Arrowhead Report Roundtable: What if the Kansas City Chiefs had the No. 1 overall pick?
It's almost time for the NFL Draft, and the Kansas City Chiefs hold the 32nd overall pick. But what if they were up first? Yes, of course, it's completely hypothetical nonsense, but if Brett Veach and Andy Reid had their pick of anyone in the NFL Draft (with no trading allowed) where would they go? That was the question for this Arrowhead Report Roundtable.
Jordan Foote: Can you imagine Chase Young lining up along a Steve Spagnuolo defensive front!? Luckily, in this scenario, you can. Not only would the Chiefs be getting tremendous value out of a rookie contract, but they’d also be adding one of the most talented pass rushers in recent memory into the fold. Who needs cornerbacks when the opposing quarterback doesn’t have any time to throw to begin with, right?
Tucker Franklin: You have to think that if the Chiefs had the first overall pick in the draft they would take Chase Young. The edge rusher from Ohio State brings immense athleticism and talent to a defensive line that already features Chris Jones and Frank Clark. Not only does the pick make sense for the current team, but it could stabilize the defensive front if Jones does leave in pursuit of a bigger deal. The duo of Clark and Young on the edges could become the best edge rushing pair in the league.
Sam Hays: The best player in the 2020 NFL Draft when taking out positional value is Chase Young, the edge defender from Ohio State. He is a truly elite talent with some of the most entertaining tape and stat sheets you will ever lay your eyes on.
However, positional value is a real thing and it is crucial to winning football games and championships. While two of the three most important positions are solidified (QB and WR), the other is not perfect. That is why with the first pick, I would take Jeffrey Okudah, cornerback from Ohio State.
Okudah is the best cornerback prospect since Jalen Ramsey went in 2016 and potentially even better than that. He is the total package, a legit CB1 with everything you could possibly want. He would be the lockdown stud that the Chiefs desire for many years to come.
Austin Johnston: The obvious answer is superstar edge rusher Chase Young. But if not Young, Isaiah Simmons, the ultimate chess piece, would be a terrific addition to the Chiefs’ defense. What’s better than one Honey Badger? How about two? On the offensive side of the ball, let’s get nuts and talk Henry Ruggs, a speed demon that would give Patrick Mahomes not just the fastest trio of wide receivers in NFL history, but a pretty good shot at a gold medal in the next Olympic Games in the 200m relay.
Taylor Witt: The most skilled player in the draft is Ohio State DE Chase Young, and imagining him on the same line with Frank Clark and Chris Jones is, frankly, hilarious. I see no way for the Chiefs to improve their team better with the #1 pick than selecting Young and winning the Super Bowl by way of forfeit as every other NFL team would literally not even want to try.
Joe Andrews: Considering the current needs of the Chiefs, they'd be dumb not to draft Chase Young. If the Chiefs manage to keep Chris Jones, the front that would also feature Frank Clark, therefore creating a triple threat. Imagine how easy it would be to sack whatever quarterback that ends up starting for the LA Chargers in 2020.
Mark Van Sickle: Taking an offensive tackle of the future to protect Patrick Mahomes makes sense. Taking the best cornerback available makes sense. Taking the widely regarded best defensive player in the draft, Chase Young, also makes a ton of sense. But I’m taking Isaiah Simmons. He is a linebacker that fits perfectly into Steve Spagnuolo’s system and plays the position of greatest need for the Chiefs in 2020. He seems like a guy who will be an All-Pro for the next decade. Added bonus: he played high school football locally and it would be a great story.
Conner Christopherson: If the Chiefs had the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, one's mind immediately goes to them drafting Chase Young. While overall, this is probably the safest option, there is another player who might be just as smart to take due to varying league trends: Jeff Okudah. In recent years the NFL community has seen groups like PFF postulating a theory that pass coverage is actually more important than pass rush. The Chiefs defense somewhat proved this hypothesis in 2019 by boasting the league's sixth-best pass defense by DVOA, compared to 12th in 2018 by DVOA, despite dropping in sacks, hurry %, and pressure % from 2018 to 2019. Taking Okudah, solidifying the secondary for 2020 and beyond, and staying ahead of the league trends might actually be a safer pick than Chase Young at the end of the day.
Editor's note: We cannot take responsibility for Jacob Harris' following suggestion. Please direct your complaints to @jacobnharris on Twitter.
Jacob Harris: If history has taught us anything, it’s that once you pay your all-time talent quarterback, your chances of winning the Super Bowl ever again dwindle to damn near zero. Knowing this, being gifted the No. 1 pick post-championship would allow the Chiefs to conduct a great experiment. Drafting Joe Burrow and trading Mahomes for multiple future firsts would not only allow the Chiefs to erase the “what do we do about money for everyone else once we pay Patrick?” issue, but it will also allow them to continue this experiment on loop. Andy Reid would mold Burrow into a mega-star and a champion just in time to flip him for a new mega-star in 2023 or 2024. The Chiefs would have a roster of endless first-round picks, all the cap space in the world, and multiple championships, probably.
