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Why the Chiefs should reach for Henry Ruggs III (or another elite wide receiver)

By Jordan Mannix

TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 21: Henry Ruggs III #11 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a touchdown after catching a pass during a game against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Alabama defeated Southern Miss 49-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 21: Henry Ruggs III #11 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a touchdown after catching a pass during a game against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Alabama defeated Southern Miss 49-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Kansas City Chiefs
BOULDER, CO – OCTOBER 25: Laviska Shenault Jr. #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball for a 73-yard touchdown catch against the USC Trojans in the third quarter of a game at Folsom Field on October 25, 2019 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) (Kansas City Chiefs) /

Peter King dropped a bombshell this past weekend insinuating the Kansas City Chiefs are very interested in trading up to take Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III. Is there any stock to this idea?

The Kansas City Chiefs have the best receiving corps in the entire NFL. I’m not sure there’s anyone that would argue that point. Tyreek Hill is a top-three-to-five wide receiver, Travis Kelce is the best receiving tight end in the league, Sammy Watkins is a dynamic threat when healthy, and the team undoubtedly has high hopes for Mecole Hardman after a stellar rookie season.

This is not a position of need, in any way shape or form, at least on the surface. That’s why Peter King’s proclamation was so surprising. Reportedly, the Chiefs are not just interested in drafting a wide receiver with the 32nd overall pick in this week’s NFL Draft, they are actively looking to move up if Alabama speedster Henry Ruggs III falls into the early to mid-20s.

I’ll be frank; when I first saw this, I laughed. The Chiefs have many other positions that they need to target in order to defend their Super Bowl title in 2020. Wide receiver would presumably be far down that list. Yet the more I thought about it the more drafting a wide receiver seemed like a plausible move for the team.

There are a couple big ifs. The biggest is whether or not Henry Ruggs III indeed falls into the range Brett Veach could make a reasonable move. I don’t necessarily see that happening, unless there’s something the public doesn’t know that has general managers cautious. The second is if there’s another receiver of a similar skill set the Chiefs have their eye on.

Either way, let’s address the reasons why the Kansas City Chiefs taking a wide receiver with their first pick isn’t such a crazy idea after all. The first thing most fans will say is that we are loaded at wide receiver. This is indeed accurate, but there are some caveats to address.

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