2018 NFL mock draft: Chiefs meet most needs in 4-round effort

Fourth Round

122. Kansas City Chiefs, Chad Thomas, EDGE, Miami (FL)

At long last, the Chiefs finally make a pick to strengthen their rotation of pass rushers. In an ideal world, Chad Thomas would largely sit and watch for most of the season so that the primary snaps could go to Justin Houston, Dee Ford and Tanoh Kpassagnon, but Ford is coming off of a serious back injury and Kpassagnon was still raw at season’s end. The Chiefs do have other options who could grow into the role, including Dadi Nicolas and Ukeme Eligwe but those are even bigger stretches than the first two.

Thomas isn’t exactly a sure thing himself, but that’s why he’s available here in the fourth round. He does have the ideal size at 6’6, 275 lbs. to play the role, and last season for the Canes he had 12.5 tackles for loss including 5.5 sacks.

124. Kansas City Chiefs, Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa

This will be the first fruits from the Marcus Peters trade, and picking up a productive linebacker isn’t a bad start (let’s be honest, nothing will live up to the shadow cast by Peters). Josey Jewell has been making numerous tackles in the heartland for some time, producing in the face of a lack of buzz ever since he was in high school. He won’t wow scouts in any particular category, but the game tape always tells the truth and Josey is a productive performer who woudl slot in well next to Reggie Ragland in the middle of the Chiefs defense.

For the Chiefs, the need for a linebacker will depend on whether or not they re-sign Kevin Pierre-Louis and what they feel about Ukeme Eligwe. They’ve already lost Derrick Johnson, so adding a productive experienced performer like Jewell.