The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the fortunate teams to have two first-round picks. With those first-rounders, they were able to draft a cornerback from Washington in Trent McDuffie and a pass rusher from Purdue in George Karflatis.
During yesterday’s draft, the Chiefs actually traded up at a point when pass rusher Jermaine Johnson was sliding down draft boards, prompting fans to think a match was made. However, they actually traded up to get Trent McDuffie. Which, looking at it now, was actually a pretty good choice.
It’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs needed the secondary help and McDuffie was one of the better cornerbacks available. Nine picks later, the Chiefs actually did draft a pass rusher in George Karlaftis, but I do have my concerns with that pick.
Should the Kansas City Chiefs look to trade up in the second round to draft Michigan pass rusher David Ojabo?
The Chiefs are putting a lot of faith in rookies who haven’t actually played in an NFL game yet. We can only hope these players will pan out, but the truth is, we don’t actually know until a couple of years into their careers. That’s why I find it important to have quality over quantity. This brings me to my point.
Michigan’s David Ojabo is one of the better edge rushers in this draft and was likely to go top 10 before he tore his Achilles at his pro day. Given the injury he sustained, it will be a while—considering next season will be a sort of professional redshirt year—before he actually returns to game form which has hurt his draft stock greatly.
Just last season for the Wolverines, working on a line with Aidan Hutchinson, Ojabo had 12 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 3 passes deflected, and 1 fumble recovery. He’s also earned comparisons to Brian Burns of the Carolina Panthers and former Lions pass rusher Cliff Avril.
While the injury is unfortunate, the drop in Ojabo’s draft stock could work in the Chiefs’ favor. The team has been tied to Ojabo since he got hurt because of the need and where his draft stock laid. After selecting Karlaftis, it’s now made people think that the Chiefs won’t look to build up the position with another top player. However, the Chiefs have the picks and draft capital to make a trade up from No. 50 overall happen.
If the Kansas City Chiefs can package a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder next season in order to move up, the Chiefs could add a potential impact pass rusher to their long-term plan. That sounds like a great way to turn around the defensive front and take advantage of an open Super Bowl window in front of them.