We’re down to counting the hours until the beginning of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs have positioned themselves with no glaring needs to fill in the draft. They’ll have a variety of different routes to choose from in the draft. They can attack it with an eye toward the future or they can look for immediate impact players to maximize their chances of a Super Bowl repeat. Whatever happens, the best news is that they have options and don’t have to feel pigeonholed into taking a certain position or player in the draft.
Here are my final thoughts on what the Chiefs might do when they finally come on the clock on Thursday:
Round 1, Pick 32: TCU WR Jalen Reagor
You may not think that Reagor is worthy of a first-round draft pick, but I’m here to tell you he has plenty of fans in the NFL, including a very important figure in Kansas City.
Held back by poor quarterback play in 2019, Reagor is an elite playmaker at the receiver position. He has speed and explosion at 5-11 and 206 pounds, with homerun potential every time he touches the football. TCU was good at getting Reagor the ball in creative ways, utilizing him as a return man on special teams and as a rusher on jet sweeps.
There has been some criticism of route-running and blocking with Reagor, but I actually came away impressed in both areas. While he isn’t perfectly refined in his routes, he uses subtle movements to get defenders off their mark. As a blocker, he is good at stalk blocking, but he could be a bit more physical at times.
Reagor revealed at the combine that he’s actually friendly with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, talking to him on a frequent basis. Before flipping to TCU, Reagor was committed to joining Mahomes at Texas Tech. Mahomes has even thrown with Reagor in the past. If there’s anyone who knows best the potential of this underrated receiver, it’s Mahomes.
Round 2, Pick 63: Temple OL Matt Hennessy
A three-year starter for Temple, Hennessy is as experienced as they come at the center position. He’s one of the most athletic and fluid center prospects in this draft class, displaying elite change in direction skills. He was able to showcase those skills at both the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl. He was also among the top performers at each event.
While Hennessy doesn’t have the strength to barrel over people in the run game, he does a good job on reach blocks and combo blocks. He also is great at taking linebackers and defensive backs out of the picture in the second level. He’s flat-out dominant as a pass blocker, with zero sacks and just six total pressures allowed in his past 875 pass-blocking snaps.
Hennessy is one of the nine players recognized as “Temple Tough” earning a single-digit number for the, wearing the No. 3 on his helmet, but the No. 58 jersey. If you’re looking to stabilize the interior offensive line long-term, Hennessy is the type of glue player that you look for at the position.
Round 3, Pick 96: Tulsa CB Reggie Robinson II
Robinson has a great blend of size, speed and physicality. He always finds a way to be in a position to make a play on the football. At the Senior Bowl, he really impressed during his one-on-one drills and with his all-around competitive nature.
At Tulsa, Robinson stepped up and delivered dominant performances in coverage in some of the biggest games for the school. He allowed no catches into his coverage when facing Tulane and allowed just four catches in Tulsa’s upset victory over Central Florida. He’s also an ace special teams player on the field goal unit, with four blocked kicks during his career
Robinson’s instincts are impressive and his ball skills showed signs of improvement in 2019. When everything is said and done, Robinson could turn out to be one of the best cornerbacks to come out of this draft class.
Round 4, Pick 138: Wake Forest LB Justin Strnad
At 6-3 and 238 pounds, Strnad is built less like a linebacker and more like a defensive back. He has the frame to put on more good weight, which he’ll need to become effective as a three-down NFL linebacker.
His sideline-to-sideline play speed, coverage ability and fluidity all flash on tape, but Strnad didn’t have the greatest testing at the combine. He’s one of the players that really would have benefited from another opportunity at a true pro day. One thing that he isn’t lacking for is effort, putting up a maximum display on every snap.
Strnad had a torn bicep tendon in October, so teams obviously need to clear him on the medical side of things. If he passes with flying colors, I expect that those teams in search of a 4-3 WILL linebacker shall move him up the draft board accordingly.
Round 5, Pick 177: Miami RB DeeJay Dallas
The Chiefs can wait until Day 3 to draft a running back and will still have a variety of good options available. Dallas is one of my favorites who, at 5-10 and 217 pounds, reminds me a little of former Chiefs running back Spencer Ware. He’s a bit more sudden than Ware, but they have similar contact balance and toughness.
Dallas has size, good speed and is perhaps the best pass-blocking running back in the draft. He attacks free rushers and puts his body on the line for his quarterback. While he only caught 24 passes in his career as a running back, he seems to have good hands. He came to Miami as a quarterback to receiver convert. He’s also good running the wildcat because of that quarterback experience.
