Kansas City Chiefs 2024 NFL Draft First-Round Offensive Preview
With the college football season slowly coming to a close, the Kansas City Chiefs' scouting department is nearly finished with their in-season draft process.
They have seen most of the eligible talent for the 2024 NFL Draft, especially those at the top of draft boards. The Chiefs have leaned defense early in their last few drafts but with the core of the defense intact, this could be the year they focus on getting young core players for the offense. The 2024 draft projects to be one of the strongest in recent memory, setting up nicely for Kansas City to find that piece.
Considering the struggles of the wide receiver room this season, some would suggest the Chiefs have to take one with their first selection in the draft. The class of receivers projected to be in the upcoming draft, especially at the top, is comparable to the talent of the 2020 through 2022 classes that came before them. Depending on who you ask, up to 10 prospects could justifiably be taken in the first round. That doesn't mean they will all actually go there, but it just shows the ability of this group of pass catchers.
Wide receiver prospects to watch
The names Chiefs fans should focus on are Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State), Troy Franklin (Oregon), Xavier Worthy (Texas) and Adonai Mitchell (Texas). Those prospects are normally ranked around pick 32 on consensus mocks or boards, which is where Kansas City hopes to be selecting. Egbuka is a crafty short to intermediate weapon over the middle of the field. He's a traditional chain-mover that a quarterback loves to find on third down. Franklin and Worthy are genuine speedsters who strike fear into defenses whenever they are on the field. They are a big play waiting to happen, either by running through the defense to catch a deep pass or running by defenders after the catch.
My personal favorite of the bunch is Mitchell. After two years at Georgia, he transferred to Texas to be closer to his family, specifically his young daughter. The talent has always been immense with Mitchell. He has effortless movement ability for a guy that is 6'4" and around 200 pounds. Getting in and out of breaks is no problem for him, with the ability to run the entire route tree. He uses his size to his advantage at the catch point. He is physical to box out defenders, then uses his strong hands to secure the ball. Mitchell still has room to grow as a route runner as he can look raw at times, but he understands route tempo to create separation — an excellent sign for his future development.
Don't forget the offensive line
While wide receiver is at the forefront of the conversation, Andy Reid's stress on the importance of the offensive line cannot be forgotten. Hopefully, Jawaan Taylor settles into consistently playing like the player he can be and the Chiefs don't have to worry about one of the tackle positions for a long time. However, with Donovan Smith on a one-year deal and Wanya Morris being a significant unknown, offensive tackle could also be a focus for Kansas City early in the draft.
After the top two offensive tackles, Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Joe Alt, the class order is still to be determined. Amarius Mims is in his first entire season as a starter at Georgia and battled an ankle injury in the middle of the year. He has the most upside of the next group. He's naturally massive and is a good athlete. Andy Heck, the Chiefs' offensive line coach, would love to get his hands on a talent like that to mold into a top pro.
Another fascinating name is Kingsley Suamataia from BYU. He's a freak-level athlete. His movement skills and foot speed are off the charts. The Oregon transfer still needs to improve technique-wise, but the talent is immense and he would be in a great spot to grow playing next to Joe Thuney. The last offensive tackle name worth monitoring is Tyler Guyton from Oklahoma. The Chiefs clearly like Oklahoma offensive linemen, and Guyton has impressed this year for the Sooners.
While the draft is still months away, it's never too early to get familiar with who could be the face of the next crop of Chiefs. If Kansas City goes down the offensive route, it's hard to imagine it wouldn't be a wide receiver or offensive tackle that's taken in the first round.
