Draft season is here.
It is time to put the Chiefs’ AFC title loss behind us and begin our search for the players who will put the 2019 Chiefs over the top. If the team can add a good batch of defenders, and maintain the same level of production on offense, they’ll surely be in contention for a championship in 2019.
A lot can change with the free agency period still ahead, but this will give us an idea of what a 7-round draft could look like for the Chiefs come April. Compensatory selections have not been announced yet so each round after the third will not have a numbered selection. The Chiefs are projected to receive a compensatory pick in the sixth round and I’ve accounted for that selection in this mock draft. We’ll even check out a few potential undrafted free agents at the end of the draft.
Let’s begin and meet the prospects.
29th Overall | Byron Murphy | CB | Washington
Byron Murphy could be the top cornerback in this class, but it’s unclear if the NFL will be overly concerned with his size. Size restraints didn’t stop corner Denzel Ward from going fourth overall in 2018, but Murphy could be in a different situation. He is listed at just 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, and he might not even hit those measurements at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Murphy has a special physicality for his size. It’s something that I think will appeal to the Chiefs. That physicality leads to a lot of broken up passes, as Murphy had 13 PBU’s on the 2018 season. He’s unafraid to lower his shoulder and tackle in the run game or short passing game, but he has shown the tendency to drop his eyes. Which is something that can lead to some whiffed tackles.
Another great part of Murphy’s game is his quickness. He’s got a great understanding of defensive coverage concepts and route combinations, and it helps him identify plays quickly. When he sees something he has the fluidity to react and the burst to get there in a hurry. It’s helped him to his seven career interceptions in just 20 games played.
I expect several corners to be in play for the Chiefs here, but I think the corners with more size (DeAndre Baker, Greedy Williams, Trayvon Mullen, and Lonnie Johnson Jr.) will be coveted and taken earlier in the first round. The Chiefs might have the luxury of being able to take a smaller corner given the late emergence of trade acquisition Charvarius Ward.
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61st Overall | Chauncey Gardner-Johnson | DB | Florida
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson has improved in each of three seasons at Florida. He was easily one of the most improved players in college football during the 2018 season.
There were some struggles early in his career with bad angles. He showed a massive improvement there in 2018. This allowed him to better take advantage of his natural range, and improve as a tackler. If there is one area he can still improve it’s reacting at the top of routes in man coverage.
Gardner-Johnson had one of the most triumphant final games of the 2018 season in the Peach Bowl against Michigan. He finished the game with 5 tackles and two interceptions, including an interception returned for a touchdown to put the game on ice. Players that show up in big games always seem to get notice from the NFL.
Can the Chiefs continue to help this player trend upwards? I think they’ll easily be able to take advantage of his natural talents in their new scheme. They need all the help they can get on the back end, and they’ll likely address those issues early on in the 2019 draft.
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63rd Overall | L.J. Collier | DE/DT | TCU
There were few players more dominant at the Reese’s Senior Bowl this year than L.J. Collier. He dominated throughout the week of practice. Then he topped it off with a statement game where he filled up the stat sheet. He recorded three tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
Collier has the feel of a 5-technique that can kick down inside to 3-technique on 3rd down situations. That’s not exactly how he was used at TCU, but I think NFL teams will get the most out of him that way.
Collier is an expert hand fighter, he has one of the best motors you’ll see in this class, and his rushes are technically savvy. What’s most impressive to me about Collier is all the different ways that he can win. He can beat you with power, he can use his long arms, he can use quickness. It’s just an endless supply of weapons for him.
The Chiefs will have some decisions to make between Dee Ford’s franchise tag and Justin Houston’s contract. No matter what happens I think it’d be wise to invest in a player who fits the new defensive scheme better than those they currently have. You can never have too many edge guys in the NFL and if there was ever an injury at 3-technique he could fill in there in a pinch.
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92nd Overall | Elijah Holyfield | RB | Georgia
One of the things that is so great about Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes is that he learned how to be a professional from his father. His father was a professional baseball player for the Minnesota Twins. I think that Elijah Holyfield will benefit in a similar way from having four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield as his father. There’s something about having family that’s competed at the highest level of a sport that instills a special type of pride and determination into a player.
Holyfield is listed right at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, which is exactly the size the Chiefs like their running backs to be. He provides a physical presence at the running back position that I’m not sure they currently have on the roster. Someone who can run between the tackles with the elusiveness and speed to pick up extra yards. He also has the strength and leg drive to move piles and fight through contact. Another thing that he’s capable of doing that I love is hurdling defenders (pictured above).
A lot of folks are picking a running back to the Chiefs given the situation with Kareem Hunt. The Chiefs don’t need a running back, they’ll be fine with Damien Williams and Darrel Williams. What they need is to be prepared if one of those two players becomes unavailable. As we’ve learned in the past at the running back position, injury and circumstance can strike at any moment. The Chiefs needed to be three players deep at the position in 2018 and they were, look for them to continue that trend in the future.
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Round 5 | Gerri Green | LB | Mississippi State
In my eyes there is a glaring defensive need for the Chiefs right now. With the switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense, they need a true SAM linebacker. You could put Justin Houston or Reggie Ragland there when the Chiefs are in base defense, but both options are like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.
Gerri Green was a rush defensive end at Mississippi State in 2018 and he did a good job there, but when he went to the Senior Bowl he made the switch to off the ball linebacker. He proved that he can do more than get after the quarterback. He’s a very fluid mover in space and can get his hips turned in a hurry. During the practice week he did a good job matching up in coverage with tight ends, which is something he’ll need to do if he plays SAM in the NFL.
Green is a perfect fit in Steve Spagnuolo’s system as a strong side linebacker. He has the size at 6-foot-4 and 254 pounds. He’s also got the ability to get after the quarterback and collapse the pocket in the run game. Given his success as a defensive end in 2018, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him sub in there when the Chiefs are in nickel and dime packages.
This has potential to be a very good value for the Chiefs, especially if Green can start right away in their new system.
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Round 6 | Corey Ballentine | CB | Washburn
It’d be awesome to see Topeka, Kansas native Corey Ballentine play for the NFL team that’s only an hour away from home. Ballentine was another player who impressed with his performance at the Senior Bowl. Coming from a division II school, players need to check a ton of boxes to garner consideration, and I feel like Ballentine did just that.
Ballentine challenges receivers at the line of scrimmage and throughout the route, and mostly does it without drawing penalty flags. He was much better in coverage than I expected him to be in Senior Bowl practice and during the game. He even notched some of the fastest timed speeds during practice.
Coaches will love that Ballentine already knows how to stick in a receivers hip pocket. He also has some good burst from trail technique to jump in and breakup passes. Another thing I love about this player is that he’s unafraid to tackle. Sometimes you’ll find corners that shy away from it, but not this kid.
The Chiefs obviously have some needs in the secondary, and while they wait on this player to develop his game for the NFL, he’ll contribute on special teams. Ballentine has four career blocked kicks and also returned kickoffs for the Ichabods.
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Round 6 | Compensatory Pick | Drue Tranquill | LB | Notre Dame
At this point of the draft I’m beginning to look for players who have developmental upside and can have an immediate impact on special teams. Drue Tranquill is exactly that type of player.
Tranquill has the feel of a spot starter who can be a leader on special teams. He has the ability to be a signal-caller on the defense. His size might be restrictive to the weakside linebacker position in the NFL, but he has college experience at middle linebacker. He’s shown prowess as a blitzer and a run stopper, but I still have some major questions about his coverage abilities.
My biggest concern for Tranquill is that he has two surgically repaired knees. His medicals will be extremely important to his evaluation for teams and it’ll be the difference between being a Day 3 pick and going undrafted.
For the Chiefs, they value special teams play more than most teams in the NFL. They took a linebacker in the third round last year (Dorian O’Daniel) that mostly played special teams in 2018. The Chiefs will also need to look toward revamping their linebacker unit to better suit a 4-3 system and Tranquill could go a long way toward helping that goal.
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Round 7 | Hjalte Froholdt | OL | Arkansas
Hjalte Froholdt hasn’t been playing football very long, and he’s been playing offensive lineman for an even shorter period. He came to the United States from Denmark in high school to play football. Arkansas recruited him as a defensive tackle and ultimately moved him to offensive lineman.
Froholdt looks like a player who will fit along the interior offensive line. His play strength is definitely up to par, but he still needs to work on his understanding of angles, pad level, and leverage. Froholdt was invited to the NFL scouting combine, that’ll be a big deal for him as he prepares to make the jump to the NFL. If he can impress scouts there he has a chance to be drafted much higher than this.
The Chiefs have done a great job identifying developmental talent along the offensive line, and I think they’ll continue that trend in 2018. From a fit perspective, Froholdt makes a ton of sense. He’s well liked by his teammates and has a good rapport with the press. He could be starting within a year, similar to the rise of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
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Priority Undrafted Free Agents
Cody Barton LB Utah
There’s always a few players who are worthy of being drafted that just don’t get picked up. I feel like Barton will be one of those players. He received the Pat Tillman award at the East-West Shrine Game. The award goes to the player who exemplifies intelligence and sportsmanship during the week. Chiefs defensive assistant Alex Whittingham is a former teammate of Barton’s so he’ll have the inside scoop on this player.
Markus Jones EDGE Angelo State
Markus Jones was one of only three Division II players invited to the East-West Shrine Game. He finished the game with a half sack, two quarterback hits, and six tackles. There is developmental upside for Jones as a pass-rusher in the NFL, but he’ll likely need to spend time on the practice squad.
Jamarius Way WR South Alabama
Jamarius Way has good size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. He recorded 855 receiving yards and eight touchdowns during his senior season in 2018. The Chiefs will look for value at the receiver position in this draft class as they try and replace Chris Conley and De’Anthony Thomas. That value may come in undrafted free agency.
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