The Kansas City Chiefs earned some high marks when it comes to their immediate draft grades after taking two players in the first round
Coming into the 2022 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs were labeled as one of the cornerstone teams to watch thanks to a few elements coming together: an aggressive general manager in Brett Veach, a league-high 12 picks overall, and two first-round selections at their disposal.
While it took some time for the Chiefs to become relevant to the broadcast of the first round, the final third of Thursday night’s action featured the Chiefs front and center as they made two defensive selections of guys who could start from day one of the 2022 season.
Veach was one of the general managers who made sure Thursday will be remembered as perhaps the most active in NFL history. Nine trades went down in the first round alone, one of which sent the New England Patriots the No. 29 overall pick along with third- and fourth-round selections in exchange for No. 21. With that pick, the Chiefs selected cornerback Trent McDuffie.
From there, the Chiefs were able to stay put at their original slot at No. 30 as the board fell quite well to them in the last few picks with offensive linemen taking up several spots in the mid-twenties. The Chiefs stuck to their guns and landed Purdue pass rusher George Karlaftis with the second pick.
With the selections of both McDuffie and Karlaftis, the Chiefs were able to shore up significant areas of need on the defensive side of the ball. The team already had a massive need for a pass rusher and that was before Melvin Ingram left in free agency. The Chiefs also lost cornerback Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes in free agency, so both young draft picks have a good chance to be starting options even as early as Week 1.
So what did NFL analysts think of the Chiefs’ picks? Did they like them? And what value did the Chiefs get at those specific spots? Let’s take a look at what experts are saying with their round one draft grades.
Trent McDuffie, cornerback, Washington
For some experts, the selection of McDuffie was more of a surprise than anything else, but everyone agrees it had nothing to do with the player himself. In fact, McDuffie is universally praised as a pro-ready defensive back with an elite skill set and solid coaching.
Instead, some analysts thought that when the Chiefs were suddenly on the clock at No. 21 overall due to a trade-up with the Patriots, it signaled that they were going up to grab a wide receiver or a pass rusher. Both were glaring needs coming into the draft, especially on the edge, so when the name read was at another position entirely, it was quite a shock for some.
That said, Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm summarized the tension best when he wrote, “We thought a pass rusher or receiver might be on the docket, but how can we argue with the trade-up here to get one of our favorite players?” Edholm ended up giving the Chiefs a B+ for the selection.
Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News applauded the Chiefs’ restraint instead of reaching for a wide receiver and thought McDuffie was a solid grab at No. 21, giving them a B grade. CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco disagrees, however, and chided the Chiefs for grabbing the “wrong” corner from Washington. Instead, he felt that Kyler Gordon was the better player to add. (It should be noted that Gordon went unselected in the first round.)
The questionable takes continue to roll in with Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic who didn’t like the value for the Chiefs at No. 21 at all. Kapadia says the Chiefs were too aggressive here for a player with questions about how well his skill set will translate to the pro level. “He could turn out to be a fine player. But I don’t think I would have been this aggressive to land him here,” Kapadia writes.
Multiple analysts, however, liken McDuffie to departed safety Tyrann Mathieu—including Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report—which will excite Chiefs Kingdom for sure. The team already added Justin Reid to the mix at safety but if McDuffie can play a versatile role in the secondary like the Honey Badger, then everyone will applaud this pick in the end.
George Karlaftis, defensive end, Purdue
Two things are clear to every expert when it comes to George Karlaftis. He’s going to be a big-time improvement for the Chiefs up front as a pass rusher. Yet it’s also true that he’s not a finished product and that his youth might indicate that his best football is ahead of him,.
Karlaftis was an immediate standout on the Purdue Boilermaker defense as a freshman when he put up 17 tackles for loss. While he remained productive since then, teams have thrown extra blockers at him on most downs in their attempts to slow his impact and keep him at bay. What’s crazy is that Karlaftis just turned 21-years-old in the same month as he was drafted.
That youth should serve him well as he continues to grow with reps at the pro level and proper coaching from new defensive line coach Joe Cullen. Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm loves his energy and hands but admits he remains a raw prospect and ultimately gives the Chiefs a B+ for the pick.
Bleacher Report gave the Chiefs an A grade here and their scouting report had a glowing review of Karlaftis, “Aside from ideal length,Karlaftis has just about every trait necessary to bloom into a star power-rusher.”
Both Kapadia of The Athletic and Christian D’Andrea of USA Today gave Karlaftis a B grade and seemed to feel just fine about the pick. There wasn’t much raving yet both admitted he would provide good value for the Chiefs up front who have a major need at edge rusher.