Best Available Day 2 Draft Prospects for Chiefs

The first night of the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Kansas City Chiefs capped off round one by selecting Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah with the 31st overall pick. Bolstering their pass rush and defensive front on Day 1 of the draft allows general manager Brett Veach to navigate the board as he chooses and maintain a "best player available" approach moving forward.

Entering Day 2 of the draft, Kansas City has picks 63 (second round) and 95 (third round) to work with. Who are some of the top prospects who missed the cut on Day 1, but could be enticing targets for either a Chiefs trade-up or just a pick at their normal slot on Friday? Let's take a look at five players per position, relevant to the team's needs and purposes at this point in the draft.

Quarterback, fullback and specialists are omitted from this article. Players listed are not ranked within their respective groupings.

Running Back

Zach Charbonnet (UCLA)
Devon Achane (Texas A&M)
Roschon Johnson (Texas)
Tank Bigsby (Auburn)
Tyjae Spears (Tulane)

Charbonnet is likely the star of this group, but the latter names such as Bigsby and Spears could be more in line with the Chiefs' level of interest and draft timeline in investing highly at the running back spot. Kansas City has Isiah Pacheco in the fold and Clyde Edwards-Helaire is entrenched as depth for the time being, but adding either a pass-catching or change-of-pace back into the mix would be an ideal move on either the second or third day of the draft. All of the aforementioned names could be off the board by the end of Day 2.

Wide Receiver

Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee)
Cedric Tillman (Tennessee)
Jonathan Mingo (Ole Miss)
Marvin Mims (Oklahoma)
Josh Downs (North Carolina)

Many projected that Hyatt would be the Chiefs' pick at No. 31 in the first round, so the fact that he's available to begin round two means he may not last for too long. The same could be said for Mingo, who has been a steady riser throughout the draft process. Options like Tillman and Downs are x-factors, and Mims is a speedy option who would add another dynamic to the Chiefs' offense and be just a little bit like Tyreek Hill.

Tight End

Luke Musgrave (Oregon State)
Michael Mayer (Notre Dame)
Darnell Washington (Georgia)
Tucker Kraft (South Dakota State)
Sam LaPorta (Iowa)

The 2023 tight end class is one of the strongest in recent NFL Draft memory, and there's a case to be made that the top two options are still available as Day 2 approaches. Musgrave is a good athlete and someone who would be an immediate upgrade behind Travis Kelce, and Mayer's track record of success makes him a must-pick in the second round. Even the other three names on the board have the ability to step in and possibly be the second-best tight end in the room as rookies.

Offensive Tackle

Dawand Jones (Ohio State)
Jaelyn Duncan (Maryland)
Matthew Bergeron (Syracuse)
Nick Saldiveri (Old Dominion)
Tyler Steen (Alabama)

Anton Harrison went a few picks before Kansas City got on the board in round one, so that leaves either the second or third round as a potential hotspot for an offensive tackle. Jones was often mocked to the Chiefs at pick No. 31 and despite his limitations, he's a fine player. Duncan, Bergeron and Saldiveri are all premier Day 2 tackle options. Steen has some versatility and some wonder whether he's a tackle or guard long-term but nonetheless, he'd be a more than worthy pick on the second night of the draft.

Interior Offensive Line

Cody Mauch (North Dakota State)
O'Cyrus Torrence (Florida)
Steve Avila (TCU)
Joe Tippmann (Wisconsin)
John Michael Schmitz (Minnesota)

This is an area in which it's hard to see the Chiefs investing on Day 2 but if the right value falls to them, it might force the team's hand. Players like Mauch and Torrence received some round-one buzz early in the draft process; Avila is a great interior offensive line prospect and both Tippmann and Schmitz project to be mainstays on the inside of a line for years to come. Kansas City is always thinking outside the box in the draft, so this group can't be ruled out completely.

Interior Defensive Line

Zacch Pickens (South Carolina)
Keeanu Benton (Wisconsin)
Tuli Tuipulotu (USC)
Gervon Dexter (Florida)
Jaquelin Roy (LSU)

Day 2 is the best spot for any team in the league to snag some interior defensive line depth. That's music to the Chiefs' ears, but it also means that other teams will be on the lookout as well. With Chris Jones only under contract for one more season and Derrick Nnadi in the same boat (as well as him coming off a poor season), adding someone like Pickens, Benton or one of Dexter or Roy makes a ton of sense. Tuipulotu is a wild card in this year's class, but he'd also be a fun addition to Steve Spagnuolo's front.

Defensive End/EDGE

Isaiah Foskey (Notre Dame)
Derick Hall (Auburn)
Adetomiwa Adebawore (Northwestern)
B.J. Ojulari (LSU)
Keion White (Georgia Tech)

The Chiefs' selection of Anudike-Uzomah makes it more difficult to see them taking another defensive end prospect the day after, but the depth of the class here is also quite nice. Foskey and White are both prototypical Spagnuolo EDGE players, and the trio of Hall, Adebawore and Ojulari consists of three players with differing profiles and intriguing traits. This list easily could've included a couple more players, which is a testament to how impressive the middle of the defensive end group is.

Linebacker

Drew Sanders (Arkansas)
Daiyan Henley (Washington State)
Trenton Simpson (Clemson)
Henry To'oTo'o (Alabama)
Nick Herbig (Wisconsin)

Linebacker, like guard or center, is somewhat difficult to imagine the Chiefs going for on Day 2. With that said, Veach has a tendency to find a linebacker he likes within the top 100 picks, then add him into the fold. Leo Chenal was a minor surprise a year ago, and there could be another one in store this time around. This group is full of high-IQ players that could log snaps in year one and after learning from veterans in the room, one could assume a starting role in 2024 if called upon to do so.

Cornerback

Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State)
Cam Smith (South Carolina)
Kelee Ringo (Georgia)
DJ Turner (Michigan)
Clark Phillips III (Utah)

Cornerback isn't a priority need for the Chiefs in 2023 but if one of their 2022 Day 3 cornerbacks struggles in their second season or if L'Jarius Sneed leaves in free agency a year from now, it could become one. Thinking ahead by selecting one of the uber-talented prospects listed above wouldn't be the worst move. Porter and Smith were expected by many to go on Day 1, and they headline a group that also includes a multitude of interesting cornerbacks elsewhere.

Safety

Brian Branch (Alabama)
Antonio Johnson (Texas A&M)
Jordan Battle (Alabama)
JL Skinner (Boise State)
Ji'Ayir Brown (Penn State)

Branch, the top safety in this year's draft class, isn't going to last very far into the second round. Johnson is widely viewed as the second-best safety, but the middle of the group contains plenty of mid-to-late Day 2 talent. With Justin Reid and Bryan Cook leading the way on the depth chart and a couple of options behind them for 2023, this would be another forward-thinking move by Veach if he went with a safety. Once again, however, value could come into play.