It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Snow on the ground, in Kansas City at least, the anticipation of the big man coming and bringing lots of new toys to play with. The hope that the next year will be better than the last. Yes, it’s almost time for the Arrowheads Abroad live mock draft. I’ve read more scouting reports than my kids have presents on the Christmas letter to Santa, we’ve interviewed Kent Swanson from Arrowhead Pride to talk about the Arrowhead Pride Draft Guide and how to approach attacking pockets.
We’re all set. The draft board is done, unlikely to change. Although it is on version 17 or so at the moment so that’s not set in stone. With that in mind, let’s get down to business..
Needs
Do the Chiefs need a Tackle? I think I might have read that somewhere. Long arms required. If you aren’t comfortable with Lucas Niang starting there having had a year off, despite Andy Reid’s praise, then we need to address that early. Sammy Watkins departure left a hole at Receiver that probably isn’t Demarcus Robinson or Byron Pringle shaped. The cornerback room still looks thin on the ground unless Brashard Breeland comes back. Again. A Linebacker that can cover would be useful but not high on the list. Looking longer term there is depth needed on the O Line, Long and Dr Larry are back after a year off but how much do they both still have in the tank? Pass rush was an issue at times last year, a good edge rusher or two to add depth and allow rotation would be very helpful.
Approach
So I’ve broken down our draft board into rounds. Essentially who I would feel comfortable picking and which round I would be happy to take them. There is a little need bias thrown in here and there is a little position bias thrown in too. Some of the players could go early in the round, some could go later, the option could be there to trade down into a lower round and pick up the player we like. That’s the beauty of the draft, you just don’t know how it’s going to shake out. So, without further ado, let’s bring out the board in no particular order…
1st Round
| Samuel Cosmi | OT | Texas | 6ft7 | 300lbs |
| Alija Vera-Tucker | OT | USC | 6ft4 | 300lbs |
| Jalen Mayfield | OT | Michigan | 6ft5 | 319lbs |
| Teven Jenkins | OT | Oklahoma State | 6ft6 | 315lbs |
| Terrace Marshall | WR | LSU | 6ft3 | 200lbs |
| Rashod Bateman | WR | Minnesota | 6ft1 | 210lbs |
| Kwity Paye | EDGE | Michigan | 6ft4 | 277lbs |
| Jaelan Phillips | EDGE | Miami | 6ft5 | 258lbs |
| Gregory Rousseau | EDGE | Miami | 6ft5 | 260lbs |
| Patrick Surtain | CB | Alabama | 6ft1 | 203lbs |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | South Carolina | 6ft1 | 205lbs |
| Caleb Farley | CB | Virginia Tech | 6ft2 | 197lbs |
Some of these are likely gone long before we pick. Patrick Surtain, for example, is probably going in the 10 to 15 range. But if by some madness he drops into the mid 20s maybe we’d consider a trade up for him. I’d love Sewell, Pitts and a couple of others but I just don’t see circumstances where they become available. In an ideal world, we go OT here.
2nd Round
| Liam Eichenburg | OT | Notre Dame | 6ft6 | 305lbs |
| Alex Leatherwood | OT | Alabama | 6ft5 | 312lbs |
| Dyami Brown | WR | North Carolina | 6ft1 | 195lbs |
| Creed Humphrey | IOL | Oklahoma | 6ft5 | 312lbs |
| Landon Dickerson | IOL | Alabama | 6ft6 | 326lbs |
| Wyatt Davis | IOL | Ohio State | 6ft3 | 310lbs |
| Trey Smith | IOL | Tennessee | 6ft6 | 331lbs |
| Pat Freirmouth | TE | Penn State | 6ft5 | 250lbs |
| Brevin Jordan | TE | Miami | 6ft3 | 245lbs |
| Carlos Basham | EDGE | Wake Forest | 6ft3 | 281lbs |
| Joe Tryon | EDGE | Washington | 6ft4 | 251lbs |
| Jayson Oweh | EDGE | Penn State | 6ft3 | 245lbs |
| Nick Bolton | LB | Missouri | 6ft | 232lbs |
| Jabril Cox | LB | LSU | 6ft3 | 233lbs |
| Eric Stokes | CB | Georgia | 6ft1 | 185lbs |
| Greg Newsome | CB | Northwestern | 6ft1 | 190lbs |
| Aaron Robinson | CB | UCF | 6ft | 190lbs |
| Tyson Campbell | CB | Georgia | 6ft2 | 185lbs |
| Jevon Holland | S | Oregon | 6ft1 | 196lbs |
| Trevor Moehrig | S | TCU | 6ft1 | 208lbs |
Some of these are going to be available early in the 2nd if we want to trade down out of the 1st, some will be available mid round if we want to trade up, some at the end of the round if we stay put. CB and IOL are good options here.
3rd Round
| Brady Christenson | OT | BYU | 6ft6 | 300lbs |
| Walker Little | OT | Stanford | 6ft7 | 309lbs |
| Stone Forsythe | OT | Florida | 6ft9 | 315lbs |
| Dillon Radunz | OT | North Dakota | 6ft6 | 301lbs |
| Tylan Wallace | WR | Oklahoma St | 6ft | 190lbs |
| Josh Palmer | WR | Tenessee | 6ft2 | 209lbs |
| Amon Ra St Brown | WR | USC | 6ft1 | 194lbs |
| Aaron Banks | IOL | Notre Dame | 6ft5 | 338lbs |
| Quinn Merinez | IOL | Wisonsin | 6ft3 | 320lbs |
| Deontet Brown | IOL | Alabama | 6ft3 | 364lbs |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | Notre Dame | 6ft4 | 248lbs |
| Hunter Long | TE | Boston College | 6ft5 | 235lbs |
| Dayo Odeingbo | EDGE | Vanderbilt | 6ft6 | 276lbs |
| Jordan Smith | EDGE | UAB | 6ft6 | 255lbs |
| Rashad Weaver | EDGE | Pittsburgh | 6ft4 | 235lbs |
| Patrick Jones | EDGE | Pittsburgh | 6ft4 | 234lbs |
| Payton Turner | EDGE | Houston | 6ft5 | 270lbs |
| Pete Werner | LB | Ohio State | 6ft2 | 242lbs |
| Dylan Moses | LB | Alabama | 6ft2 | 235lbs |
| Baron Browning | LB | Ohio State | 6ft3 | 241lbs |
| Jamin Davis | LB | Kentucky | 6ft3 | 234lbs |
| Chazz Surrat | LB | North Carolina | 6ft1 | 227lbs |
| Shakur Brown | CB | Michigan State | 6ft | 180lbs |
| Kelvin Joseph | CB | Kentucky | 6ft1 | 192lbs |
| Asante Samuel | CB | Florida State | 5ft10 | 184lbs |
| Andre Cisco | S | Syracuse | 6ft | 209lbs |
| Richie Grant | S | UCF | 6ft | 200lbs |
| Talanoa Hufanga | S | USC | 6ft | 205lbs |
The 3rd round looks like a strong round for defence. Plenty of options at EDGE and LB here, or possibly some high upside development OT if we look to double dip there.
4th Round
| Robert Hainsey | OT | Notre Dame | 6ft4 | 290lbs |
| Spencer Brown | OT | Northern Iowa | 6ft8 | 314lbs |
| D’Ante Smith | OT | East Carolina | 6ft5 | 294lbs |
| Nico Collins | WR | Michigan | 6ft4 | 215lbs |
| Sage Surratt | WR | Wake Forrest | 6ft3 | 215lbs |
| Simi Fehoko | WR | Stanford | 6ft4 | 220lbs |
| Ben Cleveland | IOL | Georgia | 6ft6 | 335lbs |
| Josh Myers | IOL | Ohio State | 6ft4 | 312lbs |
| Tre McKitty | TE | Georgia | 6ft4 | 247lbs |
| Janarius Robinson | EDGE | Florida State | 6ft5 | 266lbs |
| KJ Britt | LB | Auburn | 6ft | 239lbs |
| Ambry Thomas | CB | Michigan | 6ft | 182lbs |
| Trill Williams | CB | Syracuse | 6ft2 | 198lbs |
| Benjamin St Juste | CB | Minnesota | 6ft3 | 200lbs |
| Caden Sterns | S | Texas | 6ft1 | 207lbs |
| Divine Diablo | S | Virginia Tech | 6ft3 | 226lbs |
| Paris Ford | S | Pittsburgh | 5ft11 | 190lbs |
| Damar Hamlin | S | Pittsburgh | 6ft1 | 201lbs |
Plenty of development options here. Some big WRs to take a look at, maybe another Sneed waits in one of the DBs. There are gems there, we just have to find them.
5th Round and beyond
| Austin Watkins | WR | UAB | 6ft3 | 210lbs |
| Tammorian Terry | WR | Florida State | 6ft4 | 209lbs |
| Jaelon Darden | WR | North Texas | 5ft9 | 174lbs |
| David Moore | IOL | Grambling State | 6ft1 | 350lbs |
| Michael Menet | IOL | Penn State | 6ft5 | 273lbs |
| Sadarius Hutchinson | IOL | South Carolina | 6ft4 | 320lbs |
| Drake Jackson | IOL | Kentucky | 6ft2 | 290lbs |
| Chauncey Golston | EDGE | Iowa | 6ft5 | 268lbs |
| Charles Snowden | LB | Virginia | 6ft6 | 232lbs |
| Garret Wallow | LB | TCU | 6ft2 | 230lbs |
| Grant Stuard | LB | Houston | 5ft11 | 230lbs |
| Derrick Barnes | LB | Purdue | 6ft | 245lbs |
| Robert Rochell | CB | Central Arkansas | 6ft | 195lbs |
| DJ Daniel | CB | Georgia | 6ft1 | 185lbs |
| Tre Brown | CB | Oklahoma | 5ft9 | 188lbs |
| Deommodore Lenoir | CB | Oregon | 5ft11 | 202lbs |
| Tariq Thompson | S | San Diego State | 6ft | 200lbs |
A lot of Special Teams fodder here with the outside chance they develop into role players. Good options at IOL again, Golston the EDGE is a personal favourite too.
Dry run Mock Draft
A few players were available at 31 that I liked and I fancied I could still get somewhere high in the 2nd. The Bucs wanted to trade, they gave me a 4th to move up one spot. Too good to pass up. I then offered the Jets 32 for 34 and a 4th, they duly accepted. At this stage the last 1st round player on my board was Mayfield so I took him. So many options at the end of the 2nd round, this is probably the hardest pick, but I went with ‘Baby Gronk’ Pat Freirmuth because the idea of Andy Reid with a pair of TE that can run and catch is too fascinating to pass up. I had multiple 3rd round EDGE at 94 that I liked, in fact I dipped back in at 137 because one was still available there. The pair of 4ths that I picked up in the trades added a big bodied WR in Palmer and IOL depth in Banks. Late rounds were then used to stock up on defence with a pair of CB hoping to find another Sneed along with a replacement for Sorenson for next season.
All told, I’d be very happy with something like this if the board falls well when we do our live mock, but, you never know…
