2020 NFL Draft: Chiefs land cornerback, offensive line help in 3-round mock

3rd round – No. 93 overall – Markus Bailey, LB, Purdue

While this is the least exciting of the three picks made by the Chiefs in this mock draft, that shouldn’t surprise us given that it’s in the third round (late third at that). It should be less exciting by definition.

That’s not intended as a knock on Markus Bailey. If you’ve watched much Big Ten football this season, you’ll know Bailey is a well-respected lineman known for his leadership, toughness, and intelligence on the field who was a captain for the Boilermakers.

In a four-man front, Bailey was tasked with playing both outside linebacker slots and given a wider range of tasks than what will be asked of him on the pro level. While at Purdue, he was often responsible to play passing downs and cover routes as they developed upfield, it’s hard to imagine an NFL team wanting him to do the same to avoid obvious mismatches.

For the Chiefs, Reggie Ragland comes off the books in 2020 as does Darron Lee. Neither linebacker is overly utilized, but Damien Wilson is free in 2021 and the high cost of Anthony Hitchens‘ contract could be cast aside by ’21 as well if the Chiefs wanted to reallocate their funds.

Adding Bailey would add instant experience and leadership in a young prospect who could provide instant help on early downs with an obvious escalating role in years to come as the Chiefs have a need. Dave Toub would also likely love having a player of Bailey’s make-up on the roster for years to come.

The biggest downside here for a mid-round linebacker like Bailey is that his health history is simply not good. He lost a season to a torn ACL in 2015 and suffered another season-ending knee injury just last September. He hopes to prove he’s healthy by the time the draft rolls around, of course, but such medical flags might remove him from draft boards entirely—which is why the third round grade just feels high, even one this late.