Mock 2/14/2025

[kccrow]

A Valentine's Day special for you.

Assumptions:
TE Travis Kelce rides off into the sunset with Tay Tay and enjoys doing podcasts with his brother.
QB Patrick Mahomes restructures his contract to create plenty of cap space.

Re-sign UFAs:
QB Carson Wentz - 1y 3.5m
WR Marquise Brown - 1y 8.0m
WR Justin Watson - 1y 1.75m
RB Kareem Hunt - 1y 2.0m
LT D.J. Humphries - 1y 3.5m + incentives
DE Charles Omenihu - 3y 35.25m (11.75m AAV)
DT Tershawn Wharton - 3y 22.5m (7.5m AAV)
LS James Winchester - 2y 3.0m (1.5m AAV)
TE Peyton Hendershot - 1y 1.1m (no RFA tender offer)
LG Mike Caliendo (ERFA) - 960k
P Matt Araiza (ERFA) - 960k

Sign UFAs:
WR Rondale Moore (ATL, 24) 1y 1.5m
Diminutive in stature but has been very effective in the slot and has game-breaking speed. The Chiefs were rumored to have tried to trade for him in 2023. Coming off an injury so he should be cheap on a 1-year prove it deal.
DT Benito Jones (MIA, 27) 1y 2.00m
Solid run stopper with some ability to get after it against the pass. Built like a bowling ball similar to Khalen Saunders though so not a game wrecker.
LB Jamien Sherwood (NYJ, 25) 3y 22.0m (7.3m AAV)
Safety-turned-linebacker that has great coverage instincts and the athleticism to play sideline-to-sideline. A fix for the lack of athleticism at the 2nd level.
SS Richie Grant (ATL, 27) 1y 2.5m
Lacks good coverage acumen but is a superior tackler. Very similar to Justin Reid with 3 years starting experience.

Let Walk:
WR DeAndre Hopkins, DB Justin Reid, DE Joshua Uche, DT Derrick Nnadi, RB Samaje Perine, LB Nick Bolton, DT Mike Pennell, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR Mecole Hardman, K Matthew Wright, DT Marlon Tuipulotu, DE Malik Herring, LB Jack Cochrane, CB Keith Taylor, TE Jody Fortson, RG Trey Smith, K Spencer Shrader

Draft:
1-24 (t/MIN). LT Josh Conerly, Jr. - Oregon (6'4" 315)
The time has come to permanently address the horrendous LT situation the Chiefs have created for themselves ever since Eric Fisher was injured. Conerly is a superb athlete for the position and a high-quality pass-blocker. He has enough mass to anchor and enough reach to keep most rushers at a break-even. He surrendered only 2 sacks in over 1,000 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons, including a very strong BIG 10 slate in 2024 where he earned All-American honors. I have Kansas City sending Minnesota 1-31 and 3-66 for 1-24 and 3-97 to jump the Texans, Rams, and Ravens who all may require Conerly's services.

2-63. CB Jordan Hancock - Ohio State (6'1' 184)
One area of concern for the Chiefs in 2024 was the nickel position after trading Sneed and moving McDuffie outside. Hancock is an extremely versatile defensive back, having lined up at outside CB, nickel, and FS for the Buckeyes. Many have crowned him the best slot corner in the nation. He's extremely fluid with good route recognition to disrupt passing windows at all levels. He's capable of press, off-man, and zone. Very good blitzer from the slot but lacks the sand in his pants at times to make big-time tackles for a loss. Is a playmaker on the football with good ball skills. Needs to add some mass at the next level.

3-95. LB Lander Barton - Utah (6'4" 236)
The area the Chiefs really need to re-tool is the LB corps which lacked speed and the ability to cover... well, anyone. Barton has great size and athletic pedigree for a modern NFL linebacker. Possesses the ability to play man coverage on TEs and RBs down the field. Shows good depth in zone coverage. Outstanding lateral agility to find his way to rush lanes. Good play recognition and overall football IQ. Good length to stack and shed blockers but needs added strength to be up to the task in the NFL. Gets washed out of run lanes by big offensive lineman so he'll need to work on lower body strength and being better at creating an edge.

3-97 (t/MIN). DT Joshua Farmer - Florida State (6'3" 314)
The Chiefs would be wise to at least look to improve their DT depth in this draft given the depth of the class. Farmer is a powerful player with long arms and quick hands that allow him to win one-on-one matchups and disrupt gaps. Farmer has issues maintaining his pad level and is inconsistent getting off the football but if he can correct those things he has the ability to be a plus player on the interior. Widening his base and correcting his pad level should also help him anchor laterally against zone blocking and double teams. He has elite-caliber traits, a high motor, and he's a smart player (All-Academic) so the potential is there for him to outplay his draft position.

4-132. RB Bhayshul Tuten - Virginia Tech (5'11" 209)
The Chiefs really lack a difference-maker at RB going into 2025. Pacheco has no vision and Steele is a plodder at best, and if they bring back Hunt or Perine they are aging role players. Tuten is an explosive runner with quick acceleration and runs in the low 4.3s. He runs with great contact balance and forward lean to get tough yards. Tuten shows the vision to find lanes in zone and bursts North-South through the hole. Tuten also has shown good hands and the ability to make plays in the passing game. He'll need to clean up pass pro and his ball security a bit for Andy Reid's liking. Tuten reminds me of a faster version of Aaron Jones coming out when I pounded for him years ago.

7-227 (f/NYJ). S Dante Trader Jr. - Maryland (5'11" 202)
I think one area Veach is always looking at late in drafts is taking shots on defensive backs and I can see him doing the same again this season. Trader is a versatile safety with quick feet and good hips to maintain fluid coverage assignments. Trader shows good awareness in zone coverage. Possesses a great trigger downhill against the run and is a solid tackler when he gets there. Extremely smart on and off the field, dedicated to his craft, and makes calls for DBs. Can lose to size and lose spacing in man coverage. Good but not great long speed.

7-256 (Comp). DE Desmond Evans - North Carolina (6'6" 275)
I think adding another edge somewhere is prudent given the unknown that is BJ Thompson's health. Evans is a long edge rusher with good get-off and good power that allows him to collapse the pocket by walking tackles back. He has a high motor and violent, active hands to keep blockers busy and working. His best trait is maintaining gap assignments and shutting down the run. As a super-senior, he was disruptive and made plays in the backfield with 10 TFL and 5 sacks. He doesn't have great pad level or bend which limits his effectiveness but some of that can be coached up. Taking a chance on a former 5-star and second-overall ranked prospect whose build is reminiscent of Jason Pierre-Paul.


Projected 53:
QB P. Mahomes, C. Wentz
RB I. Pacheco, B. Tuten, K. Hunt, C. Steele
WR R. Rice, X. Worthy, M. Brown, R. Moore, J. Watson, N. Remigio
TE N. Gray, J. Wiley, P. Hendershot
LT J. Conerly, D. Humphries
LG J. Thuney, M. Caliendo
OC C. Humphrey, H. Nourzad
RG K. Suamataia, C. Hanson
RT J. Taylor, W. Morris, E. Driskell

DE C. Omenihu, F. Anudike-Uzomah, D. Evans
DT C. Jones, B. Jones
NT T. Wharton, J. Farmer
DE G. Karlaftis, M. Danna
LB L. Barton, J. Sherwood, L. Chenal, D. Tranquill, C. Jones
CB T. McDuffie, J. Watson, J. Hancock, J. Williams, C. Roland-Wallace
SS J. Hicks, R. Grant, D. Trader
FS B. Cook, C. Conner

ST H. Butker, M. Araiza, J. Winchester

[CaliforniaChief]

I'm amazed at the detail you're able to put into these. You addressed LT. I'm down!

[Stryker]

I'm in! Nice job as always Crow!

[Hoover]

Great job. Its not just the detail you provide, but I love your FA gems. Its the small deals like these that really make a difference,

Is Moore also a kick returner?

[Chargem]

I like a lot of this.

These minor comments/thoughts are just playing around the edges of what actually looks very good.

The 4 man rush was a little disappointing at points in 2024 so running it back with Wharton and Omenihu for more money seems a bit risky, I'm also a Pennel fan so would keep him.

I'd probably keep Perine over Hunt as the third down back.

I'd love a developmental tackle in this draft to potentially play RT next year if I want to cut Taylor.

[pugsnotdrugs19]

I like this one.

Only thing I’m a little concerned on is if the pass rush is improved enough but Omenihu should be better another year removed from the ACL, and at the end of the day whether people like it or not Spags is always going to run his defense through pressure packages.

[Boxer_Chief]

Like this mock. Only thing is I just don’t see spags letting go of Bolton. I’d keep him and that would be my only change.

[Couch-Potato]

https://www.reddit.com/r/NFL_Draft/c..._rate_x_yards/

Really like that RB pick!

[RunKC]

No offense crow but I would be enraged if this was what we did with our offense. I wouldn’t be happy with another project LT and the weapons wouldn’t be near good enough for me.

The thought of not using any of our top 100 picks on an explosive weapon makes me feel sick to my stomach

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by RunKC

No offense crow but I would be enraged if this was what we did with our offense. I wouldn’t be happy with another project LT and the weapons wouldn’t be near good enough for me.

The thought of not using any of our top 100 picks on an explosive weapon makes me feel sick to my stomach

I think that's reasonable, but I feel like the explosive RBs are going to creep up the draft boards, meaning if you want one the latest you are going to get one is the 2nd, but even then the top five guys could be gone.

I really don't want to chase a TE in the post Kelce era. At least not yet. I mean I could do it in the first, but ONLY if everything else I'm interested in is off the board. I'm probably more inclined to grab a WR because I think the post Kelce era should be more WR based. Still, its just hard to pull the trigger on a TE or WR, when we have bigger needs else where.

I think with our first four picks you are looking at a minimum a DT and LT. LT moves down the board if certain guys are not there. Its really going to be the mystery of the draft. And while I agree with the need to add more youth to the offense, especially at RB, you have to get those pieces at the right price.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by RunKC

No offense crow but I would be enraged if this was what we did with our offense. I wouldn’t be happy with another project LT and the weapons wouldn’t be near good enough for me.

The thought of not using any of our top 100 picks on an explosive weapon makes me feel sick to my stomach

I'm curious what you are looking for in terms of an "explosive weapon."

I do add one of the most explosive RBs in this year's draft class, if not the most explosive, in Tuten in round 4 (4.32 40 and 39 inch vertical this summer).

Do you want another WR added? Do you want a TE?

I feel like bringing Brown back and adding Rondale Moore sure gives us a lot of speed with both those guys being sub 4.3s.

I'm not sure what else we need?

As for "project OT," I think we see Conerly in completely different lights.

[JPH83]

Plenty I like Crow. On the positives I'd say:

- We'd be better on the OL, and quite possibly we'll have a cheap future LT.
- RB room improves and I love Tuten there
- WR room certainly doesn't get worse, I quite like Moore as a reclamation project
- I think the LB move re Bolton is ballsy and correct, ditto safety and Reid

The big issue I'd have with it is DL. I don't rate Omenihu nearly as much as others on CP, and if I'm spending around that money I'd at least want to try for a guy like Chase Young. He's also flattered to deceive but at least I know there is a higher ceiling there. Maybe we never see it again, I'd like to take the risk. I'd also definitely not spend that much money on Wharton. How much would guys like Tart cost? Even Poona Ford to stuff the run could be better and cheaper. I don't think Omenihu, Wharton, Jones and Farmer are enough for me.

That's my only major gripe. Nice work, I'm glad people are willing to put the time in to these!

[Chargem]

Originally Posted by kccrow

I'm curious what you are looking for in terms of an "explosive weapon."

I do add one of the most explosive RBs in this year's draft class, if not the most explosive, in Tuten in round 4 (4.32 40 and 39 inch vertical this summer).

Do you want another WR added? Do you want a TE?

I feel like bringing Brown back and adding Rondale Moore sure gives us a lot of speed with both those guys being sub 4.3s.

I'm not sure what else we need?

As for "project OT," I think we see Conerly in completely different lights.

It did occur to me that with the 1 year deals for Moore and Brown, it would be nice to get another mid round WR and actually let him learn the system in a non-pressured way, like Rice and Worthy had to do, so they can be ready for a significant role the following year

[Bowser]

Am I weird for wanting us to let Wentz walk and offer Drew Lock a two or three year deal?

And on the surface, this looks to be a lackluster type of draft, but man, our depth is so terrible right now that I would be happy with this. Just give me a player at running back and receiver. Not a starter, but someone that can contribute. And of course, fix the ****ing line as best as they can.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Am I weird for wanting us to let Wentz walk and offer Drew Lock a two or three year deal?

And on the surface, this looks to be a lackluster type of draft, but man, our depth is so terrible right now that I would be happy with this. Just give me a player at running back and receiver. Not a starter, but someone that can contribute. And of course, fix the ****ing line as best as they can.

I don't think it's weird. I'd want several other guys over Wentz, but Andy likes to stick with backups who know the offense more often than not.

I might be weird as well but I really like Jameis Winston. I know he's a walking interception waiting to happen but when he's hot he's great. Maybe Reid could somehow coach some of that risk out of him at this stage.

Zach Wilson or Trey Lance would be nice but some teams are going to give them shots to compete to start IMO. Too many QB-needy teams and not enough QBs in the draft this year.