2020 mock draft: J.K. Dobbins, Kenneth Murray linked to Chiefs

The latest mock drafts from around the web show the Kansas City Chiefs linked with a new slate of prospects at intriguing positions.

Every week, we take a look at various mock drafts published here and there to get a good sense of where the Kansas City Chiefs are expected to pick and how they might find the best values at that slot in the 2020 NFL Draft.

This week, we’ve got a few new prospects who have never been previously linked to the Chiefs, at least from what we’ve seen, which is nice to consider a few new faces and even a new position of linebacker if this CBS Sports mock is correct.

Let’s take a closer look at this round of prospects and weigh in with our take next to what some of the draft analysts or experts are also saying.

Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

The stats:

In 2019, Murray had 102 total tackles, including 17 for a loss, and 4 sacks.

They say:

"The Chiefs defense has improved as the season has progressed, but they struggled to find consistency from their linebackers. Murray changes that. He is undersized but he flies all over the field, and has sideline-to-sideline speed, the ability to make plays in the backfield and the athleticism to cover RBs and TEs."

We say:

Murray’s speed is well-documented but he surprisingly packs plenty of punch as he catches up with the ball carrier with his stout 6’2, 235 lb. frame. A solid tackler, Murray is an all-around beast who won’t embarrass himself in coverage but is a definite asset in assessing the run and taking the right angle to get to the back.

The Chiefs have struggled to find above average performers in the linebacking corps, although it’s been nice to see Anthony Hitchens improve in Steve Spagnuolo’s system after struggling under Bob Sutton’s schemes and with early season injuries this year. Unfortunately Hitch’s cap hit jumps from $5.2 million this year to over $12M next season and remains over $10M for each of the next two seasons thereafter.

Damien Wilson is another solid tackler to support the run, but he’s a free agent after the 2020 season. Meanwhile, this spring, the Chiefs are scheduled to lose Darron Lee and Reggie Ragland from the current batch of linebackers.

Given the overall thin nature of the position as it is with no single prospect with an exceptional ceiling, the investment in Murray would make sense to elevate the position overall, provide long-term security with a new starter in the middle and alleviate the long-term costs to Hitchens if necessary.