2024 mock drafts bring variety to Kansas City Chiefs

Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

After consecutive first-round picks outside on the edges in back-to-back drafts on George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah, the Chiefs should feel good about the overall state of their pass rush when combined with the considerable push that Chris Jones provides in the middle. And given the encouraging signs from everyone involved that a long-term deal can be reached, it feels safe to say that the trio should form the heart of whatever the Chiefs want to accomplish up front for years to come.

That said, the Chiefs showed their hand a bit this spring when word leaked from Dallas that the Chiefs had attempted to trade up for the rights to take Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith at No. 26 overall (and failed). The prevailing feeling here is that the cast of characters around Jones is lacking in both depth and talent. If any position could use a significant upgrade, it's in the spot next to Jones.

What makes this an even greater potential need is that there's zero security if something happens to Jones. The loss of any superstar player is going to seriously jeopardize what a team wants to do in a given year, but the dearth of disruptors behind Jones is really scary. At that point, Turk Wharton and Derrick Nnadi are being asked to do things they've never done before and that's not okay.

Enter Tyleik Williams, an impressive young player for Ohio State who was honorable mention All-Big Ten as a redshirt freshman after finishing second on the Buckeyes with 5 sacks. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports has Williams as the Chiefs' pick in his latest mock. At this point, Williams' best work has come against lesser opponents, but he's so young and inexperienced that it's amazing he's even getting the reps that he is. Would he come out early for the draft? That could be the key question, but his growth curve is such that anything feels possible here in 2023.

Early Verdict: This feels like the sort of move that the Chiefs need most. It's a third consecutive first-round investment in the trenches on defense and the Chiefs would look so strong left to right if this was the pick. Perhaps more than others, this pick feels in line with team needs.