Kansas City Chiefs 7-round Mock Draft following the NFL Combine

Round 6 - Pick #210 - Daequan Hardy - Cornerback - Penn State

Some K.C. fans may not like the idea of drafting a smaller slot-only corner like Hardy. I understand that if L'Jarius Sneed leaves, K.C.'s best cornerback Trent McDuffie is at his best in the slot. However, if Sneed leaves it could also mean that McDuffie may occasionally need to shadow an outside receiver if the matchup calls for it. With Justin Watson and Joshua Williams playing pretty much exclusively on the outside, having a backup at the slot corner position makes sense to me.

Hardy's Combine performance may have boosted his stock enough that he goes a round or two before this, but at 5-foot-9 and 179 pounds he probably won't go until day three even with a Combine boost. That boost was due to his 4.39 forty time and amazing 42.5" vertical leap. His tape shows a guy who is solid covering out of the slot, isn't afraid to tackle, and has special teams experience. That sounds like a great 6th round pick to me.

Round 7 - Pick #250 - Tory Taylor - Punter - Iowa

The Chiefs signed Matt Araiza as the apparent replacement to Tommy Townsend at punter. While Araiza does have one of the strongest legs in football, he's been away from the game for the past year and you have to have more than just power to be a good NFL punter. If Araiza struggles to control his powerful leg it might not be a bad idea to bring in some competion for the job. What better competition than the best punter in college football?

I don't understand why Taylor is still available in the 7th round, but if he is I would definitely take him. He was a unanimous 1st team All-American, the Ray Guy winner for best punter in college football, had 40 punts of over 50 yards, and also put 32 punts inside the 20-yard line. This would give the Chiefs one of the best punter camp battles in the NFL—so much so that they would likely be able to flip the loser of the battle for a late-round pick next year (essentially recouping this pick while ensuring they have the best possible replacement for Townsend).

So there you have it Chiefs fans. That's my post-combine Chiefs mock draft. What do you think? What picks do you like? What picks do you hate? What picks do you think have no shot of being available? I'd love to hear your thoughts and am excited that NFL draft season is now officially in full swing.

You should also check out Price Carter's 8 prospects likely soaring up the Chiefs' draft board after the NFL Combine.