Following the 2017 NFL draft the Chiefs were crushed by analysts, pundits, experts and anyone out there providing draft grades. Trading up into the top-10 picks to select Patrick Mahomes was considered by most accounts a risky pick, a project and a bust waiting to happen. Two years later, the Chiefs have the leagues reigning MVP, who put up one of the best seasons in NFL history.
What I’m getting at is that grading draft picks immediately after the draft is stupid and generally unfair to players who all need time to grow in the NFL. Grading teams based on their decision making is equally questionable, because no one writing about it is in the room when the decisions are made. 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, here’s my crack at grading the entire draft class for the Chiefs. If I’m terribly wrong here, please remind me of it over the next few years. I promise it won’t be met with sarcasm and eye-rolling. Click through for thoughts on each individual pick and I’ll provide a final grade for the whole class at the end.
Round 1: Seahawks DE Frank Clark
If you see a grade for the Chiefs entire 2019 draft class and it doesn’t include the trade for Clark, you’re not reading a complete grade.
The truth is, the Chiefs used their first round pick in this draft class to get a defensive end with four seasons of NFL experience under his belt. He’s going to be more prepared to come in than any rookie ever could have been at pick No. 29. Clark offers leadership, character and an unparalleled level of tenacity on the field.
The Chiefs goal following postseason disappointments dating back to Alex Smith’s tenure was to get tougher on defense. They failed to do that in 2018, and that failure probably cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. Now, with vast changes to defensive personnel and coaching staff, Clark brings enough toughness for the other 10 guys out there on field with him.
People will try and poke holes in this one by saying the Chiefs could have taken Dee Ford for less, they could of kept Justin Houston and they could have signed Trey Flowers. They had the options to do all those things, yet they didn’t do them. Why? Because Clark is the guy they’d been targeting for months with the goal of improving their defense. Flowers, Ford and Houston kept them status quo, but Clark takes the Chiefs to a new level in the eyes of the staff.
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Round 2: Georgia WR Mecole Hardman
One thing I think the Chiefs like out of Hardman right away is his ability to work deep passing plays out of the slot. He had seven catches of 30 yards or more last season. In the national championship game against Alabama (2017-18) he caught a deep pass, took it to the house and displayed great body control along the sideline.
Hardman needs to develop multiple releases off the line of scrimmage. He is good at working defensive backs at the top of the route, but he wasn’t often challenged with physical coverage because of his speed.
Brett Veach considered Hardman the top-rated punt returner in this draft class. People have to remember the Chiefs place great value on special teams and are likely losing their starter there too.
I like this pick given the newfound needs the Chiefs have, but he also needs to improve some things as a receiver before I’m sold that this was the right choice for Kansas City.
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Round 2: Virginia DB Juan Thornhill
The Chiefs safety group was an unmitigated disaster in 2018. Injuries struck and decimated the two starters in Eric Berry and Daniel Sorensen.
Bob Sutton’s unwillingness to start the young guys over Ron Parker was huge. I feel like that interception against the Chargers in Week 1 bought Parker extra time that his play really didn’t deserve. Then when Armani Watts got his shot he got hurt making the play of the game against the Jaguars. Eric Murray also got dinged up, it was just one unlucky event after the other.
The Chiefs have reset and rebuilt their core with the addition of Tyrann Mathieu in free agency. He’s their new “Maverick”, and Thornhill has a chance to be “Goose” in this defense. I fully expect Thornhill to be part of that starting 11 on defense, but really it just depends where they decide his best fit is in this defense.
Thornhill is a do-everything style player that the Chiefs feel can play safety, nickel, and corner. He’s got great ball skills, athleticism and his vision with the ball in his hands is going to lead to some points, plus big changes in field position in the future.
It’s hard not to love this pick given sheer need and the player the team selected.
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Round 3: Western Illinois DT Khalen Saunders
From a need perspective this feels like a wasted pick. However, if you recognize Andy Reid’s draft history at Philly, he likes to reload on the big guys up front constantly. That’s what they seem to be doing here with Saunders. They could potentially still lose Allen Bailey to free agency, this likely offsets that potential loss.
Saunders was dominant against FCS level competition, he’s stout in the run game and he offers some pass rush ability too. All of his tape seems to be from the nose guard position and I’m sure the Chiefs will likely line him up at 0-technique or 1-technique. I think his ceiling in his first year at those spots is simply as a rotational piece unless injury thrusts him into full time action.
There are numerous videos of him floating around out there doing flips, which is an impressive display of athleticism, but it won’t help the Chiefs win games. I do think that Andy Reid is going to scheme up some plays to get him involved on offense, though. He’s caught passes, ran the ball and more during his playing career.
It’s the return of “Hungry Pig Right” and “Bloated Tebow Pass” in the Chiefs Kingdom. What’s not to love about that?
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Round 6: South Carolina CB Rashad Fenton
I know this isn’t the corner that everyone was hoping for, but there’s things to like about Fenton’s game. He likes to chirp a bit and he plays with an edge, but he backed it up for the most part. Confidence is a big part of playing the corner position, and Fenton definitely has a lot of it.
The SEC is still the top conference in college football and the production that Fenton put up there is quite impressive. If you turn on his tape you’ll notice that a lot of his interceptions come from smart play. Often times Fenton runs the route of the receiver better than they do.
Fenton was also a kick returner from his freshman season to his junior season. It doesn’t sound like the Chiefs will use him there, but in the coverage units instead, but they always need help and competition at kick returner.
I wouldn’t expect Fenton to come in and instantly be a starter at corner, but he’s definitely going to push some guys for a place on this roster. He feels like a guy that they view as a replacement for Steven Nelson.
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Round 6: Utah State RB Darwin Thompson
Many long believed the Chiefs needed to get a new RB to offset the loss of Kareem Hunt. Damien Williams is the guy in Kansas City, and anyone who doesn’t think he holds a torch to Hunt is sorely mistaken. There’s plenty of stats and postseason production to prove it, but I won’t bore you with that here.
Thompson is not quite like any running back that the Chiefs have on the roster. It’s part of what makes this selection so exciting. You’d think with his size that he’s limited to a third-down style change of pace player, but if he plays in the NFL like he did at Utah State, he can be an every down player.
Contact balance for Thompson is way better than it should be for a 5-8 RB. His vision is superb. He’s got three distinct gears that show up often on tape, with true breakaway speed. Good cutting ability and he can catch the ball out of the backfield quite well.
There’s a lot to like about this one and getting him on Day 3 is tremendous value if he pans out.
Round 7: Illinois OL Nick Allegretti
I’ve already professed Allegretti as my steal of the draft for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have struck gold in the late rounds with some developmental offensive line talent. Seeing them go back to that well instead of over-drafting a center on Day 1 is very exciting to me. I think Allegretti is even further along than guys like Zach Fulton, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and even last years choice of Kahlil McKenzie.
He’s powerful yet agile in the running game, and he’s quite active in pass protection playing as a guard or a center. He’s a really smart guy too, so that could help him see the field earlier than some may give a seventh-round pick credit for.
I expect him to land the swing interior offensive line spot for the Chiefs this season.
Undrafted free agency
The Chiefs may not get a lot of winning grades for their draft, but they grabbed some studs in undrafted free agency. I’ll have more on the ones that I expect to make an impact and push for a roster or practice squad spot another time. Also there will be in-depth reports on each during our UDFA Spotlight series this summer. Here are eight that are heading to K.C. that I really like:
- Toledo WR Cody Thompson
- Middle Tennessee LB Darius Harris
- Texas LB Gary Johnson
- Clemson CB Mark Fields
- Washington State RB James Williams
- San Jose State CB Dakari Monroe
- New Mexico CB Jalin Burrell
- Syracuse WR Jamal Custis
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Full Class Grade: B+
All things considered I’d be very surprised to find that the Chiefs didn’t improve with this draft class. They attacked a few crucial needs without reaching or getting overly-aggressive with trades.
They jumped a few spots to grab Mecole Hardman because they had intel that teams were looking to trade up to No. 61 hoping to get him. They got great value to end Day 2 with selections of Juan Thornhill and Khalen Saunders. They got even better value at the end of Day 3 with Darwin Thompson and Nick Allegretti.
Not addressing the CB position until the sixth round is a questionable move, but I think they added four guys who will create meaningful competition on the bottom half of the roster. Rashad Fenton in the sixth round, and Mark Fields, Jalin Burrell and Dakari Monroe in undrafted free agency.
Keep in mind that there is still a lot of cap space that the Chiefs can spend if any free agents were to become available. That’d be the icing on top of the cake of this draft class, unless you don’t like icing.
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