The Kansas City Chiefs made the big splash move that felt forced, but also justified. The Chiefs landed Super Bowl LX MVP, Kenneth Walker III with free agency officially under way on Monday. That move confirmed a few things for the Chiefs, who have been extremely busy throughout this offseason.
For one, it proves the Chiefs saw how detrimental having a miserable running game was to their success last year. It also confirms their draft will be very defensive focused, which isn’t a bad plan considering this draft is full of defensive prospects. The Chiefs were the favorite to land Jeremiyah Love with the No. 9 pick after his massive NFL Scouting Combine. With the Walker signing, the Trent McDuffie trade and a lot of defensive needs, the Chiefs know exactly what they need to do to get back to the top of the AFC.
The No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft will be Kansas City’s most valuable at addressing its defense
The Chiefs have one of two ways to use the No. 9 pick in the upcoming draft. Not only can they draft the best available, but they can also get an elite player to build this defense around. Here’s the three players the Chiefs should have in mind for the No. 9 pick:
- Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE
- Caleb Downs, Safety
- Mansoor Delane, cornerback
Kansas City should eye going after an EDGE rusher only if one falls. Arvell Reese seems like a lock at No. 2 after Fernando Mendoza goes No. 1. David Bailey has been considered the second best following the NFL Scouting Combine. That leaves Bain to go outside the top five. With the teams picking between No. 5 and No. 9, there’s a chance Bain falls. The Chiefs need EDGE help and they can’t afford an elite EDGE rusher.
Any free agent signing for the Chiefs at this point is a stopgap at best. It won’t deter them from looking for a rookie, especially with a deep pass rush class. As for Caleb Downs and Mansoor Delane, well they’ll need to start replenishing their secondary.
The Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie and will need to look at cornerback options. As intriguing as Downs might be, going after Delane could end up being a better move. This would allow them to get creative for the rest of the draft and if the cards fall the right way, land some elite players that will still be building their defense for the future.
What the Chiefs’ next three picks look like after the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft
The Chiefs should use the first three rounds to fix this defense as best as they can. They don’t need to spend the first two rounds trying to find a receiver and by the third round, if they’ve found what they’re looking for, maybe address some receiver depth. Kansas City probably has one final push for a Super Bowl before Travis Kelce retires, retooling this defense is the only way to keep them competitive. Here’s who they could target through the first three rounds:
- Rd. 1, pick 29: Dillon Thieneman; Emmanuel McNeil-Warren; T.J. Parker
- Rd. 2, pick 40: Dani Dennis-Sutton; Cashius Howell; Colton Hood
- Rd. 3, pick 74: Malik Muhammad
I ran three separate mock drafts using the NFL Mock Draft simulator and this is what I landed on with each pick. The T.J. Parker pick at No. 29, Colton Hood at No. 40 and Malik Muhammad at No. 74 are based on drafting Downs with the No. 9 pick. Every other pick is based on drafting Delane first.
While I originally thought Downs might be a sure-fire pick for the Chiefs now that they have Walker, I feel like Delane might be more the move. If it works out that they could land Cashius Howell at No. 40 from a slide, that would be unreal. Ideally, though, they land T.J. Parker later or Dani Dennis-Sutton.
In every case, though, I feel like Malik Muhammad is a safe pick in the third round. That gives them cornerback depth while also landing a player that could turn into a starter down the road. I think if they can land Thieneman or McNeill-Warren along with Delane, that would be one of the biggest moves they could make.
Either way, as you see, the Chiefs have to think defensively if they want to get back on track. This draft strategy accomplishes just that. In a way, paying for Walker just allowed them to get very aggressive with defensive players in the draft whereas taking Love with the No. 9 pick shrinks their options for the first three rounds. That might end up being the signing that indirectly saves them from offloading McDuffie.