2020 NFL Draft guide, part 1: Chiefs needs and player matches
By Thomas Welte
Evaluating the roster long term over three years has some challenges, but after sitting down and figuring projections, things become a bit clearer. It helps to have the most important position in football secure. They also have crucial positions on both sides of the trenches locked up for two years or longer.
For the sake of this exercise, let’s assign each position a value from 1-10, rounded to the closest whole number. This is based on a value assigned to each player based on ability, adjusted each year on projected development or regression, and then averaged over the three-season span (2020, 2021, 2022). The math is boring but based on this basic formula the biggest strengths of the roster are:
Position (Average player grade):
- Quarterback (6)
- Defensive Tackle (5)
- Wide Receiver (4)
- Tight End (4)
- Safety (4).
The Chiefs have some glaring weak spots, primarily on the offensive line and the back half of the defense. The lowest average position groups are as follows:
Position (Average player grade):
- Linebackers (2)
- Cornerbacks (2)
- Running Backs (2)
- Interior Offensive Line (3)
- Offensive Tackle (3)
These results should not be particularly shocking to anyone who follows the Chiefs. There will always be additional factors to consider, but from a pure evaluation of the current roster, we have a fairly consistent view of where the roster is thinnest.
It is worth noting that this only accounted for the two Chiefs cornerbacks on the roster who have starting experience. Two other spots were factored in as zeroes. Additionally, the defensive end position may be an area of concern as it is carried by a high grade from Frank Clark but doesn’t have anyone else with a starter level grade.
For the 2020 NFL Draft we will consider the following the top needs for Kansas City:
- Linebacker
- Cornerback
- Running Back
- Interior Offensive Line
- Offensive Tackle
- Defensive End