The Kansas City Chiefs have three glaring needs
Rob Havenstein Jersey entering the 2022 NFL Draft. They're lacking a No. 1 wide receiver after trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. The team's pa s-rushing depth chart is currently both underwhelming and shockingly shallow, with Frank Clark and Mike Danna as the only two defensive ends with noteworthy NFL experience. Their cornerback group lost Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes in free agency, leaving L'Jarius Sneed, Rashad Fenton and Deandre Baker as the team's top three corners.That's the bad news for the Chiefs. The good news? The team has eight picks through the first four rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, including two first-round picks at No. 29 and No. 30 overall. How can the Chiefs make the biggest dent in their list of needs? That was the question to answer as we began the 2022 first-round mock draft.All 32 first-round picks were made by publishers and reporters from 's .Each writer included a paragraph to support their selections, but for the edition of the draft, we're just including the additional analysis for some of the Chiefs' most likely potential selections and positions of interest. Also worth noting: there were no trades allowed in this mock, so KC stuck with their two first-round selections. For more coverage of each of these teams, click the team's name to visit their site below.A mock draft selected by writers who cover each team creates an interesting challenge, perhaps adding a bit of inside information that can't be replicated in a typical mock draft simulator. In this case, I wasn't thrilled with how one position group panned out, but the Chiefs were still able to add two extremely enticing players at No. 29 and 30.By now, it's no secret that the Falcons need a No. 1 receiver. The current top option is Olamide Zaccheaus, who finished with only 31 catches as the team's No. 3 playmaker. Wilson has the highest upside of any receiver in the cla s and is a plug-and-play replacement for Calvin Ridley on the perimeter. -- After addre sing the defensive line with the No. 4 pick, it's time to give QB Zach Wilson another weapon on offense. New York may try to trade back here, or use this pick to go after a proven commodity at the wide receiver position, but with Garrett Wilson off the board, London is the pick for Gang Green. -- With the top defensive backs
Gerald Everett Jersey off the board, the Vikings take the most electrifying receiver in the draft. Adam Thielen is getting up there in age, new head coach Kevin O'Connell wants to spread things out, and the Vikings don't have a ton of depth at receiver. Williams is coming off an ACL injury, but his speed paired with Justin Jefferson would be scary for opposing defenses. -- Houston likely is willing to listen to offers for this pick, but in this scenario, the franchise stays put. The Texans need speed and stability opposite Brandin Cooks. Olave is the top route-runner in the cla s and uses his 4.3 speed to
Greg Zuerlein Jersey create separation either on the boundary or in the slot. He'll become another weapon for Davis Mills in Year 2. -- The Eagles had just 29 sacks last year and, while they added pa s rush specialist Haason Reddick in free agency, they could always use more. -- Dotson is speedy will give Jameis Winston the vertical threat he needs from his receiving corps. He may be available at mid-season, which is fine for New Orleans since Michael Thomas is returning. -- For third year in a row, Eagles go WR in first round. -- Green Bay has a huge need at receiver, in case you hadn't heard, after trading Davante Adams. However, with the Big 6 off the board, we tackle another need and grab Karlaftis, one of the Big Ten's numerous standouts on the edge. A world-cla s water polo player as a kid in Athens, he'll add critical depth alongside Rashan Gary
Kayvon Webster Jersey and Preston Smith at outside linebacker. -- With six receivers and the top edge rushers off the board, the Cardinals go back to Washington (see safety Budda Baker, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.) to replenish their corner depth. However, there will be a temptation to select a top interior offensive lineman. -- The Bills fill an immediate need here without having to reach. Elam is tall and plays even bigger, with a 6-4 wingspan. He's a willing tackler who sometimes overruns plays. That flaw can be coached. His 4.39-second time in the 40 cannot. -- The run of first-round receivers leaves George Pickens as the last man standing. The Packers might rejoice to get the 6-foot-3, field-stretching receiver who has been under the radar a bit due to the torn ACL that kept him out of most of last season. -- If the Chiefs stand pat with the No. 29 and No. 30 overall picks, they're going to select prospects with pros and cons. By selecting David Ojabo, the Chiefs would land an outrageously talented player who checks more
Malcolm Brown Jersey of Steve Spagnuolo's preferred criteria than other pa s-rushers available at the end of the first round. Of course, coming off a Pro Day Achilles injury, Ojabo has a ma sive hurdle to clear as he begins his NFL career, but that risk is the reason he's available at No. 29 in the first place. If the Chiefs do start with Ojabo, they'll have to double-down at EDGE in the second day of the draft, but with the short-term and long-term needs the Chiefs have at the position, double-dipping with pa s-rushers is fine by me.In a first round where six wide receivers were drafted with the first 18 picks and George Pickens was taken No. 28, Andrew Booth is the most exciting player to slide to 30 as a day-one solution to one of the Chiefs' biggest problems. In this world, the Chiefs could use their remaining ammunition to move up in the second round to take their choice of the remaining cla s of receivers after narrowly mi sing out on Pickens. If KC could land John Metchie III, Christian Watson or Skyy Moore in Day 2, KC's list of needs would dramatically decrease.Scroll to Continue
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