The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of a (sort of) regression after losing the Super Bowl last year and not getting there this year. I’d like to say that with a strong approach in free agency that the Chiefs could get back to the championship-winning team they were, but given the lack of cap space currently available, the Chiefs might not hit the ground running in free agency as they have in recent years.
What makes things more concerning when it comes to free agency is that other teams do have the money to make some major moves. Two of those include the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills who are arguably the biggest year-to-year threats to the Chiefs going forward, at least in the AFC.
You already know that the Bills are going to be hungry given they way they lost to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. The Bengals lost to the Rams in the Super Bowl and know what it’s like to get so close to the Lombardi. I’d say it’d be a pretty safe assumption that both are going to be aggressive in free agency. Given that, the Chiefs need to find a way to hit on their draft selections this year and make sure they are making the most out of the options available.
As we look ahead to the draft a bit, who are some of the players the Chiefs should target with their first-round pick?
Drake London, WR, USC
Drake London has been tied to the Kansas City Chiefs for awhile now in various mock drafts, and can I just say on behalf of the Chiefs community that if this happens, we should be thanking Brett Veach. London is exactly what we need.
Strengths
Drake London is a wide receiver from USC, and is definitely one of the best receivers from a talent perspective that I’ve seen come out of there. I mean, Michael Pittman Jr. was a very good receiver and Amon-Ra St. Brown is very good, but London is on a different level that those two. On top of being a very athletic receiver, London is also great at making a catch in traffic, which isn’t really all that surprising given his size at 6’5″.
With that combined skill set, a great pro comparison would be a Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals) with a higher ceiling. London is a faster receiver than Higgins, better with his route nuances, can create separation better, and he’s also surprisingly good after the catch as well.
I know most of us here probably wish that we had a Tee Higgins talent on the other side of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Well, he’s right there at our fingertips. All we need is Brett Veach to pull the trigger on the pick.
Weaknesses
London is one of the better receivers in this class and there really aren’t a lot of flaws in his game. However, the biggest thing is the fact that when it comes to creating separation, he doesn’t do a great job when running curls, comebacks, or dig routes.
As a bigger receiver, he doesn’t have the ability to create separation by dropping his hips in and out of his cuts. It’s not uncommon to see in receivers of London’s caliber, but it’s something that you notice on his film. If it’s noticeable on film as a receiver at USC, seeing how he gets around that at the next level will be interesting to see.
London also doesn’t beat his man downfield with speed. He has great burst that gives him the speed to beat his man on quick fades or post routes, but his long speed is not great. Once again, it’s not a huge deal because he still has terrific hands downfield that allow him to be a deep threat and a possession receiver, but it’s something that’s noticed on film.
How He Fits With the Kansas City Chiefs
London is a phenomenal receiver and despite the few weaknesses in his game, he will still be a very good receiver at the next level. Additionally, he gives the Chiefs the thing they’ve been lacking: a 50/50 receiver.
The Chiefs thought they had that in Chris Conley, but that didn’t quite pan out. I mean, I suppose even if you look at their current roster they have potential in Jody Fortson, but I don’t know the organization’s plans with Fortson once he returns. That is where this London pick really shines.
I’d expect London to walk into training camp as a competitor for the WR2/WR3 spot, but by the end of camp be walking away as the wide receiver two. More than likely a receiver that they’ll line up on the other side of Hill in order to try and keep coverage on the outside than over the middle.
Using London as a decoy would give Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman, or Byron Pringle (if he returns) a chance over the middle.
Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: this is the Kansas City Chiefs first-round selection if London is gone. Heck, even if London isn’t gone they should still consider Enagbare one of the top choices at pick 30.
Strengths
Enagbare is a top-tier edge rusher when you consider everything that he offers. When you see a guy who is 6’3″ and 270 lbs. you don’t expect him to be an athletic freak. When it comes to Enagbare, there are no limitations to his game given his full potential. He shows consistency with his ability to beat tackles using his God-given traits. Athleticism is one of the most important traits in a defensive end, and Enagbare definitely has that.
Not only does he show an elite level of athleticism on film, but Enagbare uses his athleticism by translating it to speed and strength off the edge. With elite burst after he beats the tackles, he puts his speed on full display. Yet he also shows strength with his ability to finish the tackles. After disengaging from the block he is able to use his speed to get to the football quickly.
When you look at some of the pass rushers in the NFL, you may notice that not many of them are able to combine their speed to create strength and vice versa. Enagbare can do just that. With the ability to move the opposition off the first step, he can pretty much man-handle anyone who tries to block him.
If the Kansas City Chiefs have the ability to draft him with pick 30, they should take it and never look back.
Weaknesses
Run stopping is arguably one of the hardest things to grade for an edge rusher. Unfortunately, Enagbare struggles with this. Making the decision rather to play for a run or play for a pass, it’s not easy by any stretch. That’s why teams will rotate guys early and late. On early downs, they are primarily looking for a run attempt. Moreover, if you look at a late down defensive line, they will probably get more pressure on the quarterback because they are playing for the pass.
Now, there is no question that Enagbare is in fact an elite pass rusher and a pretty good run stopper. However, most of his run stops happen on failed blocking attempts. With his speed and strength, he usually makes a misdirection to beat the tackle and make his way into the backfield. Once he does that, it’s just a matter of finishing the play. However, where he struggles is making the tackle on outside zone runs.
Enagbare is a truly great pass rusher, but his football IQ part is, far and away, the worst part of his game. With obvious problems when diagnosing run plays, he always thinks pass and adjusts to the run. Now, you can’t say he doesn’t make up for his mistakes given his effort, but he does have problems reading certain plays.
How He Fits With the Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs’ weakest point on the defensive side of the ball has to be at pass rush or safety. Enagbare, well he doesn’t play safety but he does played defensive end which helps the Chiefs out greatly. Between Frank Clark (if he returns), Mike Danna, and Joshua Kaindoh, there just isn’t enough firepower for the Kansas City Chiefs pass rush.
With the limited cap space that the Kansas City Chiefs have, they will need to make sure they obtain a day one starting edge rusher. Enagbare meets every requirement that the Chiefs could want from a potential pass rusher. He has the athleticism, speed, strength, hand usage, motor, and explosiveness that makes him a threat. He will be a great pick for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
Kaiir Elam has been one of my favorite cornerbacks in the draft since the beginning of the season. If the Chiefs can find a way to add him into their secondary, I’d have absolutely no problems with it at all.
Strengths
Kaiir Elam, as I said above, has been one of my favorite cornerbacks in the draft since the beginning of the season.
Now, there isn’t a lot of concerns nor strengths to his game. Elam is one of the more versatile coverage cornerbacks in this draft, and that’s what’s going to make him a good draft pick for any team. He has the ability to fit into just about any scheme and have his good traits stand out.
When it comes to man coverage, Elam is best when he is at the line and can get his hands on the receiver early. He is an aggressive cornerback and doesn’t shy away from the physical part of the game and it shows. With his ability to be physical at the line, it’s very possible that he will start the season trying to match up with the bigger receivers at the line. Of course, that’s just speculation.
Looking at there versatile part of his game, Elam also shows very good skills in zone coverage. Elam’s length and ball skills help him make plays and makes the quarterback find tight gaps in the coverage. Also being the aggressive cornerback that he is, he doesn’t show many problems when attacking the ball in front of him.
He is a very smart football player as well which is going to be good for the Chiefs to consider. This past season, the Chiefs had a tendency to have games with lots of penalties or make hot headed choices in the moment that would cost the team greatly. However, Elam shows the cool head it takes to play smart and not draw penalties.
Weaknesses
Elam is one of the better cornerbacks in this draft, but it is definitely worth mentioning his subpar athleticism. Now, that isn’t saying that he isn’t athletic compared to most of us, but when looking at his film, the athleticism part of his game is average. He isn’t very fast which could make him a liability to cover against the opposition’s speed receivers.
Elam also has a hard time when it comes to tackling. However, that is something that can be taught and developed. Honestly, it’s not even that he can’t tackle, it’s that he has a tendency to take bad angles when attacking the runner. The angles he takes often leads to some missed tackles which is a problem, especially being in the secondary. We, as Chiefs fans, can’t afford to have missed tackles in the secondary especially given our potential safety issues.
How he Fits with the Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have a real need for some defensive back help. With Mathieu’s future uncertain, along with Chavarius Ward and Daniel Sorensen hitting free agency, the Chiefs will be thin in the secondary.
Now, maybe you guys trust Juan Thornhill to take the necessary step up if the Chiefs are unable to re-sign Mathieu, but It doesn’t fix the fact that the Chiefs are going to be thin at the cornerback position. That’s where Elam comes into play.
Kaiir Elam’s length, versatility, and ball skills makes him a huge asset. He also gives the Chiefs a cornerback who can cover players like Mike Williams, Tee Higgins, and Bryan Edwards. L’Jarius Sneed is a good cornerback, but he has struggled guarding those receivers in the past, but those are the types of receivers that Elam can cover with ease.