Final Mock Draft 3.0: KC Chiefs stay and select surprise player

The Cowboys might never win a Super Bowl with Dak Prescott, but they consistently seem to draft well and build talent around him. While I’m sure Jerry Jones would like everyone to believe that he is the one responsible for this, the truth is, they have a very smart group of people running the front office. This pick is no exception. Dalton Kincaid is the most explosive tight end in this class. There are truly a number of really talented tight end prospects, but none of them have the same ceiling that Kincaid does.

With Dalton Schultz now out of the picture, the Cowboys need a safety blanket in the middle of the field. Kincaid is a tremendous pass-catcher and route runner despite having little experience. If the Cowboys can get the most out of him, he could develop into one of the best tight ends in the game.

Wait. Didn’t the Bills draft a cornerback last year? Yes. Do they still have a need for one? Also, yes. Last season, the Bills seemed to fall apart in the divisional round for a couple of reasons. For one, Von Miller was injured and they could not get any semblance of a pass rush. For another, they could not seem to make any plays on the back end. To be fair, the Bills struggled with injuries, but when Tre’Davious White returned from his injury, he never seemed to return to his elite status. As a future replacement plan and hedge, the Bills could draft Kelee Ringo.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, many of the top pass-rushing options are off the board by this point. However, the cornerback class is deep. To help their defense return to the echelon that they once were, Ringo would provide great length and athleticism to the back end of the defense. A combination of Ringo, White, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, and Kaiir Elam (among others) could be one that rivals the best defensive backfields in the NFL.

The Bengals are in one of their final seasons of cost-controlled Joe Burrow. Making and winning the Super Bowl is paramount for a team with that much talent. With tremendous pass-catchers all over the field, the Bengals are missing a tight end after Hayden Hurst signed with Carolina earlier this offseason. To make themselves even better, in this mock draft, they are taking talented tight end Luke Musgrave of Oregon State.

Musgrave has an enormous catch radius and could be the piece that takes the Cincinnati offense to the next level. Whether in the red zone or over the middle of the field, he provides a player that can make big-time catches and will fight for every yard. The Bengals need a new tight end and at pick 28, Musgrave could be a steal.

Via San Francisco 49ers in projected trade with New Orleans Saints

The Titans missed out on Will Levis earlier in the draft, but they aren’t going to miss out on the last top option at quarterback this year. In this draft, we have them moving up in a projected trade with New Orleans to get their quarterback of the future, Hendon Hooker. Throughout the predraft process, Hooker has been a hot commodity in top 30 visits. Tennessee just so happens to be one of the teams that had him in for a visit at their local pro day.

Hooker projects to be a bit of a project. He has proven that he can move the ball downfield in big chunks and has pinpoint accuracy on many of his intermediate throws. Further, Hooker has a great blend of size and mobility. If all goes well in his ACL tear recovery and he can learn to get the ball out more quickly in an NFL-style offense, he truly could develop into a star. Tennessee offers a great landing spot where he could be groomed by Ryan Tannehill and eventually take over the top spot when he is ready.

The Eagles largely remained intact on defense, despite rumblings that both Darius Slay and James Bradberry could be on their way out. Now, it’s about running it back and finishing the job. A player that is extremely intriguing (and very well could be off the board by pick 30) is Drew Sanders. In Philadelphia, the pass rush was highly touted as the best in the NFL. Adding Sanders would make it even better in blitzing situations.

Sanders made the transition to off-ball linebacker while in college at Arkansas. With a blend of physicality and speed, he could make the Eagles even more dangerous on defense. The Eagles could use Sanders as a stand-up option to play off the line, or they could use him as a rotational EDGE. In today’s NFL, that kind of versatility is both rare and crucial to a team’s defensive success and this addition could be exactly what they need to get them back to the Super Bowl.

While I can already hear some of the groans from Chiefs fans, the truth is Deonte Banks is just too good to pass up at 31. Although the Chiefs invested three picks into the cornerback position a season ago, they need a contingency plan for life after L’Jarius Sneed. While no one wants to think about that because he has been a tremendous asset to the Kansas City defense, he is going to likely cost more to re-sign than what the Chiefs can offer, given other looming extensions (Chris Jones, Nick Bolton, and Creed Humphrey among others).

For the Chiefs, Deonte Banks could make the Chiefs’ defense go from good to great in short order. The combination of L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, and now Deonte Banks could be lethal, even if it is for a limited time. Banks has both great length and physicality and would fit in immediately with Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme on the back end of the defense.