Remarkably, the Kansas City Chiefs will return all of their receivers from their Super Bowl-winning season. The team re-signed Demarcus Robinson and reworked Sammy Watkins’ contract to lower his cap hit. That means all of the top targets for Patrick Mahomes will be back for the 2020 season.
Still, as Brett Veach said in his pre-draft press conference, the Chiefs are planning not just for the 2020 NFL season but with the future in mind. Both Robinson and Watkins are scheduled to become free agents again in 2021, which puts a future need on adding players to the receiver room. Here’s a look at some of the wide receiver prospects Kansas City could consider in each round of the 2020 NFL Draft:
Round 1: Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk
There’s a lot to like about Aiyuk’s game. At 6-foot and 205 pounds, he has good size and physicality for the NFL game. He’s an extremely explosive athlete with the ball in his hands, capable of turning a quick slant into a 70-yard touchdown. During his senior season at Arizona State, he more than doubled his yardage total from the season prior with just 32 more catches.
His athletic testing proved that his tape wasn’t a fluke, running a 4.5 40-yard dash at the combine and posting a 40-inch vertical leap. Aiyuk also has upside as a return man on both punts and kicks. He had some of the top production at kick returner in the country in 2019.
Many believe that Aiyuk is the superior prospect to N’Keal Harry, who was also from Arizona State and was drafted at pick No. 32 last season. This option would help the Chiefs keep a healthy arsenal of weapons for QB Patrick Mahomes.
Round 2: Penn State WR K.J. Hamler
At 5-9 and 178 pounds, Hamler is diminutive in size, but that didn’t stop a productive career at Penn State. Hamler caught 98 passes for 1,658 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 16.9 yards per reception over the span of two seasons. His touchdown share in the Penn State offense in 2019 was over 30%, which shows just how productive he can be.
Hamler didn’t run at the combine, but many believe that he’s one of the fastest receivers in the draft class. He certainly has the speed to separate against man coverage and elite acceleration with the ball in his hands. Dropped passes are a problem for Hamler, but we have to remember the kid is only 20 years old and has plenty of room to improve.
Round 3: Florida WR Van Jefferson
The son of New York Jets wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, Van is one of the most intriguing receivers in this draft class. He won’t beat his opponents with pure speed, but his quick footwork and route-running have him breaking ankles on the regular.
Weighing in at 6-1 and 200 pounds, Jefferson put on a route-running clinic at the Senior Bowl in January. He was dominant during one-on-one drills and made some good contested catches during practice, making great adjustments to football’s thrown by unfamiliar quarterbacks.
A Jones fracture was discovered at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and he was unable to work out because of it, so we don’t have athletic testing numbers. At the Senior Bowl, he was clocked as the fastest player, reaching a maximum speed of 21.05 mph.
Jefferson met with the Chiefs in Mobile, Alabama back in January.
Round 4: Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus
Cephus’ production might not meet the level of some other receivers in this draft class after playing in a run-first offense, but he was the top target for the Badgers in 2019. He amassed 59 receptions for over 900 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games played.
Ohio State CB Jeff Okudah, widely viewed as the top cornerback in this draft class, says that Cephus was the toughest receiver he faced in college. “I don’t care what his 40-time was,” Okudah said at the combine. Cephus can take the tiniest bit of separation and make it feel like you’re miles behind him. He’s also extremely hard to tackle once he has the ball in his hands, usually taking two or more defenders to bring him to the ground.
Cephus didn’t run well at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis (4.73) but he improved his time (4.56) at his pro day, which happened before the coronavirus shutdowns. That second time is more indicative of the game speed that you see when watching the tape.
Character issues in his past will have teams doing their research on Cephus, which is likely why he won’t go earlier than Day 3.
Round 5: Boise State WR John Hightower
Hightower was primarily a deep threat in the Boise State offense. He isn’t most physical receiver and you won’t find him making many contested catches. Instead, he wins with route-running and speed. He does have some ability to make players miss with the ball in his hands, but he won’t run over defenders.
At the combine, Hightower had a great performance, running a 4.44 40-yard dash. During the on-field workouts, he had an athletic grab on a pass from Justin Herbert on an endzone fade that would have been a beautiful toe-tapping touchdown in the NFL.
The Chiefs showed some of their earliest pre-draft interest in Hightower, meeting with him at the East-West Shrine Game.
Round 6: Virginia WR Joe Reed
One of the most impressive athletes at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Reed is a slot receiver in the body of a running back. He actually was an all-state running back in Virginia during his senior season of high school. The areas that he excels at as a receiver are yards after the catch, contested catches and blocking.
Another thing you’re getting in Reed is a dominant kick return specialist. In four seasons at Virginia, Reed amassed 106 returns for 3,042 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 28.7 yards per return. We all know how the Chiefs value special teams. Adding a player like Reed on Day 3 could make Dave Toub a very happy camper.
Round 7: Miami WR Jeff Thomas
Thomas is from East St. Louis, Illinois and was slated to be an invite to the Chiefs’ local pro day.
Thomas’ career is marred by the terrible quarterback play at the University of Miami. He has big-play ability, but he didn’t get a chance to showcase much of it outside of some impressive contested catches and some explosive run after the catch plays. He never got much of chance to be showcased in the offenses of either Mark Richt or Manny Diaz, recording no more than 35 receptions in a single season.
Luckily he got to show off his athleticism at the combine, running a 4.45 40-yard dash. There are some off-field issues to check into as Thomas was suspended for two games during the 2019 college football season.
