In two weeks, the NFL world will converge upon Kansas City, with the spectacle of the NFL Draft reaching Union Station and its surrounding parts downtown. The league estimates that hundreds of thousands will attend a three-day event unlike one to ever arrive in our backyard.
And yet 10 miles east, the Chiefs front-office personnel will settle inside a draft war room and shape a future roster.
It’s an interesting dynamic — as the party engulfs downtown KC, the Chiefs will march on as they always have, because this is the precise weekend that has prompted an emerging dynasty.
Only a few days ago, I explored the most pressing needs for the defending Super Bowl champions as the draft nears, but the implication isn’t that the Chiefs are completely set everywhere else. The draft is about priorities, and their primary four priorities — offensive tackle, wide receiver, defensive tackle and edge rusher — stood out above the rest.
Their primary priorities. That’s what I already covered in the last piece. As we fall down the list, though, there are some less obvious needs. Or, in one case, a less immediate need.
But with 10 picks at their disposal — for now, anyway — the Chiefs should be eyeing each of them as the draft unfolds.
Running back
Yes, running back is on the list, even after Isiah Pacheco ran for the fourth most yards among rookies last season and had the best yards-per-carry (4.9) among the six rookies with at least 100 carries.
The metrics aren’t quite as high on Pacheco. Pro Football Focus grades his running ability seventh among the 10 rookies who saw the most snaps. His elusive rating was ninth among those 10.
But this isn’t really about finding a replacement for Pacheco, who certainly improved as the season progressed, offering optimism his 2023 could be better than his 2022. Instead, it’s about what’s around him. The Chiefs haven’t brought back Jerick McKinnon, at least not yet, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire now has an injury history and not much of a production history. Which isn’t the ideal combo.
There is a need for another running back, and a very specific type of one, if beggars can be choosers here.
The old-school third-down back.
Pacheco was the third-worst graded pass protector among the 60 running backs with the most snaps last season, and that’s not exactly the strength for Edwards-Helaire either. (It’s actually not the strength for McKinnon that you might think, and maybe that speaks to how much Pacheco struggled with it last year. McKinnon looked like a Pro Bowl blocker by comparison.)
A quality pass protector and receiver out of the backfield would complement the hard-nosed running that Pacheco provides. And the good news is you shouldn’t have to expend first- or even second-day draft capital to find one. The Chiefs can afford a Day 3 pick here.
Quarterback
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell opens the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City this month, it will be six years to the day that the Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes — the most franchise-altering selection in, what, their history?
They haven’t taken a quarterback in this five drafts since.
Why would you?
Well, because now they need that guy’s backup. Chad Henne retired after the Super Bowl win in Arizona — like, a few seconds after the Super Bowl win in Arizona. The Chiefs do like what Shane Buechele brings to the room after he joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021 — enough that they’ve created a roster spot for a third quarterback to ensure they don’t lose him.
But they’d prefer to add some competition. Let’s rephrase that: They need to add some competition. Henne has been forced into action in two of the past three postseasons. This isn’t as insignificant of a position as you might assume.
An ideal pick: Someone who could, I don’t know, execute a quarterback sneak? Wouldn’t it be advantageous if those trick plays included at least the threat of a pass, rather than a tight end trying to move the pile? After the Eagles turned the “tush push” into a thing, the rest of the league will certainly attempt to copy it. But you’ve got to have the personnel to do it. The Chiefs have the interior linemen. They do not, however, have the quarterback.
They can change that.
Tight end
If you’re wondering why I classified these needs as less obvious, it should be apparent by now. Two of the three positions on this list are where the Chiefs have literally the best of the best.
At quarterback, it’s about finding a backup.
At tight end, it’s a recognition of a couple of things.
For starters, Travis Kelce will turn 34 less than a month into the 2023 season. At some point, he will be on the back end of his career. He has to be.
And secondly, in a weak overall draft class this year, the tight end position has the chance to be the exception. Dane Brugler, a draft analyst for The Athletic, gives a first-round grade to four tight ends. Five more have a Day 2 grade. The Chiefs ought to pounce while the opportunity is there.
They won’t be finding another Travis Kelce.
But they do need to start thinking about a replacement, even if an exact like-for-like replacement isn’t ever happening.
Wouldn’t hurt to have them share a field, either. Mahomes threw 28 more pass attempts with two tight-end sets than any other quarterback in football, using data from Sports Info Solutions. He threw 16 more pass attempts with three tight-end sets than any other quarterback in football. It’s not as though a draft pick wouldn’t have the opportunity to contribute immediately, even if the Chiefs do have a crowded room here already.
