Chiefs Mock: Big WR Swing, Surprise Pick, KC-Style Day Three
In the second Arrowhead Report mock draft of the week, the Chiefs get a talented wideout in round one and add considerable depth later on.
The 2024 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and the Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of important decisions to make as the week unfolds.
For general manager Brett Veach and his staff, the draft is a chance to add at lacking positions such as wide receiver and left tackle. Additionally, it'll provide opportunities to insulate the roster with depth and cost-controlled talent. Each pick Kansas City makes is geared towards not only a potential three-peat championship push, but also the future.
Joshua Brisco of Arrowhead Report joined me for a mock draft to realistically project how Thursday, Friday and Saturday could unfold. The NFL Mock Draft Database was used for our simulation and Drafttek's Rich Hill Model trade chart helped with trade values. Let's jump in.
1.32: Adonai Mitchell (WR, Texas)
Joshua Brisco: We passed on Ladd McConkey in this spot, which I’m not sure the Chiefs would do if they were given the same choice. Either way, patience with the draft board was ultimately the right choice. Plenty of wide receivers flew off the board before No. 32, but Mitchell and McConkey both provided worthy options at the end of the first round, and the Chiefs got the outside receiver they need.
Jordan Foote: I'm a bit higher on Mitchell than some others, but it's hard not to be with his ceiling. He's a good athlete with solid length, a suddenness as a route runner and tons of upside in the red zone or in the short/intermediate areas of the field. Kansas City lands its true 'X' receiver here and will hope for the best with Mitchell's development.
2.64: Ja'Tavion Sanders (TE, Texas)
Brisco: We weren’t set on adding a tight end in this draft, but with the board falling the way it did (and without reasonable trade-up options becoming available), Sanders at No. 64 would be one of the most fun picks of the draft. Andy Reid would be the right man to maximize Sanders as he learns under Travis Kelce while Sanders could take on a part-time role in 2024.
Foote: Despite some poor athletic testing, it's easy for anyone to be intrigued by the Chiefs landing arguably the second-best tight end in the draft. Sanders is a walking mismatch at times with his athleticism, and he'd have the fortune of being brought along slowly in 2024-25. This is a near-perfect succession plan for Kelce or simply a nightmare for defenses long-term if Kelce sticks around.
3.85: Kiran Amegadjie (OT, Yale)
Trade details: 3.95 and 5.173 to the Cleveland Browns for 3.85
Brisco: In this mock, the Chiefs should have already re-signed Donovan Smith immediately after submitting their card to select Adonai Mitchell. Smith can be the incumbent in a battle with second-year third-rounder Wanya Morris, and Amegadjie can step into Morris’s 2023 role as a developmental player with experienced starters ahead of him on the depth chart. Amegadjie is a perfectly Chief-y tackle prospect, and one who was worth trading up for as the viable offensive tackle options thinned out.
Foote: If the Chiefs don't spend their first-rounder on a tackle, there's a sizable crop of Day Two players who could pique their interest. Amegadjie is one of them, although he needs time to progress into being NFL-ready. This is an ideal situation for him and Kansas City, as 2024 will determine whether Morris is a starter and whether Amegadjie has what it takes to thrive in the long run.
4.131: Cam Hart (CB, Notre Dame)
Brisco: Drafting a fourth-round traitsy cornerback is the most Brett Veach/Steve Spagnuolo thing the Chiefs could do in this draft. At 6-foot-2, Hart has the length to fit into the developmental pipeline the Chiefs have built under defensive backs coach Dave Merritt.
Foote: Hart was excellent during the pre-draft process, posting a 9.00 Relative Athletic Score. With L'Jarius Sneed traded, he could be a nice complement to Trent McDuffie on the outside full-time. This also might push Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams down the 2025 depth chart, making for one heck of a cornerback room after Hart's rookie campaign.
5.159: Eric Watts (EDGE, UConn)
Brisco: Speaking of the Chiefs doubling down on their “type” of player… Watts is 6-foot-6, 274 pounds, can kick to the interior and should be able to hold his own against the run. Watts is this year’s swing at a Mike Danna high-motor selection, supersized.
Foote: Absolutely, Watts was made in a lab for Spagnuolo and Joe Cullen. He'd give the Chiefs' defensive line another player with a relatively known floor as a consistent run defender and consistent (albeit limited) pass-rush presence. The Danna vibes are undoubtedly there as far as a high-end outcome is concerned, but that's just fine for the 159th overall pick.
7.221: Anthony Gould (WR, Oregon State)
Brisco: The Chiefs already have a crowded group of undersized, speedy, gadgety players, but Gould would be a younger, cost-controlled, rookie-contracted version who is worth the lottery ticket in the seventh round. Also — Jordan, you explain this to everyone else since you explained it to me — he played on the outside in college?
Foote: That was one of the weirdest things I noticed on tape with any prospect. The 5-foot-8, 174-pound Gould logged snaps on the outside, with Pro Football Focus listing 266 of them compared to just 22 in the slot. He has prior slot experience, however, and would play there in Kansas City in addition to being a return specialist. The speedy, local kid comes home to cap off this year's Chiefs haul.
