Why Remaining at 31 Doesn’t Bode Well for Chiefs

NFL teams that lose Super Bowls generally play well in the following seasons, but they usually don’t draft well. So, if the Chiefs aren’t in love with a player such as tight end Tyler Warren, history says they’re better off trading back into the second round and picking up additional capital.

That history is dismal for teams selecting 31st overall. In the 47 drafts since the Rams chose safety Nolan Cromwell at 31 in 1977, only eight individuals in that slot have gone on to multiple Pro Bowl seasons: Carl Pickens (drafted in 1992), Al Wilson (1999), Todd Heap (2001), Nnamdi Asomugha (2003), Greg Olsen (2007), Cam Heyward (2011), Doug Martin (2012) and Travis Frederick (2013).

The Chiefs have recent history in that slot, having selected Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the end of the first round in 2023 (the Dolphins forfeited their first-round selection for violating the league’s anti-tampering policy). And while Anudike-Uzomah has had only two years in the league, Kansas City would be wise to listen to Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht.

“You’re going to see maybe a little less people maybe wanting to move up and offering enough to make it worth your while just because the draft is pretty leveled out at a certain point,” Licht said Thursday at his pre-draft press conference, noting that he could be wrong. “You might be able to get the same level of player in the second round as you can in the fourth round at certain positions, so I think you’ll maybe see a little bit less of that.”

In other words, if they’re eyeing a specific player at a deep position like defensive tackle, the Chiefs could trade back and likely still get that player later in the draft – in addition to the additional draft-pick compensation. The team’s most valuable recent selection in those rounds was Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith, a sixth-rounder in 2021.

Packaging a trade back with its 31st selection could be a valuable move for Kansas City. Although the Chiefs enter the draft with eight total selections, three of those choices aren’t until the seventh and final round. And Kansas City currently has no picks in Rounds 5 or 6.

Brett Veach and Andy Reid do, however, have three of the top 66 choices, their selections at 31 and 63, and Tennessee’s choice at the top of the third round (66), acquired from the Titans in the L’Jarius Sneed trade.

That trade wound up largely one-sided in favor of Kansas City. In addition to that third-rounder, which became No. 66 when the Titans finished 3-14 in 2024, Sneed signed a four-year, $76.4 million extension with Tennessee. He played just five games before a quadriceps injury ended his season.

There is one trading-back deterrent, however. The franchise’s most glaring need entering the draft is offensive tackle, which is not a deep position in this draft. So, if the Chiefs want a specific left tackle at 31, he’s not likely to be there even a few picks later.

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