Chiefs Given Improved Mark in 2021 NFL Draft Regrade

The Kansas City Chiefs have built a perennial contender, and the first core to take into account is the top star-level performers both on the field and coaching on the sideline. Kansas City doesn't win Super Bowls without solid draft classes, though, and general manager Brett Veach has managed to string together some nice ones in recent years.

In the blink of an eye, the 2024-25 campaign will be a contract year for those who were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. With that in mind, one columnist is taking a trip down memory lane to determine how those selections have panned out.

In a recent article for CBS Sports, Pete Prisco tips his cap to the Chiefs for the value they got with right guard Trey Smith. He also seems to be fonder of linebacker Nick Bolton now than he was originally. Not having a first-round pick due to trading it for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. did result in them being dinged a bit, though.

The initial 2021 grade for Kansas City was a B, with the new one seeing the back-to-back reigning champs jump to a B-plus for their efforts.

"My favorite pick was Smith, who I said could be a big-time steal," Prisco wrote. "He has been that. I didn't think Bolton would be great in coverage, so I dinged them some for that pick. He's been solid, but still better against the run. I said counting Brown it was a solid draft. It's been better than that, but they do get downgraded for trading a first-round pick to have Brown for just two years, leaving left tackle a problem for them."

Veach's first two picks of Bolton and center Creed Humphrey have produced two clear starters for the team. Humphrey is the best player of the 2021 haul, cementing himself as a Pro Bowl and fringe elite talent at his position. He should command a nice contract extension, and it'd make a ton of sense for that to come from the Chiefs.

Smith slid in the draft because of medical concerns. The Chiefs felt comfortable with their evaluations there, though, and are reaping the rewards of their investment. Smith has been consistently available for Kansas City and is generating some buzz as one of the NFL's more underrated players. For the No. 226 overall pick, a club can't do much better.

The rest of the draft didn't lead to a ton from a contribution standpoint. Fourth-round defensive end Joshua Kaindoh is no longer on the team (or any team), and fifth-round wideout Cornell Powell is nothing more than a Chiefs practice squad candidate. Veach did do a nice job snagging tight end Noah Gray, the No. 2 man on the depth chart, with the 162nd overall pick.

2022 was Veach's best class overall, but 2021 set him up well for it. Considering Brown is no longer with the team and a first-round pick wasn't available, a B-plus is nothing to scoff at. Everyone, including Prisco, appears to be in agreement that this was a nice effort from the Chiefs that signaled a turnaround for the organization from a draft standpoint.

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