1st round – Daxton Hill, DB, Michigan
Some players are just too good to pass up, and given a few important factors for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and beyond, those overlapping elements make Daxton Hill the ideal player at this point in time for the Chiefs.
The set-up here is important. First, the Chiefs value versatility all over the defense, but especially in the secondary. Second, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also loves to disguise what he really wants to do against an opponent, which means if a player is capable of doing multiple things well, it gives Spags the upper hand on any pre-snap reads. Third, the Chiefs just lost the most valuable defender in the secondary with the decision to allow Tyrann Mathieu to hit free agency.
Yes, the Chiefs just signed Justin Reid to replace Mathieu in that same space, but for what the Chiefs love to do in coverages, there’s plenty of room for a player of Daxton Hill’s caliber here, too. Together with L’Jarius Sneed and Reid in particular, Hill is the perfect addition to a secondary that could mix things up like never before. Hill is a jack-of-most-trades who excel in each one and could even profile as a boundary corner if needed. He’s just that good.
Hill is a tough player whose intelligence and versatility would make him an instant asset and in sub packages where the Chiefs deploy three safeties, the team would be at its most dangerous. Imagine Sneed, Hill, Reid, Juan Thornhill, and Daxton Hill playing behind Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. while the Chiefs rush their best four. Even with an absolutely loaded AFC West, that unit in coverage would be incredible to watch.