7-round Chiefs mock draft fills long-term needs after early free agency
By Price Carter
As the first portion of free agency comes to a close, the draft needs for the Kansas City Chiefs are becoming clearer. There are still approximately five weeks till the draft, which means there's plenty of time for the Chiefs to add more players, However, the roster has started to take shape.
The Chiefs were able to remove a glaring need along the interior defensive line by bringing back superstar Chris Jones and also resigning Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton, and Mike Pennel.
The Chiefs also reduced their need for a linebacker by bringing back Drue Tranquill. They improved their tight end room with the addition of Irv Smith Jr. as a potential third or fourth tight end. On Thursday night, they raised the floor of the offense by adding wide receiver Hollywood Brown.
These moves make the need to draft the positions much less urgent, especially linebacker and defensive tackle. The Chiefs can get out of this draft without adding to either position. Let's look at our latest mock draft to see how the roster rounds out after these moves in free agency.
[Note: To learn more about the players selected in this mock draft or to see our rankings of draft prospects. Be sure to bookmark the Arrowhead Addict Big Board.]
Round 1, pick 17: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
This dramatic trade is made possible by the L'Jarius Sneed deal. In this instance, the Chiefs sent Sneed to the Indianapolis Colts for pick 46 (440) and then combined pick 32 (590) and pick 46 (440) to trade for pick 16 from the Seattle Seahawks (1000). The Chiefs send 1,030 points of draft value for 1000 points back from the Seahawks according to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart.
The trade is worth the effort here because the Chiefs receive an elite offensive line prospect in Troy Fautanu.
A Morris trophy winner, Fautanu has been one of the best offensive linemen in college football. There was some speculation that he might be a guard because of his height— 6'3"—which is short for a tackle. However, after an excellent NFL Combine performance where he measured in with 34.5-inch arms—well above the tackle threshold—he looked excellent in the movement drills and has been reported to be an excellent locker room presence.
Fautanu is one of the three left tackles who could be plug-and-play on day one for the Chiefs. Some other projects will be taken early, but he's the last immediate starter. The need for a starting left tackle is obvious as Kansas City has been looking for answers since Eric Fisher.
Fautanu is such a valuable pick because he's going to be great somewhere on the line, he should be able to play left tackle, but if that fails, he could still be a plus right tackle or guard. Incredibly high floor prospect.