The Kansas City Chiefs will soon head home from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Next in the pre-draft process, they’ll have scouts travel around the country attending Pro Day’s for players to gather more background information on draft prospects.
We’re still operating without the knowledge of what happens in free agency in this mock draft. We do have some idea of the positions that the Chiefs are prioritizing in the draft after player interviews at the combine.
Keep in mind that the draft order beyond the third round is not final yet. The NFL hasn’t announced compensatory picks, and while the Chiefs are not projected to receive any, they’ll pick later in the fourth and fifth round because of compensatory picks added to rounds prior.
Here’s what the draft could look like for Kansas City knowing what we know after the conclusion of the combine:
Round 1, Pick 32 – Utah CB Jaylon Johnson
The Kansas City Chiefs are doing a lot of homework on the cornerbacks in the 2020 NFL draft. They’ve had formal interviews with five players who are considered among the top in this draft class. Why are formal interviews significant? Well, under Brett Veach, the Chiefs have selected six players they had formal interviews with at the combine. Those are just the players that we know about, too.
Johnson is among the players that had a formal interview with the Chiefs at the combine. He had a good meeting with the defensive coaches Steve Spagnuolo and Sam Madison, where they broke down film together.
Johnson put his toughness on display this season for the Utes, playing through a torn labrum that he suffered in September. He set career high’s in solo tackles and passes defended this season in spite of his injury. He participated in the combine and tested well, but he’ll need surgery to repair the injury afterward. That could see some players prioritized over Johnson early in the draft. NFL teams also are a lot higher on Johnson than the consensus of draftnik’s out there. They’ve seen significant improvement in each of his years at Utah, culminating in a gutsy 2019 season.
There’s a bit of an expectation that the run on cornerbacks will start late in the first round. In 2019, the run on corners started at the beginning of Day 2, well before the Chiefs had a chance to draft one. This time around Kansas City gets a corner early and doesn’t wait around hoping that one falls to them later in the draft.
Round 2, Pick 63 – LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Another position that the Chiefs have done a ton of work on at the combine is the running back group. The only running back under contract in Kansas City beyond the 2020 season is soon-to-be second-year player Darwin Thompson. They need to add another player at this spot and go cheap here for the next four seasons.
Edwards-Helaire was a breakout star for the LSU during their National Championship-winning season. He rushed for over 1,400 yards and 16 scores for the Tigers. That’s after serving as a complementary back in 2018, with Nick Brossette taking the majority of the carries. He’s proven to be a very well-rounded running back, showcasing the ability to grind out the tough yards, as well as catch the ball and block in pass protection.
Apart from his 40-yard dash time, Edwards-Helaire had a great combine performance. His vertical jump and broad jump both showed that he’s more explosive than his straight-line speed lets on. Frankly, it’s not a bad thing that he ran slow, because if Edward-Helaire ran a 4.4 40-yard dash he probably wouldn’t get out of the first round.
Grabbing Edwards-Helaire wouldn’t be a reach at this point of the draft, because you won’t get a chance to draft him in the next round if you’re the Chiefs unless you’re content on moving up.
Round 3, Pick 96 – Mississippi State LB Willie Gay Jr
If there was one guy that helped himself immensely with his on-field performance at the combine, it was Mississippi State LB Willie Gay Jr. At 6-feet-1 and 243 pounds, he posted elite scores in the broad jump (136 inches), vertical jump (39.5 inches) and the 40-yard dash (4.46). Those numbers are as impressive, if not more impressive than those posted by Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons who is universally praised as a top 5 draft pick in this class.
Brett Veach is a former SEC Scout, so grabbing a player from his old stomping grounds wouldn’t be unheard of. Gay Jr doesn’t have top production at the position compared to others in this class. In fact, he only has one season where he’s played 12 games. I’d expect he would be available in the middle rounds of the draft, despite his impressive showing at the combine.
What might turn out more important is how Gay Jr was in team interviews. He was suspended for eight games in the 2019 season for violating an undisclosed team rule at Mississippi State. The Chiefs aren’t a team that is afraid to take a chance on a player with a past, but they’ll have to do their homework here. If he was able to ace his team interviews, this is a player that could see a shocking rise.
Round 4, Pick 128 – Penn State CB John Reid
Reid has been a really consistent player for Penn State, recording at least 7 passes defended and an interception in each of his last three seasons. At 5-feet-10, he is likely a nickel corner at the next level and a dang good one at that. He’ll also be a multi-phase special teams player that someone like Dave Toub could get a lot of use out of.
At the combine, Reid put up an impressive performance in the measurable drills, posting 20 repetitions of 225 on the bench press and running a 4.49-second 40-yard dash. What stood out most to me about Reid during the combine was his on-field workouts. He looked super smooth backpedaling and getting his hips flipped.
The Chiefs are set to lose three cornerbacks in free agency with Bashaud Breeland, Kendall Fuller and Morris Claiborne set to depart. Adding multiple players in the upcoming draft class would be ideal for Kansas City.
Round 5, Pick 160 – Boise State WR John Hightower
A JUCO transfer, Hightower quickly established himself as one of the most dominant receivers in the Mountain West Conference once he arrived at Boise State. He was the leading receiver for the Broncos in 2019, with over 900 yards receiving and eight touchdowns on the season. He’s also a talented kick return specialist.
Hightower put on some good weight, getting up to around 190 pounds ahead of the combine. He didn’t seem to lose any speed at that weight either, running one of the fastest 40-yard dash times among the receivers at 4.44 seconds. His vertical, broad jump and short shuttle were also all above average times. In the on-field workouts, he had a sweet grab from Justin Herbert on an endzone fade route that would have been a beautiful toe-tapping touchdown in the NFL.
The Chiefs met with Hightower at the East-West Shrine Game. He’s been identified as a player with the offensive skill set that Kansas City wants to add to the team. He’d be a solid candidate to replace the skillset the Chiefs are likely to lose in Demarcus Robinson. The upside is there with his athleticism and he should only get better with time.
