2020 NFL Draft guide, part 1: Chiefs needs and player matches
By Thomas Welte
An in-depth overview of the Kansas City Chiefs roster needs, and how the 2020 NFL Draft can help the Chiefs repeat as Superbowl champions.
While the rest of the world is standing still, the childhood dreams of hundreds of young football players are about to be fulfilled. The Kansas City Chiefs sit atop the football world, coming off their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years. The team has already made it clear that they plan on repeating, but to do that, they will need to maximize their draft capital in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Kansas City has had a quiet offseason but crucial moves have been made to keep core players. Most recently, the Chiefs and Sammy Watkins were able to renegotiate a deal that created much-needed cap space, which allowed the polarizing playmaker to remain in K.C. for one more season. The team has also brought back Mike Pennel, Demarcus Robinson, and Anthony Sherman.
The Chiefs are strapped for cash, however, and have seen some key departures. Kendall Fuller, Emmanuel Ogbah, Reggie Ragland, and Stefen Wisniewski all signed elsewhere in free agency. Each of these players saw significant playing time during a championship season.
Where does that leave the Chiefs roster? Often people look at their favorite NFL team and only consider its current state. For this guide, we will do our best to project three years down the road and consider what the team will look like in 2021 and 2022 as well. The NFL Draft is, after all, about building for the future.
Two Assumptions
This evaluation of team needs makes two big assumptions:
- The Chiefs will come to a long-term agreement with Patrick Mahomes within the next 12 months
- The Chiefs will retain Chris Jones, as they have repeatedly stated their desire to do.
These two assumptions factor in heavily, not only in terms of the value each player offers at their respective positions but to understand the makeup of the salary cap for Kansas City. Jones and Mahomes will likely take up a top portion of the salary for the foreseeable future. Frank Clark, Tyrann Mathieu, and Tyreek Hill all have contracts on the books for this period as well. The salary cap is projected to increase, but Kansas City will have to find value in free agency and the draft to maintain a championship roster.