Draft Wire recently updated their 3-round mock draft projections for the 2020 NFL draft. They used the latest draft order following Week 11 to give us the most accurate look they can. They changed things up for the Kansas City Chiefs a bit.
Below you’ll find a quick breakdown of each of their selections for the Chiefs:
Round 1 Pick 25. Georgia RB D’Andre Swift
The first-round pick for the Chiefs remains mostly unchanged in the latest updated projections for Draft Wire. The Chiefs will still select D’Andre Swift with their first-round pick, but they do so three selections later as the draft order has changed.
I’m still on the fence about taking a running back in the first round. I understand why people are choosing that position for the Chiefs. Running back currently ranks No. 2 in our recent poll of the weakest position group on the 2019 roster for Kansas City.
It doesn’t change the fact that the Chiefs don’t historically value running backs in the first round. They’ve done a really good job of finding great ones in the mid-to-late rounds and free agency. It’d have to take someone really special for the Kansas City front office to make a move in the first round and I’m not certain that Swift is that player.
Round 2 Pick 57. Virginia CB Bryce Hall
Once again, Hall is the choice for the Chiefs, but he comes two selections later than before. I’m not sure that fans will be too happy with the decision to wait until the second round to grab a corner. Taking a corner coming off of injury in the second round will be equally risky.
This is a player that the front office will already have done some work on given the fact that Juan Thornhill was playing in the same secondary with him a season ago. They’ll already have a good idea about the type of player he is — the physicality, ball skills and work ethic. Really, the big concerns will surround his injury recovery.
The NFL Scouting Combine medical checks will be important for Hall because of the gruesome left ankle injury he suffered earlier in the season. The last thing the Chiefs can afford to do is to waste valuable draft capital on a player that won’t be ready to contribute.
Round 3 Pick 89. Notre Dame DE Julian Okwara
In the last iteration of this mock draft, the Chiefs went with the other draft-eligible defensive end from Notre Dame in Khalid Kareem. Now they opt for the lighter and faster player on the opposite side. Okwara doesn’t exactly fit what Kansas City likes at the position, but there are other redeeming qualities to this pick.
Draft Wire took Okwara a round earlier at pick No. 54 in a prior iteration of these 3-round projections. By that logic, this pick could be a steal, occurring over 30 selections later. There’s no telling what Okwara’s draft stock will look like by the end of the process. From preseason to now, there seems to be a high variance of grades on Okwara. Some evaluators believe he’ll be a first-round pick, while others seem to feel he’ll be valued in the middle rounds.
Okwara’s older brother, Romeo, played in the NFL for DC Steve Spagnuolo with the New York Giants. Spags probably knows the type of defender the Chiefs will get in Okwara. I’m certain this won’t be the last time you hear about that connection leading up to the draft.
