Mike Miller Goes Wide Receiver In His First Mock Draft

Mike Miller jumps on the wide receiver bandwagon for the Kansas City Chiefs’ first round pick in his first mock draft of the offseason. And, really, who can blame him at this point?

The wide receiver touchdownless Chiefs have a clear need at the position and selecting a wide receiver with that first pick is about non-contravercial as you can get as a draft prognosticator. To Miller’s credit, at least he chose a guy most of the early mocks don’t have the Chiefs taking.

With the 18th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, Mike Miller projects the Chiefs will take Devin Funchess – a wide receiver from Michigan.

Funchess is a fun choice as a guy with great size and athleticism, but I question whether or not he is a fit for the offense. Andy Reid’s offense relies heavily on quality route running and consistently being able to catch the ball. In a lot of ways Funchess seems like a less developed Kelvin Benjamin, a dude who is excellent in jump ball situations but has issues with consistency and running anything other than go routes.

Now, it is totally possible the Chiefs coaching staff could develop Funchess into a more well-rounded wide receiver. And Kansas City could definitely use a big bodied receiver to compete with bigger defensive backs in the red zone. Deity knows the Chiefs could use a complete overhaul of their wide receiver group and a guy like Funchess would in some ways be a guy who would improve certain aspects of the Chiefs offensive.

Still, selecting a project wide receiver with their first round pick may not be the most optimal route for the Chiefs to improve their team. Serious needs at inside linebacker and on the offensive line may be more prudent for the Chiefs’ success in the near and distant future than Funchess. But, again, there are worse picks the Chiefs can make than trying to improve their receiver corps.