Chiefs 2023 NFL Draft: KC bolsters trenches in five-round mock

Travis Kelce will be a first Hall of Famer but he, unfortunately, won’t last forever. The Chiefs need to start prepping for life after him and that could start with drafting another tight end. Behind Kelce, Noah Gray and Blake Bell are okay, but both shouldn’t prevent the team from bringing in another tight end, and Jody Fortson struggled with injuries and consistency again this season.

Tucker Kraft out of South Dakota State has recorded 1,321 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 22 games over the past two seasons. He has the ideal size and strength, plus athleticism and versatility, to develop into a starting NFL tight end. His hands were an issue in school at times and coming from an FCS school means he won’t be ready to play full-time early in his career, which is okay.

Barring any moves in free agency, the Chiefs need to draft multiple players on the defensive line. This is the third player in that position group I’ve mocked for KC in this article, and that may be necessary. The Chiefs need to bolster the defensive line as much as possible. They drafted four players in the secondary last year and they need to use that same strategy for the trenches.

Moro Ojomo is more of a run-defender than a pure pass-rusher at this point. He was elite in the running game in 2022 and was solid rushing the passer. He only played 376 snaps this past season and is a fifth-year Senior, so there is some concern that he was beating up on younger competition. I also don’t foresee the Chiefs re-signing Derrick Nnadi, so Ojomo could be a solid replacement for next to nothing.