It’s far too early to be considering which players the Kansas City Chiefs might come away with during the 2020 NFL draft. That also means it’s the perfect time to release our way-too-early mock draft.
Right now, the Chiefs are slim on draft picks, with only five selections during the entirety of the 2020 NFL draft. We used the latest updated 2020 NFL draft order from Draft Wire for this mock.
Let’s take a look at our earliest iteration of a full mock draft for Kansas City:
Round 1, Pick No. 23: Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos
During this simulation, things didn’t fall the way Chiefs fans probably had hoped for. Despite the depth of the cornerback position in this draft class, the top five were already off the board by the time Kansas City came on the clock in Round 1.
Instead of reaching for a cornerback I opted to add some pass-rushing depth. Adding defensive pressure is really the one thing that can help hide a deficiency in the secondary. It’s a lot more difficult to cover for five seconds than it is for two seconds. So even if the Chiefs don’t come away with a cornerback in the first round they can still help the group out.
Gross-Matos is a solid option for Kansas City. At 6-5 and 265 pounds, he has the size and length to play rush defensive end in Steve Spagnuolo’s system. He’s consistently shown the ability to get after the quarterback and into the backfield with 17.5 career sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss on his career. He still has a few games to close it out with a bang too.
Round 2, Pick No. 55: Mississippi State CB Cameron Dantzler
The Chiefs need to come away with a few cornerbacks in the 2020 NFL draft. They need to find some good players at the position but they also just need bodies as they only have two players under contract beyond the 2019 season.
Dantzler is among the SEC leaders in passes defended this season, even with missing a handful of games due to injury. At 6-2 and 185 pounds, he has the ideal size and length for an outside corner in the NFL. He excels in physical man coverage, but he can also rely on his instincts to play some zone coverage looks. He’s also not afraid to stick his nose in and make a tackle when necessary, which is good given his weight.
I think Dantzler would be a solid outside corner to pair with Charvarius Ward. I’m not 100% sold on him being the answer to the Chiefs’ problems at the position but I won’t be disappointed if this is the route the front office decides to go.
Round 3, Pick No. 87: Utah RB Zack Moss
The running back position just hasn’t been the same for Kansas City since they release Kareem Hunt in 2018. I’ve been a big proponent of letting things play out, but it is clear that the Chiefs need someone they can trust at the RB position. They’ve struggled to close out games at times because they just don’t have that rumbling powerful running back to lean on anymore.
Zack Moss has a punishing running style about him. He’s entirely unafraid of contact and doesn’t hesitate to run defenders over. One thing that is great about Moss is that he rarely goes down after first contact. Right now, he is currently ranked No. 5 in the FBS in yards after contact.
If the Chiefs don’t opt to take a running back earlier in the draft, they could well find another franchise running back in the third round. They’ve done a good job of finding talent at the position during that round, so why stray from what has worked in the past?
Round 4, Pick No. 119: Oregon OG Shane Lemieux
The Oregon Ducks offensive line is filled with the type of offensive linemen that the Chiefs love. Shane Lemieux just so happens to be my favorite of the bunch, and it’s not just because he wears massive shoulder pads. He’s tough as nails, working his way to 49 consecutive starts along the offensive line. He has experience playing at all of the interior offensive line positions.
Lemieux is definitely an athlete and he can handle playing the position in space. He’ll excel at all the screen passes and zone runs that Andy Reid likes to utilize because of that. He gets his feet and hands really active in pass protection.
If Kansas City can somehow come away with a player like this in the fourth round of the draft, they’ll be very happy with how the cards fell. They can use him as a plug and play starter or have him as a solid depth piece in the event of injury.
Round 5, Pick No. 150: Appalachian State LB Akeem Davis-Gaither
If I can’t come away with one of the top linebackers in this draft, I’m going to be looking at a few of the lesser-known prospects from small schools. Akeem Davis-Gaither is a very intriguing prospect. He’s one of those guys who falls somewhere between a safety and a linebacker. He’ll probably need a little time working in an NFL weight room.
Davis-Gaither has instincts that you can’t teach. He’s very natural in zone coverage drops and his reaction time once he identifies a play is lightning fast. In college, he’s shown the ability to stick with receivers, running backs and tight ends in man coverage. I question if that’ll continue in the NFL where things get quite a bit faster.
At the very least you’re getting a multi-phase special teams player in Davis-Gaither. I am of the opinion that with a little polish and growth he could become a defensive weapon at the WLB position and be a crucial component in certain subpackage groupings.
