The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for a very important offseason. The team was one bad half of football away from appearing in their third straight Super Bowl. Now the roster needs some smart turnover to ensure they can not only stay one of the league’s top contenders, but come out on top and hoist the Lombardi Trophy once again.
I think most fans agree that the most pressing need is to revamp the defense. The Chiefs have already released Anthony Hitchens and they have decisions to make with other key players like Frank Clark, Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward, and Melvin Ingram. Depending on what happens with those players they could be looking at a major makeover of both the defensive front and the secondary. Despite all of that, is it possible that the Chiefs may target another elite offensive playmaker in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?
If your gut reaction to that question is a resounding no, hear me out for a second. I’m not here to convince you that reloading on the defensive side isn’t the top priority this offseason. I’m in total agreement with that. However, I feel like we’ve seen that Brett Veach likes to enter the draft with his biggest needs already met so that he doesn’t have to gamble on hitting on his first round pick to fix it. We saw that with the trade for Frank Clark and we saw it again last season with the trade for Orlando Brown.
Should the Chiefs make a first-round investment at wide receiver?
I believe that Veach is going to want to come out of free agency with most of his defensive starters intact. That way he can take more of a best player available approach to the draft instead of potentially reaching to fill a specific need. Does that mean that the Chiefs won’t draft for defense in the first round? Of course not, but if the Chiefs find themselves on the board in the first round and the best player on their board is a wide receiver I don’t think they’ll hesitate to pull the trigger, especially considering how they have struggled to fill their number two wideout spot since Sammy Watkins left town.
The interesting thing about this year’s wide receiver class is that there isn’t a consensus top guy. I looked at nine different sets of wide receiver rankings and in them there were four different guys that were listed as the top wideout in them. Those four being Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Jameson Williams, and Treylon Burks. On top of that, there were two other receivers that finished in the top 32 overall, Chris Olave and Jahan Dotson, with some rankings even having those two over some of the top four guys.
Over the past five seasons there has been an average of 3.6 wide receivers taken in the first round. That average was raised by strong classes the past two seasons with 5 taken in the first round last year and 6 taken in the first round in 2020. So history says there is a good chance that one of those top six guys will still be on the board when KC is on the clock. Plus, with how there is such discrepancy in the order of the top wideouts, this season it’s not impossible that any of them could fall to the Chiefs. So I thought I would give Chiefs fans a quick preview of all six wideouts and how they might fit in KC.
So let’s start with the consensus #6 guy and work our way up to #1.
Jahan Dotson – Penn State – 5’11” 184 pounds
If there was one wide receiver on this list that was the safest bet to be on the board when the Chiefs pick at the back end of the first round, it would be Jahan Dotson of Penn State. He is probably also the wideout that most fans are the least familiar with. The other five names on this list get more national first round buzz, but that doesn’t mean that Dotson doesn’t deserve some consideration here.
Many KC fans may want to write Dotson off because he is the smallest in stature of these six wideouts and some draft profiles are labeling him as more of slot receiver option. While I agree that what KC needs most is a true outside starting X receiver, I wouldn’t be so hasty to toss Dotson in the “not a fit” pile. While he definitely isn’t a good fit to play the prototypical X role, he does have several things that make him an interesting fit in KC’s offense.
If you were looking for a couple of current NFL comparisons for Dotson, Tyler Lockett and Emmanuel Sanders (in his prime) are a couple that come to mind. While neither of those guys are built to play the X role either, both could have been a huge asset for the Chiefs last season as a third option after Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
Dotson is a player that has great (but just short of elite) speed and really smooth change of direction ability. He also does a really nice job of finding open spaces in the defense. You combine that with a really impressive catch radius for a player of his size and you have a weapon that could really do damage in KC if defenses focused most of their attention on Hill and Kelce. In particular, his natural instincts to break off his route and drift into space at times seems like a perfect fit for when Patrick Mahomes extends plays with his legs.
While I can imagine a lot of Chiefs fans freaking out if Dotson was their pick in the 1st, if you go watch his tape and imagine a Tyler Lockett type third option in KC’s passing attack, I think this is a player that could win some fans over. Next up, the first of the bigger name options.
Chris Olave – Ohio State – 6’1″ 188 pounds
Chris Olave may not have been one of the four wide receivers that was ranked as the 1st overall wideout on the rankings I looked at, but he consistently ranked between the 2nd and 5th wideout and had an average overall big board ranking of 20.67. So is it possible that Olave is long gone when KC picks? Sure, but like I said before with the wide range of ranking order of this year’s wideouts it’s not inconceivable that any of these guys could fall to the Chiefs.
Olave may not have the highest ceiling of the wide receivers in the first round conversation this year, but I think he has the highest floor and is probably the most NFL ready to be an every down starter on day one as a rookie. Does Olave have elite size? No. Does he have elite speed? No (although he’s definitely not slow either). Does he have freakish change of direction skills? No, but what he does have is really smooth and polished routes and reliable hands. I don’t know if Olave will ever be an All Pro caliber player, but I think you’ll be able to put him in your starting lineup on day one and have a reliable starter for the next decade.
Of the player comps that I’ve seen, Calvin Ridley is the most common, but I also like another former Buckeye, Terry McLaurin as well. Again, don’t think physical freaks, think guys that can just run great routes to create enough separation for a quarterback to be able to put the ball in his reliable hands. That’s not to say that he can’t be a deep threat, he is Ohio State’s all time touchdown receptions leader. I just think his route running has more to do with that than his straight line speed.
I think if Olave is still on the board when KC picks he’d be a fantastic pick. Adding a reliable route runner and pass catcher of his level to an offense with a couple of coverage nightmares like Hill and Kelce could make KC’s passing attack virtually unstoppable.
Next up, let’s talk about the biggest physical freak of the first round options.
Treylon Burks – Arkansas – 6’3″ 225 pounds
While Treylon Burks may only be the fourth wideout off the board when you average all the rankings I looked at, I actually think he might be the least likely to still be available when KC picks. That’s because I think he might have the highest upside of all the first round options on this list. The reason he isn’t higher on the average rankings is because he might also have the highest bust factor of these options.
Think of Burks currently as a 6-foot-3 and 225 pound Mecole Hardman. Now just being that makes him a valuable NFL weapon, but Burks is going to need to refine his route running and pass catching to reach his ceiling. If he does that, you’re looking at an AJ Brown or Deebo Samuel type player that will absolutely physically dominate NFL defensive backs. There simply aren’t many NFL wideouts that are built like a linebacker but can outrun cornerbacks, that’s what Burks is.
The reason I comped him to a giant sized Hardman is because early on teams will have to be creative in how they get him the ball. I can see teams lining him up in the backfield and handing the ball off to him like the San Francisco 49ers did with Deebo some this season. I also think you’ll see lots of wide receiver screens. While he’s raw, I think some team ahead of KC isn’t going to be able to resist his elite physical upside.
While I think it would be hard to fully utilize both Burks and Hardman next season, I still think Burks freakish skills would make him worth the pick if he somehow makes it to KC. Burks does have the size to play the X receiver role if he can develop as a true wideout. If you think back to how KC would get Sammy Watkins the ball and let him create running after the catch, Burks could thrive in that role. KC could also use him in the rushing attack some as well.
Next up, let’s talk about the top deep threat in this class.
Jameson Williams – Alabama – 6’2″ 189 pounds
If the Chiefs end up drafting Jameson Williams I can see a lot of defensive coordinators drinking heavily and muttering four letter words under their breath. Williams is one of the most electric deep threats we’ve seen in the last few draft classes. The thought of lining him and Tyreek Hill across from each other with Kelce working underneath is downright scary.
Williams is a slender long strider that outruns even fast corners once he gets up to top speed. He isn’t a polished route runner like Chris Olave and Alabama didn’t use him a lot on quick timing route type throws, but if he could clean up his routes a little he has a chance to be the best wideout in this class. I’ve seen him compared to a healthy Will Fuller or DeSean Jackson if he was 4 inches taller.
We’ve seen what DeSean Jackson could do in Andy Reid’s offense, so you can imagine what a weapon a significantly taller wideout with that kind of deep speed could do. That having been said, Williams isn’t super physical with corners so he is better suited to play Tyreek Hill’s role in the offense than the X receiver spot. While they might have to be creative in their play design, the stress putting Williams and Hill on the field at the same time would put on a defense would be insane and hard to pass up.
If Williams was fully healthy I would imagine he’d be off the board by the time KC picks, but with him coming off an ACL injury it could cause him to slide a little, especially in a wide receiver class where there are multiple players in a similar ranking range. Williams would definitely be a fun player to add to KC’s arsenal.
Next up, the best fit to play the true X wideout role for KC.
Drake London – USC – 6’5″ 210 pounds
If you want a true big bodied wideout to play the starting X receiver in KC’s offense then Drake London is the receiver for you. In fact, his natural fit as an X receiver has made him a popular name when discussing targets for the Chiefs in the first round. The 6-foot-5 and 210 pound London was a highly reliable target for USC this past season and has set himself up to be a first round pick this year. If he runs well at the combine I think it might be really difficult for him to make it all the way to the Chiefs at the back of the first round.
If teams are looking for big play receivers with more speed upside they have their choice of guys like Burks, Williams, and Garrett Wilson, but if they want a bigger target that can win 50/50 jump balls and be a great red-zone threat, London is the clear top choice. I’m guessing there will be at least one team ahead of KC that is looking for that type of target.
I’ve seen player comps for London ranging from Brandon Marshall to Mike Evans to Tee Higgins. I probably like the Higgins comparison the best. He’s not an electric playmaker or a physical bully, but he definitely uses his height and wingspan to his advantage. His route running is fine, but he lacks the change of direction skills to consistently create space. Thankfully his ability to box out corners and make contested catches means he doesn’t have to.
While London looks like a perfect fit for KC as a true X receiver, I actually think someone with more run after the catch upside would be nice. I’d still be happy with London as their pick and think the Chiefs could get a lot out of him. I actually think he could also fill Kelce’s role in the offense long term if they used him as a big slot receiver as he got older. He could offer that same mismatch problem where he’s too big for DBs, but too quick for linebackers.
Finally, let’s look at the guy that is currently the highest ranked wideout when averaging most rankings.
Garrett Wilson – Ohio State – 6’0″ 192 pounds
Garrett Wilson was the top ranked wideout in 4 of the 9 rankings that I looked at. His average big board ranking in those rankings was 13.89 so you would think there would be little to no chance of him falling all the way to K.C.
While I agree that it’s probably unlikely, I don’t think it’s impossible. London offers the size some teams may want. Williams is the more electric deep threat. Burks is the biggest physical freak of the group, and Olave is the best route runner and NFL ready. So while Wilson is a great prospect, it is possible that teams may just be targeting different types of wideouts for their offense.
It could also be that I’m just not quite as high on Wilson as some people are. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be shocked if he’s the first wideout off the board in the first 10-15 picks. I just think he’s a little raw to be a lock as a star receiver. That having been said, there’s a lot to like about Wilson. He’s probably the most “twitchy” receiver on this list. His acceleration and change of direction are great and that allows him to create space for himself both in his routes and after the catch.
The problem is that he relies on that change of direction ability more than traditional route running. It’s like he tries to juke his defender on every route instead of just trusting the route itself (if that makes sense). He’s really the polar opposite of his teammate Chris Olave in that regard. He doesn’t have the long speed of Jameson Williams, but his quickness creates a lot of big plays of his own. I haven’t seen a NFL comp that I love for Wilson, but somewhere between Stefon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb is probably close for his upside.
If Wilson were to fall all the way to KC at the end of the first round I think he would be well worth the gamble at that point of the draft, even if I have a few concerns with him as the first receiver off the board in the top ten picks. The combination of Wilson’s playmaking ability paired with Hill and Kelce would once again keep defenses up worrying at night.
So what do you think Chiefs fans? Do you think it’s possible that Brett Veach does enough with the defense in free agency that he can take one of these wideouts in the first round? Is there one of the six that you think would be the best fit for KC? Is there any of them that you would be strongly against the Chiefs taking in the first? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.