Albert Breer Hints at Potential First-Round RB Being Linked to Chiefs

Kansas City is reportedly connected to one of the top running back prospects in this year's class.

The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of current and future positions of need that make sense to address in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the running back spot is one of them. While many expect general manager Brett Veach to roll the dice on a halfback on Day Two or Day Three of the draft, there's been a bit of recent buzz surrounding an early-round player entering the mix.

In Albert Breer's annual NFL Draft week column on Sports Illustrated, he provides the latest team- and league-specific tidbits he's heard leading up to one of the biggest events of the NFL offseason. As far as the Chiefs are concerned, Breer reports that Kansas City has been making calls around the league regarding trading up in the first round. In addition to Boston College wideout Zay Flowers being name-dropped, Breer says another name has been floated as a possible trade-up candidate — Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs:

The Chiefs are one of the few teams that has already made calls about moving up. And while teams that have talked to them feel like, at least for now, Kansas City is seeing if it can find a discounted way to go up the board, Brett Veach and his crew aren’t doing it for nothing. Targets? I’ve heard Flowers connected to the Chiefs. (He worked out with Patrick Mahomes in Texas last week.)

The other name was Gibbs. Now, Andy Reid’s taken one running back in the first round in 24 drafts as a head coach and that one (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) hasn’t really worked out. Still, listening to other talk about Gibbs’s fit with Mahomes and Reid can be convincing. “I wouldn’t want to be in the AFC West,” said one NFC exec, “if Gibbs winds up in Kansas City.” If the Chiefs stay put, Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt and Michigan’s massive DT Mazi Smith are two more to watch.

It's important to note that a certain player's fit with the Chiefs being appealing (or scary) to others doesn't indicate interest on behalf of the team itself. An NFC executive endorsing that possible pick may not jive with how Veach feels about Gibbs, let alone Kansas City's other prospects at or near pick No. 31. That element is still up in the air despite Breer's reporting.

A trade-up in the first round would be a rather aggressive move by Veach and company, but they're just one year removed from executing a jump up the board for Trent McDuffie. Veach is known for his willingness to patch up holes via high-profile trades, and the Chiefs moving up to get "their guy" isn't out of the question. Could that be Gibbs? Absolutely, although the emergence of Isiah Pacheco as a rookie could render that chance to being a slim one. Gibbs's combination of patience and pass-catching chops could give Andy Reid something new to work with in the backfield, but don't expect it to come to fruition on Thursday night.

Read More: Chiefs 2023 Mock Draft 5.0