2024 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch for Chiefs in First Round
With Kansas City picking at No. 32 overall, who's in the realm of possibility to hear their name called?
At long last, the 2024 NFL Draft is arriving. Thursday night's festivities include the opening round of this year's draft, presenting teams with the first cracks at adding young talent to their respective rosters.
The Kansas City Chiefs enter round one with a couple of pressing needs to address. Wide receiver and left tackle (in no particular order) make up their list. Secondary and tertiary areas such as cornerback, the trenches and tight end make up general manager Brett Veach's perceived checklist for the week.
In the first round, which prospects could be in play for the Chiefs? Arrowhead Report has put together a collection of players to watch for each position. While some are more likely than others, every listed player has either been tied to Kansas City in some way or is projected to potentially be available in a trade scenario. The groupings combine expectation, evaluation grade and accounting for high-profile mock drafts.
QB, RB, TE, LB, S, Specialists: N/A
Barring divine intervention and Brock Bowers falling to within range for the Chiefs, none of these positions makes much sense for Veach to target on Thursday. Tight end is an aforementioned soft need, although the next-best player on the board is a clear Day Two prospect. Quarterback has been taken care of, running back has better depth elsewhere, linebacker is a stacked position on Kansas City's roster and this is a weak safety class. Additionally, no specialist will go in round one.
WR: Hitting the jackpot?
- Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU)
- Adonai Mitchell (Texas)
- Xavier Worthy (Texas)
- Ladd McConkey (Georgia)
- Ja'Lynn Polk (Washington)
- Keon Coleman (Florida State)
- Xavier Legette (South Carolina)
- Troy Franklin (Oregon)
This position is very much in play for the first round. Thomas is widely expected to be the fourth wideout off the board but if he slides, it'd be hard to disagree too much with Kansas City entertaining a move for him. After that, the duo of Texas receivers in Mitchell and Worthy figures to go in round one as well. McConkey is hard to get a read on and may not have the ceiling of his peers, although his traits and reliability are first-round caliber.
Polk is more of a second-round prospect considering this year's premier talent at the top, but some have mocked him to the Chiefs. It's feasible to see him going at 32. Coleman struggled at the NFL Scouting Combine but boasts star-level upside. Franklin's stock has fallen in recent months, but he'd be a hand-in-glove fit as a vertical threat in Kansas City. Legette could go anywhere from Thursday to late on Day Two.
OT: Testing their patience
- Olumuyiwa Fashanu (Penn State)
- Amarius Mims (Georgia)
- Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma)
- Kingsley Suamataia (BYU)
- Patrick Paul (Houston)
It's this writer's opinion that Fashanu is among the crop of elite-level tackle prospects who won't be available for the Chiefs, but that isn't the consensus take. Some believe he could be a trade-up candidate. Mims is in the same boat, albeit with a more likely perceived chance to fall. He seems like the prime trade-up possibility at the position for Veach and Co.
The trio of Guyton, Suamataia and Paul is interesting. Any of them could go in round one, but it's easy to see them also falling closer to the pick-50 range on Day Two. Guyton needs a lot of work regarding hand placement and footing, but he's a good athlete who could likely handle the switch to left tackle. Suamataia has elite athleticism and upside considering his youth. Paul has uncertainty surrounding his medicals but is a not-so-sneaky candidate to be picked at 32.
iOL: No chance, unless...
- Jordan Morgan (Arizona)
- Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon)
- Graham Barton (Duke)
Disclaimer: Kansas City attacking interior offensive line in round one is hard to envision. In our spin zone, however, there are a few players who make at least some sense. Morgan is a "tweener" stuck between tackle and guard. If the Chiefs go against tendencies, he's an intriguing tackle talent. If not, he could be a long-term starter at guard. Powers-Johnson and Barton are likely the two best true interior prospects, but both would have to play guard rather than center to justify a pick here even a little bit.
iDL: Unlikely, but possible
- Byron Murphy (Texas)
- Jer'Zhan Newton (Illinois)
Murphy is one of the draft's best defensive prospects, although his range has been a subject of discussion recently. If he slid to pick 20 somehow, Kansas City could get creative and trade up to land him. Newton would be fun on Joe Cullen's defensive line, but his questions about run defense raise other questions about overlap with Chris Jones.
EDGE/DE: The rich get richer?
- Demeioun "Chop" Robinson (Penn State)
- Darius Robinson (Missouri)
The Chiefs brought Mike Danna back this offseason and just selected a defensive end in the first round, so this is another low-probability spot. The former Robinson is such a tremendous athlete, however, that it wouldn't be a terrible offense to take him if available at 32. The same can't be said for Missouri's Robinson, but the team has done its homework on him and has a proclivity for local prospects. He can't be 100% ruled out.
CB: No Sneed, no problem
- Cooper DeJean (Iowa)
- Nate Wiggins (Clemson)
- Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama)
DeJean is hanging on by a thread on this list, as he's an elite defensive back. Not everyone sees him that way, though, so a trade-up could become a possibility if he falls and ranks very high on the Chiefs' board. Wiggins has blazing speed with size questions, whereas McKinstry's physicality could appeal to the club.
