2/9 Mock
 

This is probably my last one (or I might do one more draft only mock after the FA excitement is over).

I don't really love how this one turned out, I started with the premise of "how much can I beef up the Oline?" and then tried to see how much else I could fit around that after I did it. It's pretty tight against the cap as is, I would be much happier with it if there was some kind of contract extension for Kelce or someone that could free up a little cap for 1 more addition but that stuff is too fiddly for me.

Anyway, without further ado:

Moves

Chiefs Cut Sammy Watkins, Cam Erving, LDT

Chris Jones is tagged and then traded to The Seahawks for their 1st round pick in 2020 (27) and their 2nd round pick in 2021.

The Chiefs give Mahomes a multi year extension, the 2020 impact of which is +3.5m (once again, shamelessly stolen from KCCrow mock)

Free Agent Signings:

Brandon Scherff - G (4 years $45m, 2020 impact ~$8m). Three time pro bowl guard, expensive as a former #5 overall pick but we going down the protect Mahomes at all costs route.

Graham Glasgow – G/C (4 years $28m, 2020 impact ~$6m). Hope you like fatties. We’re also keeping Wis, I would expect Glasgow to start at guard and Wis and Reiter compete for the center job.

Greg Olsen – TE (2 years $8m, 2020 impact ~$4m). Veteran with a few years left at most who will want a ring.

Brian Poole – CB (3 years $14m, 2020 impact ~$4m). Low key good slot corner, hopefully could be had for cheap ish considering I don’t think he will get a lot of hype

Re-signings

Matt Moore (2 years $4m, 2020 impact ~$1.5m)
Mike Pennel (2 years $2.5m, 2020 impact ~$1m)
Stefen Wisnieswski (1 year $1.5m)
Reggie Ragland (1 year $1m)
ERFAs retained: Yelder, Wylie, Kemp

Draft:
1. (from Seattle) DT Ross Blacklock
1. CB Jeff Gladney
2. CB Jaylon Johnson
3. DE Bradlee Anae
4. WR Isaiah Hodgins
5. RB Michael Warren II

Roster:
QB: Mahomes, Moore, Shurmur
RB: Williams, Williams, Thompson, Warren
FB: Lovett
WR: Hill, Hardman, Hodgins, Pringle, Kemp
TE: Kelce, Olsen, Yelder
OL: Fisher, Glasgow, Wisnieswski, Scherff, Schwartz, Reiter, Rankins, Wylie, Allegretti,
DE: Clark, Okafor, Kpassagnon, Speaks, Anae
DT: Nnadi, Blacklock, Saunders, Pennel,
LB: Wilson, Hitchens, Ragland, Niemann, O'Daniel
CB:Ward, Gladney, Johnson, Poole, Fenton
S: Mathieu, Thornhill, Watts, Sorenson,
ST: Butker, Colquitt, Winchester

General thoughts:
As I said at the top, priority number 1 in this was fatties and I think this could be a beastly unit. The wide receiver situation isn't great, and this is probably where I would try and add 1 more vet piece if I could free up some cap via an extension. Hopefully adding another veteran tight end would take some pressure of the young wideouts. I was looking for a late round running back to add to this when Crow posted his thread about Warren II yesterday, so yes I stole the idea from there.

The linebacker group is still the weak spot of the defense, I feel less good about leaving it unimproved than I did before the Superbowl, where the 49ers outside running plan really showed that our linebackers just aren't fast enough. I would still hope that Spags would find some way to use the existing talent of DOD and Watts to add speed to the defense, as we're stuck with Hitchens and I like Wilson.

Good work! It’s interesting! I think if you’re making two splashy-ish FA signings, it’s hards to use both of them on OL.

I like Byron Jones a lot at CB and think he would be a great addition if they’ve freed up enough $$.

I think you’re in the right mindset in trying to fill Jones’ slot - Annae and Blacklock can both rush the passer.

I think this is a nice, realistic mock.

I’m coming to grips with the fact that Jones is probably a goner. I’m expecting that. Seattle would be very interesting given that we took Clark from them just last year. I just hope we get a good haul back.

I’d like to add a ILB.

Or even just a WLB backer that can really run. That would make a big difference. Move Wilson back to the strong side. That was the plan before Darron Lee ended up being a shit show.

I really like Akeem Davis-Gaither as a round 3/4 guy in that role.

Absolutely — need a guy who can really run. Defending teams like SF would be so much easier if you had that sideline to sideline speed that makes up for errors.

I know they like Hitchens and have much invested, but they need to bring in someone who can take his job in nickel sets next season at some point. Wilson is obviously a good fit in there and the superior player.

Strange to me that we ended up overpaying one LB from Dallas and underpaying another in the matter of 2 seasons.

Putting a lot of trust in two rookie corner backs...

I appreciate your time and work here. However I don't think the Chiefs are going to cut their only backup T. I don't think they are going to cut LDT. I don't think they will pay a little over $11M per for a G. I don't think Pennel can be had for that cheap. I hope they don't sign Olsen. I hope they resign Ragland but it will take more than a 1 year $1M deal. I hope they sign Ogbah. He was really looking dominant until the injury. We should be able to get him for a cheap 1 year deal.
I think we keep Chris Jones.

Definitely would have liked to add some speed/coverage at LB, but the whole premise of the mock hamstrung me a bit from moves I wanted to make - basically had to get a DT and a DE in the draft to have nine defensive linemen and that ate up the slot where I would have wanted a LB.

Not really, worse case your starting 3 corners would be Ward Poole and Fenton, and you would also play a lot of 3 safety sets if somehow you weren't comfortable with either rookie - I double barreled it specifically because that way I think you could be pretty happy at least one of them could start from day 1 or at least get significant snaps from very early in the season.

Rankin and Senat would be my swing tackles - Cam was literally garbage at least they would be cheap garbage at worst.

"What I think the Chiefs will do" mocks are sort of boring, especially with the current cap situation. I think you are right though, LDT and Jones stay and the Chiefs make very minimal moves in free agency, no Olinemen signings, bring back one of their 2 free agent corners and maybe Ogbah is the most likely situation. It's already been mocked here pretty extensively I think.

You have to remember though that Mathieu is our slot corner now. That’s the majority of snaps played at a corner spot.

If anything, safety is a bigger potential need than some may realize. That’s why when I see mock drafts that have Delpit falling way down, I’m thinking KC should be all over it. He and Thornhill deep with HB down near the LOS? That could be phenomenal.

Two of your top three picks are cornerbacks.

If we're going to continue to be hyper competitive after Mahomes gets paid we gotta have value from our top draft picks in every draft.

It's not enough to say "it's ok if those corners don't live up to expectations, because we can throw other guys out there". That argument actually defeats the logic for taking two corners that highly in the draft.

This is about half of the current mock I'm working on hahaha. There's definitely some players we'll agree on, two of which I mentioned recently. I have Hodgins slotted a round earlier though.

I don't "think" Anae is there at our 3rd round pick. I have to think he goes in the 2nd round.

I do agree with the masses here that I'd rather spend a bit more on Breeland in FA and probably take an offensive lineman in the draft instead of two CBs.

The more I've been thinking about signing Glasgow the more I realize that o-lineman have been getting paid in free agency quite well. I'm not sure anything less than 10 per will get him. Morse got 11 per last year...

I'm not saying its okay if one of them busts, I'm saying there isn't pressure on both of them to start day 1.

Good job, champ! I like it.

I'd like this if its what happens. My heart wants to find a way to keep Sammy and Jones. But my head is saying it's probably not possible.

Only thing is that I see ILB as a bigger need than CB. I'd do everything to find a field general for the next decade.

We've seen the last two seasons the best and maybe only way to beat the Mahomes Chiefs (Besides having an Elite QB) is to run the ball, attack the middle of the field with play action, and take advantage of the lack of speed with the linebackers. Between Badger, Thornhill, Ward, and a rookie CB I like the secondary.

So basically I would trade 1 of the guards you signed, and 1 of the rookie CB to and spend it on the LB position. Only thing is it isn't a deep class this year.

I think next year's draft class is much deeper at inside linebacker than this year. Vanderbilt's Dimitri Moore would be an interesting fit in the middle of our defense.

I like us taking a cornerback early this year. I know everyone is high on Gladney right now, but I have a hunch come draft day that one of Kristian Fulton or CJ Henderson will fall to us...and I like them a bit better when it comes to the aggressiveness we want our corners to play with.

We all over valued safeties last year in the draft and ended up getting Thornhill in the second round. I expect that same scenario to play out this year if we go corner early.

Don't beat yourself up, as always its thought provoking.

For example, signing Brandon Scherff is very interesting to me. It makes a ton of sense in terms of protecting Mahomes and helping the run game. Dude is a guy you and build around around we need that level of talent on the interior. While I'd love to pair him Glasgow, I think it would be near impossible to sign both. If I had to guess, the Chiefs sign a guy like Glasgow more than Scherff.

Here is my question for everyone. If we trade Jones why do people think we have to sink another first rounder in the position. We have Nandi and Saunders, I don't know if its necessary to invest that first round pick in. And that's where I look at a another Olinemen.

You definitely don't have to draft a DT in the first round without Jones, but you probably need to add some pass rush? Saunders, Nnadi and Pennel have pretty much non-existent pass rush, and the end opposite Frank wasn't particularly productive either so you need to add at DT or DE - no chance of adding a decent pass rushing DE via free agency (due to cost). I couldn't see a realistic DT option either although maybe I am missing someone.

The other way I went when working through this mock and the various options was first round DE (Curtis Weaver) and a late round DT for depth.

The Seahawks are going to have to pay Clowney. Why would they trade for Jones when they’re going to have to pay him too?

Of the one thing to bring me up on from this mock, you choose that? ROFL

They do have $60m in cap space, can you have too much pass rush?