KC Chiefs unlikely to begin developmental quarterback pipeline in 2021 NFL Draft

Some of the NFL’s most successful teams in the last couple decades have been able to pull it off—the developmental quarterback pipeline. In doing so, they were consistently able to enjoy staying on top with a bit of security at the most important position in the league only to then ship off those assets in exchange for valuable draft selections to other quarterback needy teams. If you have dreams of the K.C. Chiefs starting such a pipeline, you might have to wait another year.

While the Chiefs do have eight total draft choices to utilize in the 2021 NFL Draft, even a late-round flyer on a quarterback feels like a stretch for this roster that has multiple needs at other positions that could use even a Day 3 roll of the dice. If the Chiefs somehow can’t get to, say, center or cornerback within the first two days of the draft, then taking a prospect or two at those positions is worth making in the late rounds over beginning some sort of QB pipeline.

In an ideal world, the Chiefs would have the bandwidth. They are set, of course, at the position with Patrick Mahomes, and there’s an excellent reason (or 100) why they signed him through the 2031 season. From there, the likes of Chad Henne and Matt Moore have made up the depth chart—aging veterans who have served as both backup and mentor to the NFL’s brightest young star in a generation.

Now as Mahomes is slowly shifting to veteran status, given that this will be his fourth year as a starting quarterback in ’21, the Chiefs begin to think of ramping up the developmental pipeline. If that doesn’t make sense, however, let us remind you of names like Bill Belichick and the Patriots or Ron Wolf and the Green Bay Packers. Both franchises employed a developmental quarterback pipeline for years behind superstar quarterbacks. In doing so, they not only had exciting young arms-in-waiting in case of emergency but they also had tradable assets to leverage at key times.

Nothing is more desperate than a team without a quarterback. This offseason alone, we watched the San Francisco 49ers move heaven and earth in order to land the No. 3 spot in the ’21 NFL Draft to land their franchise quarterback—likely Alabama’s Mac Jones, per reports. Despite plenty of previously heralded quarterbacks, there are still numerous teams trying to make something—anything!—work at the position without success. From the Chicago Bears signing Andy Dalton to the Carolina Panthers trading for Sam Darnold, teams are desperate for hope at QB.

That’s why those teams like the Packers and Patriots were smart to draft and develop quarterbacks later in specific draft classes in order to keep the pipeline flowing. The stocks of those players who’ve been able to sit and learn behind the NFL’s best players are often inflated, and the Chiefs would certainly benefit from this. Imagine a fifth round pick who gets to learn from Andy Reid and watch Patrick Mahomes every day for two to three years. You think another team isn’t flipping a third-round pick for him later on? Of course they will.

Still, while it sounds good to start that sort of pipeline down the road, if we’re looking at what to expect from the upcoming NFL Draft at each position, we have to admit that it doesn’t feel like the right time just yet for the Chiefs to plant seeds at the quarterback position. This is a team in win-now mode with some very real positional needs in the present and near futures. While that’s true for every team, the Chiefs’ recent draft history has hurt the developmental window in a few places (linebacker, defensive end, offensive tackle) and depth is needed via draft investments.

Maybe next year will be the year we can pay attention to intriguing late-round quarterback prospects, but this year feels like another year in which luxury picks are set aside. That certainly includes starting any draft-and-develop pipeline at QB.