2019 NFL mock draft: Kansas City Chiefs take Oshane Ximines in first round

The latest mock draft from Matt Miller at Bleacher Report has the Kansas City Chiefs taking a small school edge rusher in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs have sat at or near the top in overall sacks for the entirety of the 2019 NFL season. Thus it might seem a bit weird for the team to select yet another edge rusher in the coming 2019 NFL Draft, but that’s exactly what Bleacher Report analyst Matt Miller thinks could happen in his latest mock draft.

The Chiefs pick No. 31 in Miller’s latest mock, and that puts them in position to grab Oshane Ximines, a small school edge rusher out of Old Dominion. He writes:

"Ximines is a small-school player with excellent speed and agility to turn the corner as an outside pass-rusher. Plugged into the Chiefs’ 3-4 scheme, he would bring the burst of Ford with the upside of more consistency on a cheaper salary."

The Chiefs have already made plenty of investments in the front seven in recent years. Last year, they traded up in the second round to get Breeland Speaks and then switched him to outside linebacker. The team also selected defensive lineman Derrick Nnadi and linebacker Dorian O’Daniel in the third round. During the previous season, the team selected outside linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon in the second round between offensive stars Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt.

With Justin Houston still on the books for $21 million in 2019, the Chiefs could decide to make the hard decision and cut him outright—which would still sting with a dead cap hit of $7.1 million. Perhaps their defensive leader would be amenable to a contract restructure. Dee Ford, a former first-round investment, chose the right time to get healthy and show off his pass rushing prowess because he’s been a dark horse for Defensive Player of the Year all season. He’s also about the get very, very expensive.

With so much cheap talent on the roster, it makes more sense for the team to move on from at least one expensive player and roll the dice by developing the talent they already have. If they made that move (such as letting Ford hit free agency or cutting Houston), then adding yet another body to the mix would be a smart move to keep the pass rush intensity where it needs to stay.

Ximines, a 6’4, 255 lb. linebacker, set a new school record with 11.5 sacks in 2018 (and 32.5 in his collegiate career) and also had 18 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles for the Monarchs.