Chiefs mock draft: Mel Kiper gives Patrick Mahomes exciting new target

It's time to make an investment for the sake of keeping Patrick Mahomes happy.

After successive drafts in which Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has seemed intent on resetting the team's defense, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is likely looking for someone in the front office to throw him a bone in this year's NFL Draft. Perhaps that's the reason why Mel Kiper Jr., the popular draft analyst over at ESPN, is giving him a juicy offering in round one.

Kiper is back with another mock draft during this pre-draft season and he has the Chiefs making a big splash on the offensive side of the ball after going with three straight defensive players with previous first-round picks—defensive ends Felix Anudike-Uzomah and George Karlaftis as well as corner Trent McDuffie.

A few weeks ago, with his first mock entry of the year, Kiper went wide receiver at No. 32 overall in the first round and he's doing so again this time around—reinforcing his belief that the team will strengthen the position with their primary draft asset.

This time around, Kiper is going with Xavier Worthy who will immediately expand the field for opposing defenses as a deep threat who can change the game when given space.

KIper writes, "The word I've used to describe Worthy is electrifying, because he has amazing movement skills in space. He can score from any spot on the field. He had 26 receiving touchdowns over three seasons at Texas."

The Chiefs haven't been able to find someone who can play that deep-threat role since Tyreek Hill left and defenses have keyed in on shortening the field for the Chiefs. That's led to some real offensive miscues and hiccups along the way, although the team was obviously able to overcome them in time to win a second consecutive title. (Let's keep things in perspective here!)

It also helps that the Chiefs have already met with Worthy.

For Worthy, the knock against him from scouts is largely about his ability to succeed at the pro level. Mismatches are much easier to create with elite speed and quickness at the college level. Even freak athletes can have a tough time—e.g. Kadarius Toney—when they aren't physical or thick enough to withstand the rigors of playing in the NFL. Worthy is very slight and that could worry the Chiefs about making such an early pick.

That said, it's all about how the Chiefs feel internally about his NFL projections. If ready, he's the missing piece to an offense that could rev things up a bit in 2023. That'd be exciting for fans to see, and we're sure Mahomes would approve.