2024 NFL Draft: 2 draft crushes in each round for the Kansas City Chiefs
Favorite Targets for the Chiefs at Pick #173 (5th Round)
Tahj Washington - WR - USC - 5'10" - 174 pounds
Consensus Draft Board Ranking - 178
I didn't set out to put a 5'10" and 178-pound receiver on my favorite draft targets piece, but Tahj Washington won me over. I comped him to a chihuahua because he plays like he doesn't know that he's small. He's incredibly tough over the middle of the field. His 1.7% drop rate and 66.7% contested catch rate are incredibly high for a player his size. He doesn't have the elite change of direction that the top slot prospects do, but he still wins in that area of the field. He's not a burner, but he still won down the field too and you could tell he had the complete trust of Caleb Williams.
If he was three inches taller and 20 pounds heavier and played the exact same way he'd probably be a second-round pick. His size may prevent him from being an every-down starter, but he'll play his way into a reliable contributor role in the NFL, and in the late 5th round that's well worth the pick.
Khristian Boyd - DT - Northern Iowa - 6'2" - 320 pounds
Consensus Draft Board Ranking - 179
Khristian Boyd has a few things working against his draft stock. First, he's an older prospect who will be 24 when his rookie season starts. Second, he has short arms and is coming from a small school where the level of competition wasn't great. That all having been said, there are tools here to find a role as a valuable part of a defensive line rotation.
What I really like about Boyd is that he has two plus abilities. First, he has the build and power to plug up the run game on early downs. He needs a little technique refinement, but he showed the power and compact build to hold up to double teams. Second, he actually has a really explosive first step to generate push/pressure as a pass rusher. He won't ever be a big sack guy, but if you need someone to push the pocket on passing downs to get the quarterback off his spot, Boyd can do that as well.
Finally, let's look at my favorite targets for the Chiefs in the 7th round.