Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft Picks: 2019 Round-by-Round Results, Grades
The Kansas City Chiefs fell one game short of a Super Bowl berth in 2018 after falling to the eventual champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
Less than 48 hours after the team's loss, the Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. Kansas City gave up more yards on defense than any NFL team except the Bengals last season. The Chiefs lost both Eric Berry and Justin Houston in free agency, leaving the team with defensive needs heading into the 2019 season. Andy Reid may look to the draft to address the weakness.
In last year's draft, the Chiefs selected defensive end Breeland Speaks out of Ole Miss.
How will they use their picks in this year's NFL draft? We’re breaking down 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.
Chiefs picks:
Round 2, Pick 24 (No. 56 overall): Mecole Hardman, WR, Georgia
Andy Benoit's grade: B
And, tacitly, THERE’S the Chiefs’ answer to the Tyreek Hill problem. It’s an important answer because this offense was built predominantly around Hill’s unique talent. It’s unfair to expect any player to provide what Hill provides (provided), but stylistically, Hardman can stretch the field and stress the defense in multiple ways.
Round 2, Pick 31 (No. 63 overall): Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia
Andy Benoit's grade: A
Expensive new safety Tyrann Mathieu is versatile … which means the Chiefs needed to find another versatile safety—and with Daniel Sorensen being mostly a dime linebacker, Kansas City looked in the draft. Thornhill, like Mathieu, can play both safety spots, as well as slot in nickel and linebacker in dime.
Round 3, Pick 20 (No. 84 overall): Khalen Saunders, DT, Western Illinois
Andy Benoit's grade: B
Kansas City’s run defense has been perplexingly poor over the years. A change in scheme (from Bob Sutton and his 3-4 to Steve Spagnuolo and his 4-3) will help, but so will adding new bodies up front. Scouts like Saunders’s suddenness.
Round 6, Pick 28 (No. 201 overall): Rashad Fenton, CB, South Carolina
Round 6, Pick 41 (No. 214 overall): Darwin Thompson, RB, Utah St.
Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 216 overall): Nick Allegretti, G, Illinois
See every NFL team's 2019 picks by clicking the links below.
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