2018 NFL Draft grades: Kansas City Chiefs earned mixed reviews on Day 2

The 2018 NFL Draft is finished through three rounds and the Chiefs have concentrated on getting younger and deeper on defense.

The Kansas City Chiefs got better on Friday night. Just how much remains to be seen.

Brett Veach raised some eyebrows with his opening salvo as a general manager in the 2018 NFL Draft. Left without a first round pick in the Patrick Mahomes trade, Veach wasn’t able to showcase his approach until Day 2 of the draft, on Friday night, but it didn’t take long to show some aggression.

The Chiefs made two different trades on the night to move up and make their first two selections. For the first move, they moved up 8 spots to select Breeland Speaks, a defensive end/outside linebacker from Ole Miss at No. 46 overall. One round later, they traded a fourth round pick to be able to move up and take defensive lineman Derrick Nnadi at No. 75.

The Chiefs ended their draft run, and the entire night, with the evening’s last selection in Clemson linebacker Dorian O’Daniel at No. 100 overall.

Here’s a bit more on what scouts/analysts are saying about each of the newest Chiefs.

Breeland Speaks, DL/LB, Ole Miss

Mike Mayock:

"Good football player. Undervalued until tonight. Teams value his inside-out versatility. I think he can play base end but kick inside on interior sub-packages. He’s got some juice. He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s relentless."

Bleacher Report:

"The Chiefs, with no first-round pick and needs all over their aging defense, reached way too deep down the draft board here. At least he’s a system fit for their scheme."

CBS Sports:

"This is a little high for him, but they do need pass-rush help. He had seven sacks last year and is an interesting prospect."

Pro Football Weekly:

"The Chiefs have been antsy, reportedly trying to trade into the back end of Thursday. Unable to pull that off, they slide up seven spots to get a defensive lineman who was a one-year wonder. But Speaks is big and strong and plays with some fire. Bob Sutton will like this player, but he might not be ready made for major snaps."

Fansided:

"The Chiefs desperately needed to add some help on the defensive front, but Speaks is a reach. Kansas City is hoping that Speaks turns into a pass-rusher alongside Justin Houston and Chris Jones. Still, tough to get excited here."

Derrick Nnadi, DL, Florida State

Mike Mayock:

"I think he’s one of the best run defenders in all of college football. He had great eyes."

CBS Sports:

"They take a run plugger to help up front. He will be a rotation player early."

Pro Football Weekly:

"Grade: B- Decent value here, although it’s going to be interesting to see how they use him. Nnadi’s biggest deficiency is his size, and he really is a solid player all the way around. Will he be special? I doubt it. But I also think he could be a nice contributor if he’s a shaded nose tackle on first and second downs."

SB Nation:

"Grade: Iffy to fine. Nnadi’s hard to move. He’s also not Maurice Hurst."

Fansided:

"Nnadi comes in and will play inside and at nose for the Chiefs. He had 11.5 sacks during his time with the Florida State Seminoles, but his best attribute is getting the ballcarrier on the ground."

Dorian O’Daniel, LB, Clemson

Mike Mayock:

"Kind of looks and runs like a safety. Undersized linebacker goes sideline to sideline. This is a good football player."

SB Nation:

"Grade: Good. A tackling machine who took part in 12 run stuffs and defensed seven passes. Versatile dude."

Fansided:

"A senior at Clemson, the 223-pounder comes out to Kansas City. The Chiefs are getting some help on special teams and depth behind Anthony Hitchens and Reggie Ragland."