NFL mock draft: Mel Kiper Jr. gives Chiefs a first-round pass rusher

The Kansas City Chiefs could certainly use some fresh blood along the defensive front and Mel Kiper Jr. has them going with another first-round pick.

The Kansas City Chiefs were looking in the tooth and lean in numbers in terms of the overall talent pool at pass rusher coming into 2023. The ranks were getting both thinner and older, which is why it makes sense for the team to push for fresh faces along the defensive line this offseason. That’s why Mel Kiper Jr. has the Chiefs taking an edge in his latest NFL mock draft.

Kiper is only doing one round these days—at least this far from the actual 2023 NFL Draft, which will be held in Kansas City, by the way—in his mock drafts, so it’s hard to get any overhead view of what a draft haul might resemble. That said, if the Chiefs stay put at the end of the round, Kiper has a nice prize waiting for general manager Brett Veach in pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Anudike-Uzomah is an ascending pro prospect who wrapped his career at Kansas State as a two-year starter on the edge. In that time, he was a game-wrecker who was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year this past season. His 20.5 sacks in just two seasons already rank in the top 20 all-time in Big 12 history, and even more impressive are his eight forced fumbles, good for No. 5 on the Big 12’s all-time list.

The Chiefs just released Frank Clark last month and watched Carlos Dunlap hit free agency. With the signing of Charles Omenihu, they now have a core of George Karlaftis and Mike Danna as defensive ends to go with Omenihu and whoever else comes in this offseason. Adding Anudike-Uzomah to the mix would help establish a nice young core to grow around Chris Jones’ veteran presence in the interior.

What would make this even sweeter is knowing that Anudike-Uzomah is a local product who graduated from Lee’s Summit before playing at K-State. With the draft held in K.C., hearing Anudike-Uzomah’s name called in the first round would make for a great story—and an exciting prospect for the Chiefs defense.