Following the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs were crushed by analysts, pundits, experts and anyone out there providing draft grades. Trading up into the top-10 to select Patrick Mahomes was considered by most accounts a risk. Three years later, the Chiefs have become world champions, ending their 50-year Super Bowl drought, and Mahomes is unanimously praised as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.
What I’m getting at is that grading draft picks immediately after the draft is generally unfair to the players who will all need time to grow in the NFL. The Chiefs are usually forthcoming with their thoughts, allowing scouts and others to speak their minds on players. However, you rarely get the full picture, only what they decide to show you.
With all of that in mind, the Chiefs Wire staff will provide their grades for the entire 2020 NFL Draft class for Kansas City down below. Click through for thoughts from several of our writers.
Charles Goldman’s grade: B-
Twitter: @goldmctNFL
I feel like the third time will be the charm for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach. Maybe it’s just the hangover from the Super Bowl, but this draft class as a whole looks better than both 2018 and 2019 classes. That’s saying a lot considering the Chiefs had quite a few immediate contributors in 2019.
They grabbed the right guy in the first round, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the running back out of LSU. Whether you compare him to Priest Holmes, Brian Westbrook or Darren Sproles — it’s abundantly clear he’s a special talent. Personally, I love his ability as a pass-catcher more than anything else, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s fourth in receptions behind Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins in 2020.
I wasn’t as comfortable with the Chiefs’ pick in the second round, Willie Gay Jr., the linebacker out of Mississippi State. His lack of production and off-field issues concerned me a bit initially, but I’ve warmed up to this pick after doing some more research. The kid is definitely oozing with athleticism and he has those flashes on tape that make you think he can be really special.
One of my favorite picks in the draft was TCU tackle Lucas Niang. He didn’t give up a single sack in his college career and drew praise from the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, Chase Young, as one of the best tackles he faced. I know that Veach says he’ll come in and compete at guard right away, but I think he’s just saving face with those comments. The last thing he wants to do is give the impression that he’s planning to replace one of his bookend tackles in the future (Eric Fisher can save $11.5 million in cap space in 2021). Whatever they do with Niang in 2020 is gravy, this is a pick that is about protecting Mahomes in the future and I can get behind that.
The Chiefs addressed the secondary on Day 3, adding a blazing-fast L’Jarius Sneed in the fourth round. He played safety in 2019, but the Chiefs plan to play him at the cornerback position. I would have preferred they addressed the position early, but there is no denying Sneed has an incredible combination of size, speed and ball skills. The upside here is quite exciting.
The Mike Danna pick was a bit of a head-scratcher until I saw Chiefs’ defensive line coach Brendan Daly absolutely glowing while talking about him. It’s clear that this was his pick all the way, and he’s done a fine job with the defensive line so I’ll defer to him on that.
Finally, the Chiefs sought the need to trade back into the draft, adding a seventh-round pick and using it on Tulane CB BoPete Keyes. I love the idea of double-dipping at the cornerback spot, and Keyes, like Sneed, has length, ball skills and speed.
The only reason I’m unwilling to give this draft a solid B is because of my own draft board. I didn’t have some of the players taken on Day 3 (Sneed & Danna) rated as highly as some other players that were taken by division rivals shortly after the Chiefs picked (Raiders: Robertson & Broncos: Anae, Muti). That’s just me trusting my own evaluations, though. This has a chance to be a legendary draft class and I’m getting more excited about it by the minute.
Wesley Roesch’s grade: B+
Twitter: @WesleyRoesch
I am pleasantly surprised by the Chiefs’ draft. With only five picks the team managed to acquire a starting running back and linebacker, depth (with potential for starting roles) at defensive back and offensive line, and an athletic project at defensive line.
The more I sit on it, the more I love the RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire pick. There might’ve been better value at No. 32 but you can’t argue with loading up quarterback Patrick Mahomes with more hand-picked weapons. Linebacker Willie Gay was good value in the second round and could start immediately — at the least, he’ll be a worthy special teams contributor in year one.
OL Lucas Niang and DB L’Jarius Sneed were quality picks because those guys can contribute immediately, but neither will need to be thrust into important roles in year one. DL Mike Danna might have been a bit of a reach in round five, but with no picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, the Chiefs probably didn’t want to risk losing athletic prospects like him.
It’s too early to tell, but I think there’s a ton of upside with this draft. We may look back on it in a couple years as general manager Brett Veach’s best one yet.
Ed Easton Jr’s grade: B
Twitter: @EdEastonJr
The Kansas City Chiefs begin the defense of their Super Bowl championship with this year’s draft class. General manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid were busy making important decisions in regards to the team’s future and overall did a sufficient job. The Chiefs added players at vital positions and had enough validation for each pick.
The Chiefs decided to go with Patrick Mahomes endorsed LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. I preferred Georgia’s D’Andre Swift for his explosive ability, but Edwards-Helaire fits the team’s game plan perfectly. Willie Gay Jr and Lucas Niang check the boxes of need on defense and the offensive line, especially if Niang can play well at the tackle position. L’Jarius Sneed is a hard-hitting safety that will likely see time at cornerback, and Mike Danna adds rotational depth on the defensive line.
The Chiefs trade into the seventh round, adding more cornerback depth with BoPete Keyes. They walk away, addressing team needs effectively with a good portion of last season’s team returning. A job well done from the front office but still plenty of work needed in regards to talented undrafted free agents.
Talon Graff: B
Twitter: @coachgraff34
Brett Veach’s fourth draft class as General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs is in the books. With the Super Bowl win now in the rearview mirror, how did Veach do in preparing the Chiefs for a title defense? The hardest thing to do in sports is to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The last time it happened was when the Patriots accomplished the feat in 2004 and 2005.
With pick 32, the Chiefs took LSU running back, and to be honest, I am not 100% thrilled with the pick. I know I am in the minority when it comes to that sentiment but I had four running backs ranked higher than CEH. Having said that, the word is that the entire Chiefs organization, specifically Patrick Mahomes, is thrilled with this pick. So who am I to scrunch my nose at it? I am sure he will be perfectly productive with Mahomes and Reid.
As far as the rest of the draft class, Willie Gay’s skillset fills a big need on defense but we’re all hoping that the “off-field issues” pick, that has become familiar, works out again. Lucas Niang can play tackle or guard at a high level and he will be a large part of the team’s future. L’Jarius Sneed should be a contributing cornerback sooner rather than later, sneaky-good pick. Michael Danna checks the box for Veach’s annual reach pick but at least this one came in round five. Trading back into the seventh for BoPete Keyes seems like the easiest way to make sure he became a Chief as reports show that Keyes was going to be a highly sought after PFA.
