KC Chiefs 2021 draft class is already loaded before it even begins

As the 2021 NFL Draft sets to kick off on Thursday night with the opening round and the first 32 official selections, the K.C. Chiefs are likely to be quiet. However, it’s also true that the team has already put together the makings of an impressive “class” before the draft even begins.

At this point, the Chiefs are very unlikely to be selecting anyone in the draft’s first round given that they traded away their pick at No. 31 overall to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Orlando Brown Jr. The investment of that selection, however, gives the Chiefs an incredible beginning to the list of players this draft class will be remembered for. In fact, it was the best possible use of their resources given the value and the need.

In this draft, consider that the Chiefs were going to need to make a major move up front to solidify the left tackle position. The fact that the Chiefs traded their first, third, and fourth round selections in this deal tells you that they didn’t like their chances to sit and wait for a prospect to fall to them.

Even in a tackle-heavy draft, there’s no “sure thing” on which any team can bank, and given where the Chiefs were selecting, the choices were going to be even thinner. At the very least, it was somewhat likely that the Chiefs would have traded up in the draft to secure one of the better prospects like a Christian Darrisaw-type of player, but that would have also required a likely third round choice and more to move up enough to get there.

The Chiefs 2021 draft class is already looking great.

Instead of banking on a rookie, the Chiefs secured a two-time Pro Bowl player who will only be 25-years-old before he suits up in Week 1 for the Chiefs. He’s versatile and can play both bookend roles at an elite level and is hungry to showcase that he was worthy of such an investment. He’s also going to be on his best behavior on and off the field as he seeks a long-term contract extension from the Chiefs, who hold all the leverage as he’s still on his rookie deal with franchise tags yet to come.

Along with Orlando Brown Jr., it’s also important to note that the Chiefs draft class this year is going to include a third-round selection from last year in Lucas Niang. Niang is a talented bookend as well and would have likely slotted in at right tackle once Mitchell Schwartz went down in Week 6 last season, had he been prepared. Instead, Niang decided to sit out the season and will join the Chiefs for his rookie campaign in ’21.

This means that Niang is technically a rookie in 2021 with a contract that will run through 2025. While the Chiefs missed out on his growth and performance last season, it also gives them more security and cost-controlled talent up front as the line gets expensive in other places. Consider Niang a redshirt talent who is now joining the Chiefs with another fellow tackle, giving them an option at right tackle who once looked like a franchise option at TCU.

Coming into draft weekend, the Chiefs only have six picks, including two through the draft’s first three rounds. However, the class has already started to take shape as with the next generation of offensive tackles before the weekend even begins. That’s already an impressive haul.