not Jerry Jones. But there is credible reporting that was not exactly denied by Veach this past weekend that Hunt will push the team towards pageantry, up to and including anchoring a draft pick.

No, it's not common knowledge, it was a joke between Veach and Clark, and Clark said as much, and yet it just goes on, and on, and on...