There is no bigger debate in Chiefs Kingdom right now than who Kansas City should target with its first top-ten draft pick since it traded up to take Patrick Mahomes in 2017. The majority seem to agree that defensive end would be ideal, but there is genuine concern that the top edge prospects could be off the board by the time KC is on the clock. The other thing that most fans seem to agree on is that all the mock drafts that have the Chiefs taking a tackle at #9 are wrong.
The argument for not taking a tackle with what is hopefully a rare top-ten pick is sound. The Chiefs have already invested a ton in their offensive line. Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith are two of the highest-paid interior linemen in all the NFL. They spent their first-round draft pick just last season on offensive tackle Josh Simmons. Their left guard was a second-round draft pick, and they have a respectably paid free agent slated to start at right tackle in Jaylon Moore.
Meanwhile, they don't really have a great starting option at defensive end opposite George Karlaftis. There are lots of questions about their long-term options at wide receiver, and they lost the majority of their starting secondary this offseason. So why would the Chiefs even consider taking a tackle at #9 overall?
The Case for Drafting an Offensive Tackle with the 9th Pick
1. An offensive tackle could be the best player available
Right now on PFSN's Industry Consensus Big Board, the top eight consensus players in this draft are:
- Fernando Mendoza - QB - Indiana
- Arvell Reese - LB/Edge - Ohio State
- Jeremiyah Love - RB - Notre Dame
- Caleb Downs - Safety - Ohio State
- Sonny Styles - LB - Ohio State
- Rueben Bain Jr - Edge - Miami
- David Bailey - Edge - Texas Tech
- Carnell Tate - WR - Ohio State
While you certainly see mock drafts with 2–3 other players in the top eight picks, those are the consensus top eight players right now, and it is certainly possible that those eight could be off the board when the Chiefs are on the clock with the ninth pick. If that is the case, here are the next seven players on the consensus big board:
- Mansoor Delane - CB - LSU
- Spencer Fano - OT - Utah
- Francis Mauigoa - OT - Miami
- Jordyn Tyson - WR - Arizona State
- Olaivavega Ioane - OG - Penn State
- Makai Lemon - WR - USC
- Kenyon Sadiq - TE - Oregon
If the consensus top eight go before KC picks, then the top three players on the board will likely be a cornerback and the top two offensive tackles. If the Chiefs wanted to reach just a little, Jordyn Tyson is at #12 overall but has major injury red flags that could make KC uncomfortable using a rare early pick on him. Then #13 is a guard that they just flat out don't need. At #14 is another receiver (who they would be wise to consider), but some feel that his size and slot-heavy role might not be worthy of #9 overall. The Chiefs could also reach for the best tight end in the draft at #9 overall, but the odds of Sadiq being at the very top of their board seem unlikely at that point.
You can certainly make a strong case for trading down a little if KC's top preferences are all off the board, but someone has to be willing to trade up to make that happen, and there is no guarantee that the phone will be ringing if this scenario plays out. So if KC is there and has to make the pick, the choice will likely be (1) take a cornerback, (2) take a tackle, or (3) reach for a slightly lesser player at another position. If those are the only options available, taking the tackle is the smartest move, in large part because...
2. Taking an Offensive Tackle is a better option than taking a cornerback
While it is possible that the Chiefs could have Mansoor Delane graded about the same as the top tackles, taking the tackle at #9 overall is the much better of those two options. The main reason for that is that in this draft class, there is a much safer chance of the Chiefs landing a cornerback prospect that could be a quality starter early in their career than getting a starting right tackle later in this draft.
In this class, seven offensive tackle prospects are viewed as guys worthy of top-40 draft picks and are believed to be capable of starting early in their careers. While seven sounds like plenty, there is such a consensus belief that there is a huge drop-off after that that it is reasonable to expect there will be a run on them in the second half of the first round because it is such a position of need across the NFL. It is certainly possible that if the Chiefs were to stay at pick #29, all of those tackle prospects could be off the board, or KC could be stuck with whichever one of the seven is left even if they don't especially like that player and have other players rated much higher.
Meanwhile, this is an incredibly deep cornerback class where the Chiefs could easily find a quality corner at pick #40 or later in the draft. Plus, with Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt's history of developing mid-to-late-round corners and turning them into high-level starters, a top-ten pick just isn't necessary for the Chiefs.
3. Offensive Tackle is a bigger need than many fans want to admit
Finally, despite the resources the Chiefs have invested in their offensive line, they still have major questions at offensive tackle moving forward. First, is Josh Simmons going to be a reliable answer at left tackle? Yes, his play on the field was outstanding for a rookie last year, but his last two seasons have been cut short by injuries. Additionally, even when Simmons was physically healthy, he missed multiple games for personal issues. Maybe that was a fluke, one-time thing, but fans have to admit that there are still long-term reliability questions with Simmons.
Even more important is this question: Who is starting at right tackle in 2027? Yes, Jaylon Moore can start this season. They didn't think he was good enough to bench an underachieving Jawaan Taylor for him last season, but they paid him starter money a year ago, and he's been passable in his limited NFL starts. It's possible that he could improve with more playing time this season, and the Chiefs would want to re-sign him, but if that's the case, they'll likely have to pay him even more than he's making this season. That would definitely be more than they'd spend on a rookie, even a highly drafted one.
So Moore being the long-term answer doesn't prevent KC from having to continue making more significant investments in the line. Plus, if Moore isn't that good, then they'll either have to overpay in free agency to find a different competent starter or risk drafting a rookie (while hopefully picking much later than #9 overall) and praying they are up for the job of protecting Patrick Mahomes on Day 1 of their rookie season.
The Chiefs are far from settled at offensive tackle going forward, and if the top eight players go off the board before they pick, they could have their choice of any tackle in this draft class. Both Miami's Francis (Cici) Mauigoa and Utah's Spencer Fano are highly thought-of talents. They both have slightly less length than you'd see in a top-ten tackle, but that's why they're fringe top-ten picks instead of surefire top-ten picks that likely wouldn't be there at #9. Mauigoa is incredibly powerful with good technique and compares favorably to New Orleans tackle Taliese Fuaga. Fano may be less powerful but is an incredible athlete that moves and mirrors really well.
Understand that this is NOT an argument that taking an offensive tackle should be the Chiefs' first choice for the ninth overall pick. Personally, I would be in favor of trading up to ensure they get Rueben Bain Jr. I would also prefer taking safety Caleb Downs if he is still on the board and am on the record for saying that Makai Lemon could be a good option for KC in the top ten. Trading down would also be preferable to taking a tackle in that spot, but some of those things are out of KC's control. So if the choice is taking a cornerback when I'm confident that they can get one later, taking their top tackle in this draft class to solidify their questions at the position, or reaching on what may be a lesser player just to get a position you want, taking the tackle is the clear best choice given those options.
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