Chiefs Draft Grades: KC Earns Rave Review for Frugal First-Round Trade-Up to Select WR Xavier Worthy
In order to select WR Xavier Worthy, the Kansas City Chiefs made "the best trade-up of the night," according to Pro Football Focus.
When attempting to move up in the first round of the NFL Draft, teams typically have to pay a premium for a chance to select their coveted prospect. In recent years, more of the NFL world has learned the value of trading down in the draft and not overpaying for a chance to draft a player who can never be a guaranteed "sure thing." That's what makes the Kansas City Chiefs' trade-up for wide receiver Xavier Worthy so interesting.
By sending 2024 draft picks No. 32, 95 and 221 to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for picks No. 28 (to select Worthy), 133 and 248, the Chiefs moved back later in the draft but didn't surrender a pick at any point in the deal. That plays into how Timo Riske of Pro Football Focus views KC's move up for Worthy.
"This was by far the best trade-up on Day 1. By making it an even trade in terms of how many picks changed hands, the trade is almost even," Riske writes. "It’s still interesting that the Chiefs seem to be extremely confident in their evaluation of a deep wide receiver class where evaluations were all over the place after the blue-chip prospects that went off the board in the top 10. That’s why I also don’t hate this from the Bills' perspective. The irrational take is that they gifted a wide receiver to an arch-nemesis that has beaten them in the playoffs in three of the past four years. It’s a deep receiver class, so the Chiefs could have drafted a wide receiver, anyway, if they wanted. And Kansas City's bets at wide receiver haven't necessarily paid off in recent history."
Riske goes on to explain why he understands the Bills' strategy given their circumstances and delivers a shoutout to Chiefs general manager Brett Veach "because [the Bills] didn’t manage to take advantage of their trade partner."
Riske ultimately gives the Chiefs a B- for the trade and gives Buffalo a B+. That may not seem like a "rave review," but in the scope of how (fairly, in my opinion!) critical Riske is of first-round trade-ups, it's a win for the Chiefs.
