NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Who are the Chiefs taking?

Let’s check in on various mock drafts to see what positions and which prospects are being linked with the Kansas City Chiefs these days.

Don’t worry. No one is overlooking the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs are still playing for a Lombardi Trophy in the next week or so.

With the two-week gap between the conference championships and Super Bowl LVII in the NFL postseason, we have more than enough time to pay attention in several directions, and that allows us to get a read on what mock drafts are giving the Chiefs at this stage of the offseason (for other teams).

The good news is that the Chiefs don’t really have any major weaknesses coming into this draft. That’s not to say that they don’t have needs to address or that young players won’t be appreciated. Rather, it’s just that they were already young this season and had some roster concerns, but the same is true of so many others and K.C. features a lot of returning players with depth.

So how will general manager Brett Veach respond to this year’s first round. Here are a few guesses from around the web and our thoughts on some of those picks.

1. Derick Hall, DE/LB, Auburn (Draft Network) 

Over at the Draft Network, Joe Marino has the Chiefs taking a pass rusher at the bottom of the first round and we love where his head is at in terms of position. The Chiefs absolutely need to continue to remake the defensive line for the next generation, a shift that began with the drafting of George Karlaftis in a similar spot a year ago. This next offseason could see Frank Clark depart. Carlos Dunlap is a free agent. Mike Danna is entering his contract year

Karlaftis is a nice start outside and should be better in his second season, and Chris Jones is still the anchor here for any pass rush as an interior disruptor. But moves will be made in free agency and the draft, and another first-round investment outside or inside makes the most sense of any position other than offensive tackle.

Will it be Derick Hall? That’s hard to say. Hall brings a good amount of high-end production and experience with him to the pro level after putting up 19.5 sacks in the last three seasons. But he’s highly regarded as it is and reliable pass rushers who project well at the next level are usually gone by this time. If Hall slides further down the draft than others expect, he could be a solid pick here.

2. Rashee Rice, WR, SMU (Yahoo! Sports)

Some fans in Chiefs Kingdom would love nothing more than to give Patrick Mahomes his next big-time target for the next stage of his career after watching the Chiefs trade away Tyreek Hill last year to the Miami Dolphins. It likely sounds even better after watching an AFC title game in which Marcus Kemp playing meaningful snaps.

However, let’s not forget the position the Chiefs are in right now. They are back in their third Super Bowl in four years with a wide receiver room that was completely built with disparate parts that didn’t exactly require such a single lucrative investment (which the Chiefs would be better off utilizing in the trenches).

That’s not a knock on Rashee Rice, who just put up a stellar year at SMU to the tune of 96 catches and 10 touchdowns. The Chiefs would not only love his physicality and versatility but they would make great use of his talents in that offense. However, it’s just hard to see Veach even going for this with greater needs.

3. Jordan Addison, WR, USC (CBS Sports)

We’ve already said our piece on wide receivers above, but given that two analysts now have K.C. chasing a WR, let’s at least give it a try.

If you’re looking at the position, the cupboards do look nearly empty in 2023 and beyond. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is due back but his price is going to go up next year which will force the Chiefs to make a decision on what is essentially a club option. From there, Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster are all ready for free agency.

That leaves Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney as the obvious returnees before looking at Valdes-Scantling and perhaps some outsiders or holdovers such as Justyn Ross or Cornell Powell or John Ross. Once you lay that out, perhaps it’s a bit easier to understand why the Chiefs would go all-in o