Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft Picks: 2018 Round-by-Round Results, Grades
The Kansas City Chiefs offense will be turned over to second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes after the team shipped Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins.
Mahomes has a chance to succeed immediately because of weapons like running back Kareem Hunt, tight end Travis Kelce, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and newly signed Sammy Watkins.
The Chiefs defense that was showing its age couldn't stop the run or the pass last year, but was helped out by an opportunistic unit that forced 26 turnovers.
How will they use their picks in the NFL draft? We're listing every selection below.
Here's the full list of picks the Chiefs hold in the 2018 draft, which will be updated as each selection is made.
Round 2, Pick 14 (No. 46 overall, via Bengals):
Breeland Speaks, DE, Ole Miss
Andy Benoit's Grade: B
Can he defend the run? At 283 pounds, Speaks has the size to be a base down player, though probably more from a one-gapping standpoint than two-gapping. Kansas City’s biggest problem has been its inability to stop the run, particularly out of nickel and dime packages, where teams pound the rock against them from three-receiver sets.
Round 3, Pick 11 (No. 75 overall) [Via Baltimore]:
Derrick Nnadi, DT, Florida State
Andy Benoit's Grade:B+
Nnadi is a purer interior defensive lineman, which could give Kansas City the flexibility to play second-rounder Breeland Speaks outside, like Andy Reid has suggested they will.
Round 3, Pick 36 (No. 100 overall) [Via Cincinnati]:
Dorian O'Daniel, OLB, Clemson
Andy Benoit's Grade:C+
Scouts loved his work on special teams, but you don’t generally draft a guy in the third round strictly on that merit. In their 3-4 style scheme (which is often structured like a 4-2 or a 5-1), do the Chiefs think O’Daniel, who weighs just 223 pounds, can play outside? Or will he transition to a stack linebacker role?
Round 4, Pick 24 (No. 124 overall): Armani Watts, S, Texas A&M
Round 6, Pick 22 (No. 196 overall): Tremon Smith, CB, Central Arkansas
Round 6, Pick 24 (No. 198 overall): Reginald McKenzie Jr., DL, Tennessee
