NFL Mock Draft: Predicting Round 1 surprises for KC Chiefs

Brian Branch takes a tumble

On paper, the Chiefs are absolutely set at safety.

Justin Reid is the veteran leader of a group that started to come together a year ago during a transition season in which Tyrann Mathieu left and the team drafted five defensive backs. Reid is the holdover and the most expensive of the bunch while last year’s second-round pick Bryan Cook is expected to take a step forward for Juan Thornhill, who left in free agency for the Cleveland Browns.

Even behind Cook and Reid, the Chiefs have a nice new addition in Mike Edwards, a ballhawk of a safety who enjoyed a  breakout season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. In addition, Deon Bush is back for another year as a backup and core special teams performer. Last year’s unit performed admirably and there’s every reason to believe this year’s quartet can match that level of production.

So what if the draft’s top safety, Brian Branch from Alabama, falls all the way to No. 31? The Chiefs would have a real choice to make in this instance. Branch has earned comps to Budda Baker and Minkah Fitzpatrick, and while there’s no clear path to playing time at the position on paper, grabbing an elite talent for the next 4-5 seasons when it falls in your lap seems like the right thing, right?

Maybe. Taking Branch means not taking another position. Then again, they’d have Branch. It’s all part of the back-and-forth and such surprises are what makes the draft so compelling.