KC Chiefs find new cornerstone tackle in 5-round NFL mock draft

For much of the 2022 season, the Chiefs struggled to get consistent play out of their safeties as Justin Reid took some time to adjust, Juan Thornhill started slow, and Bryan Cook was just a rookie. Reid and Thornhill played very well down the stretch, but the latter is a free agent and the former is only signed through 2024, so it would make sense to invest in another safety early in the draft.

Jordan Battle is versatile, physical, and smart. He does have some work to do in the running game and man-to-man coverage but he would be a great pick in the third round and is the type of player that Steve Spagnuolo salivates over.

The Chiefs have virtually no flaws on offense but one of the areas that need to be addressed is the downfield passing game. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in football and is great at throwing the ball down the field, but the team lacks a true speed receiver for him to work with. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is inconsistent and Kadarius Toney could fill that role but the team would be wise to draft a speed receiver.

Trey Palmer is one of the more underrated receivers in this class and it wouldn’t shock me if he was picked much higher than this. With 4.3 speed, he has an incredible vertical receiving skill set, game-changing speed, and also has experience as a returner. It was difficult for him to get quality tape as Nebraska has struggled immensely over the past two seasons, so the route tree he ran in college was very limited and he was also not a very physical player. He could start out as a returner immediately and slowly be worked into the offense. He’s not a day-one starter, as it’s very difficult to find one at receiver this late in the draft, but he could be a role player on offense and a returner on special teams in 2023. Similar to what we saw with Skyy Moore.