Chad Reuter believes KC Chiefs should trade up in first round for OT

As pre-draft season nears, thoughts on the 2021 NFL Draft and what should happen during the three-day event is intensifying. Not only are we seeing mock drafts published every day across the internet, but now we’re also seeing some trade ideas coming through. Chad Reuter, Draft Analyst for the NFL’s official site, believes it makes sense for the K.C. Chiefs to move up in the first round to get their new franchise left tackle.

In his latest column, Reuter suggests seven trades that “make sense” for the draft’s first round, and he has the Chiefs swapping early selections with the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up a handful of spots.

Specifically, Reuter has the Chiefs sending No. 31 overall along with additional fourth and fifth round picks in order to secure the rights to No. 25 overall. The Chiefs have two additional selections at the end of those rounds thanks to the compensatory picks provided by the NFL for teams who lose significant free agents last spring. For the Chiefs, those picks came via losing cornerback Kendall Fuller (Washington Football Team) and pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah (Miami Dolphins).

For the Jags, Reuter believes the extra picks give Urban Meyer even more chances to find help for a young roster without sliding out of the first round. For the Chiefs, it’s the chance to leap over a few teams who might further drain the talent pool at offensive line. This draft is rich in offensive tackles looking to make the leap to the pro level, but there are also a lot of teams who will be interested in adding them. At No. 25, Reuter believes the Chiefs could grab something in the range of OT5.

Chad Reuter suggests the KC Chiefs could trade up with the Jaguars in the first round.

The Chiefs released their longtime left tackle, a former first overall selection back in the 2013 NFL Draft, when they decided to move on from Eric Fisher. Fisher had developed into a two-time Pro Bowl talent who looked like he still had a lot left in the tank. However, he tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship game and his price tag combined with his advancing age and long-term recovery created a difficult situation all around.

As of now the Chiefs are often linked to the likes of Samuel Cosmi, Alex Leatherwood, Liam Eichenberg and others in mock drafts but we’ll wait to see who they take at No. 31. Or maybe Reuter is right and they’ll be taking someone just a bit higher up in the draft order.