By Drafting Xavier Worthy and Kingsley Suamataia, the Chiefs Completed a Perfect Start to the 2024 NFL Draft

The Kansas City Chiefs secured something near a best-case scenario through the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Xavier Worthy and Kingsley Suamataia.

Feb 14, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach speaks. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Draft is, on at least some level, a bit of a crapshoot. Even can't-miss prospects frequently underwhelm over the course of their NFL careers, and plenty of late-round fliers turn into impact players. The only thing you can really judge immediately after a pick is made is the process of how the team landed on that player.

With that caveat being established... the Kansas City Chiefs had a perfect first two days of the 2024 NFL Draft.

On Thursday night, the Chiefs jumped up a handful of spots — from No. 32 to No. 28 — to select Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. The Chiefs didn't lose any picks in that trade, they just effectively moved down in later rounds, costing them some positioning, but not a chance to select a draft-worthy player. On Friday night, they used the same playbook to select BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia, moving down from No. 173 overall to No. 211 as the cost of a one-spot trade-up. (The Chiefs likely made that one-spot hop because they believed that another team could move up to No. 63 for Suamataia knowing KC coveted him at No. 64 or, as assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi inferred on Friday night, perhaps because KC believed San Francisco could take him at No. 63.)

In his opening statement, Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi said the personnel staff felt the 49ers had tackle as 1 of their roster needs, which led to the trade to move up from pick 64 to 63.

— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) April 27, 2024

In both instances, the Chiefs paid an extremely reasonable price for their moves. I generally cringe at draft trade-ups because teams typically overpay for the right to select their preferred player. The Chiefs avoided that trap.

Borgonzi did note that the Chiefs were trying to move up higher for both Worthy and Suamataia, but they ultimately benefitted from their patience (or lack of opportunity), as stressful as the team's war room may have been as the picks ticked by.

The Chiefs didn't just make smart fiscal choices. They also landed great fits at great values at the right times. Worthy has the game-breaking speed (and much more) that the Chiefs needed and love to utilize. Suamataia has the type of incredible raw tools that gives him remarkable upside in the hands of head coach Andy Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck. And that's not all!

In both trade-up instances, the Chiefs kicked off runs at the respective positions, with the next tier of wide receivers flying off the board shortly following Worthy's selection and a parade of offensive linemen going after KC nabbed Suamataia. With worse timing, the Chiefs could have found themselves overpaying or panicking for a last-gasp chance to select a player they liked. Instead, they were patient and it paid off. And! We're! Still! Not! Done!

Both players are also just 21 years old, with Suamataia hitting legal drinking age in January and Worthy turning 21 on the day this story was published, April 27. (Happy birthday! Your new quarterback is Patrick Mahomes.) There's a chance both Worthy and Suamataia see heavy workloads right out of the gate, depending on how they perform in training camp. But if they don't see the field much early in the year, the long-term view would remain positive. Suamataia could sit for his rookie season and then take the job after a year behind either 2023 third-round pick Wanya Morris or still-unsigned veteran Donovan Smith, still letting Suamataia take the starting job in Year 2 at the ripe old age of 22.

I love veach man! 😎

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 27, 2024

In general, I don't love trade-ups. In years past, I've had serious frustrations with a handful of Chiefs draft picks. And no, they didn't make a third-round pick on Friday, but they're slated to have two fourth-rounders on Saturday. I mention all of that to note that I'm not always easily swept off my feet by new draftees. The start of this specific Chiefs draft class is so exciting on so many levels. The Chiefs filled needs, got great value, and selected specific players who fit what they do best. It's hard for me to imagine anything that could have realistically gone better for KC through the first two days of the draft.

Read More: Chiefs NFL Draft Grades: Kingsley Suamataia Earns High Marks at No. 63