2022 mock draft: Mel Kiper has Boye Mafe to KC Chiefs in first round

The ideas for who the Kansas City Chiefs should select in the first round of the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft keep rolling in from various analysts and experts and perhaps the most well-known drafting of all has a new name to consider for general manager Brett Veach.

In his latest mock, Kiper has Boye Mafe, an edge prospect from the University of Minnesota, going to the Chiefs in the first round at No. 30 overall.

For the Chiefs, the idea of going with an edge prospect is nothing new. Most of Chiefs Kingdom would not only understand the position in the first round but would largely agree with it, knowing that the team simply has to get better in its pass rush. The Chiefs are going to watch Melvin Ingram take his time in free agency with any future decisions, and the team has a major decision to make about the future of Frank Clark with the team in some form.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been projected to take Boye Mafe in Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft.

At present, the only known quantities at defensive end for the Chiefs are Mike Danna and Joshua Kaindoh. The former is a fifth round pick who has turned into a very useful rotational player after two seasons. The latter is a developmental prospect who simply took up space on the active roster during his freshman campaign.

From the outset, then, Kiper has the right move in the books but the selection of Mafe is an interesting one. He grew with each year of experience in the Big Ten and finished with 7 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss last season for the Gophers. Those numbers aren’t the flashiest in the draft, but Boye’s strength, burst, and effort are all there for max effect up front.

Given how he took to coaching and competition at the Senior Bowl, it’s not a surprise to see Mafe sneaking into the bottom of the first round here. In that game, Mafe had 2 sacks and a forced fumble and a strong week at the NFL Combine could entrench his flirtations with the first round.