Has postseason play changed your perspective on the draft?
 

Every single draft has us taking a WR in the first round. The more I sit in that thought, the more it feels reactionary.

The next year will be filled with trying to figure out which guys on rookie deals to extend or let go to free agency. Humphrey, Smith, Bolton, Gay, Sneed, and others who are all big contributors to the team.

I'm starting to think we aren't going WR in round 1 and I could us not taking a skill guy until the third round.

I could see us going DT in round one if we don't extend Jones. I could see us taking a guard in round two considering we could be in a place where we are needing to replace Humphrey or Smith after next season AND Thuney after 2025.

This feels like a draft where we restock for the longterm v. trying to fill an immediate pain point that hurt us during the regular season.

I've been saying for a little while now that I don't expect them to take a WR in the first.

Hasn't changed anything at all. Rice put up 100+ yards in the wildcard round and has been very solid the last 2 games (should have had a touchdown yesterday) but the catalyst on offense was Kelce with nearly 200 yards and 3 TDs the past 2 weeks. Take Kelce away and the offense just doesn't function without adequate replacements. Even yesterday the offense did next to nothing for the entire second half.

That being said, WR doesn't HAVE to be the pick in the 1st rd. But I don't see how you get out of the 2nd without a WR and feel good about the state of the receiver group. If they wait until the second I'd also suggest that they would need to trade up again to ideally get someone they're targeting like they did with Rice.

Go ahead and take BPA, but that should most likely come from either WR, OT, or DT. OT or DT at the end of the 1st are probably going to be hit or miss. Late 1st OTs usually aren't day 1 ready players, and late 1st DTs also have a mixed track record (see Mazi Smith). All that being said, just keep adding talent. I still don't think the playoffs have changed anything about the need at WR.

The playoffs have shown that you gotta have good players and depth.

I think it just depends on how the draft falls and who is there.

If a WR is there that is higher on their board than anyone else, I think that's where the Chiefs will go.

I don't think they would REACH for a WR over a DT or OT with a higher grade. But I also don't think they would do that, anyway.

The post-season hasn't done anything that Rice's emergence didn't do starting around week 10.

WR is still our top need, IMO - but no longer a DIRE need. It's an area where WR should win ties if there are some tightly grouped guys when our pick comes up, but that was the case before the post-season.

If the best player is a DT - take him. If the best player is an OT - take him. Hell, if the best player is a CB, I'd take him. Or a TE.

Which is where I was around mid-November.

We need to add pass game weapons, that's priority 1.

I don't think its changed anything. I did jokingly think to myself before I saw this thread "I wonder if there is any amount of yards/catches that MVS could make in the Superbowl that saves him from getting cut".

It probably quietens the over-reaction crowd who wanted to totally gut the whole WR room apart from Rice, but we probably still want the same as before: a more reliable/versatile/better veteran than MVS, and some young talent in the draft at pass catcher, preferably with some deep speed.

Its one of those years were maybe the WR the Chiefs can get at 32 this year would go in the top 15-20 in other years. The Chiefs aren't going to be picking top 20 any time soon, you still grab that WR in 1 this year if it falls that way I think.

Agree with this so much. I would add a G. If Thuney really has a torn pec then we might have to hit the eject button there. We would pay $10 million in dead money but save $16 million.

That's just a devastating injury for a guy turning 32 next year. He hasn't even had surgery yet. He wouldn't be able to lift on that side of his body for 4-5 months. Then what?

IF you can get out of Thuney, I'd keep Humphrey and Smith together.

Nah - MVS is getting cut or massively restructured. He has a base salary of $11.5 million next season. He's not playing on that.

Maybe $3-5 million, tops. And I could see Veach keeping him around at that figure because he does do the 'little things' right. A willing and active downfield blocker and isn't a malcontent when he's not getting force-fed the ball.

Best guess is we cut him but leave the door open for him to come back on a deal similar to the minimum deals that someone like Richie James may get.

I thought it had been confirmed it was just a strain, not a tear

I don't think that's right.

He has almost $21 million in pro-rated base and restructure bonuses from what I can see. We won't have to pay him his $15.5 million base salary next year, but we'd carry a roughly $22 million dead cap charge in the process.

I think we'd save about $5 million this year (and about $10 million off the 2025 cap by accelerating that pro-rated 2025 money).

I don't think this is a career altering injury for him. His base salaries are reasonable and the signing/restructure bonuses are already baked into the cake. I think he's here for the duration of this contract.

Thuney isn't gone, no way.

The only thing -- the only thing -- that I think these games have changed for me is that a Justin Reid extension is far more likely now than it was at some earlier point in the season.

Reid isn't going anywhere either..

I do think they'll try to get something done with Sneed...Gay and Jones though are probably toast.

Off topic, but since you mentioned it in your first post in this thread: would you prefer to attack WR position in free agency, the draft, or perhaps via trade, such as a trade for AJ Brown since his 2024 number is a great deal.

I don't think trade is a real option...

I think the smartest thing they could do is look for some speed.

I know people don't love Hollywood Brown but he's likely getting less money than guys like Ridley and Evans..if you could add Brown and Franklin to the offense that would make Rice and Kelce so much better with more space.

I think there's a reasonable chance Wanya Morris is a starting OT next year...

It's probably only changed my mind a little in the margins. I still think WR is a massive priority and we need one early, probably R1. Then it's OT and DT. The difference for me now is that i wouldn't hate us going for a position like LB, TE or G over OT or DT, if it's BPA. I might not even mind another fairly early CB or Safety as they're all positions we either need to think about replacing soon, or we could improve.

Pre playoffs the thought of us taking a guard over an OT or DT would've annoyed me. I think if we resigned D Smith I could live with that risk and reloading at guard first. Same with LB. I love Bolton but if we saw a coverage LB we like in the late 2nd or 3rd that's BPA I could live with it. As long as we get a WR early and bolster the DL early-ish the rest is fine.

The thing with HOllywood is that he does have speed and there aren't many guys hitting the market that does.

I'd guess he may get 20 mil a year.

That would be rather crazy if he got that, I assume he comes in, in the second tier of WR FAs.

Why would he get less than Christian Kirk?

I think their goal this off-season has to be weapons. They can't have Kelce be the guy carrying the offense going forward.

Because Kirk is wildly overpaid, I figure that market will correct itself.

Post-season hasn't really changed my mind in regards to draft needs- if this Chiefs team even had one more dynamic playmaker, I think we would absolutely boat race teams. Love Rashee but him and Kelce right now are best vs zone, we need a receiver who is great vs man to man. Right now when we expect man coverage you see us scheme receivers open (ala Justin Watson motion release yesterday vs the Ravens).

I'm not hung up on who we take in the 1st though, BPA at a position of need and go from there. I do think it's a likely possibility the Chiefs take a WR in the 2nd round just due to the sheer amount of great receiver prospects in this draft. There are legitimately around 10 guys that I could see carving out solid careers. The following (in no order):

-Harrison Jr
-Nabers
-Odunze
-Coleman
-Thomas Jr
-Franklin
-Mitchell
-Legette
-Worthy
-Polk
-Walker

11 guys right there that are at least intriguing prospects; doesn't even include Corley, Rice, McConkey or Wilson. There will be a talented option available at the end of the 2nd round so I would prefer them to draft elsewhere in the 1st. Veach and staff have been so god damn good drafting though so I got all the faith in the world that they are going to get it right.

Man, I feel like I'm alone in being kind of fine with moving off Reid. I like him, it's just a lot of money and I don't know we can't find another guy there. Maybe not quite as versatile or smart, and that matters, but someone who can play FS with real range. I still think Connor settles as primarily a SS and maybe Cook too.

Reid's totally coming back, Connor being a player means they'll move off Mike Edwards.

I'm not sure if it will just yet.

But I think in another year or 2 it will.

There are just WAY more good wide receivers out there than there are QBs who can make them actually matter.

If Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are just good enough to get your asses kicked in the post-season, then Tua doesn't crack that threshhold. And if he doesn't, there are maybe 6-8 QBs that do.

If that's the case, this rush to sign FA wide-outs oughta be truly dead and buried. Moreso when you realize that most of the teams that DO have the QBs to allow WRs to move the needle will also have cap hits that make them prohibitive.

It's just really hard to see WRs as being worth what they're being paid right now. Most of the mid-tier guys don't actually make a difference. Most of the expensive guys get sent home once their QBs are exposed and frankly some of the best in the league right now are guys who were productive in their 1st and 2nd years and are still on rookie deals.

That market's out of whack but it won't correct THAT quickly, IMO. Probably need a couple more datapoints before other teams realize what seems readily apparent to me right now.

Yeah, I'd probably give 2-1 odds on a Reid extension at the moment. I'd be floored if we moved off of him.

He's absolutely been worth his deal and some of his best play has been in the post-season. He's still young and will be extremely valuable throughput in this secondary in the coming years.

I agree that Edwards will probably move on because I suspect he'll get a nice deal somewhere. But Conner will replace him as S3 and honestly could challenge Cook for the FS spot. Conner has looked DAMN good. Better than Cook, IMO. Certainly better than Cook looked as a rookie.

Dude's coming on with a bullet.

Not even a little. Offensive weapons, especially WRs, are top of the list followed by a lot of help at DT.

I think I feel more comfortable with the OTs.

Even more convinced now that we should keep Sneed and Tranquill, and ask Chris to stay within the team's capabilities. If you can keep these guys, and you're happy with OT, we're free to take a WR in RD 1 and hopefully add another deadly weapon to a SB winning team.

Another thought: Swapping out MVS for RD 1 WR Thomas JR would save us $12m and improve the offense we already have.

If they finish this thing off, gonna be hard to say Veach shouldn’t keep doing what’s worked..

Mahomes with a defense is deadly. I’m not saying you have to bring back the same guys, but I think there’s a very smart blueprint to follow with the one-year veteran defensive signings.

OL + DL have to be set before you over invest at WR. I hope to see a draft pick at WR, and then just one more reliable vet who costs like $10m per.

What if it’s Hollywood Brown (replace MVS speed) + a top 65 pick at WR?

Might leave enough meat on the bone to then build out your trenches.

The deep ball threat is the role the offense needs to stay highly functional and we are seeing it this playoffs now that MVS is playing up to it.

You don’t need the 2018 WR corp, but you need consistent threats at all levels.

I have no issue with that.

My issue overall is that I don't think there's a DT I'd take in round 1 outside of Newton and he won't be around in all likelihood. The other factor is, generally, you aren't getting an LT prospect at 32.

I do think there will be more meat on the bone at WR and CB that late with DT being a quality position in round 2.

This is exactly my take. Sure we can go BPA from WR, OT and DT in R1...but that's far more likely to be a WR in this draft. Let's just get a really good WR prospect R1 and work the rest out afterwards.

I think that veach has WR as the top need identified.

Theres no guarantee that he takes one in the first, but he is obviously going to be looking around for a chance to go grab one there.

I dont have confidence in the board falling Kansas City way, kind of how last year went. Its hard to get top teir WR talent when you pick 32nd.


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I think we need to spend on an experienced consistent WR. Not convinced on taking another one early in the draft. I think after last weekends outburst Toney is out of here. That’s a sneaky 2.5m Deadcap hit. I think basically we need to replace MVSs 11M saving for somebody else. Even short term. 2025 WR FA class is absolutely elite. This years looks like a poor cousin. Let’s not lock into something we will regret. That market is cooling.

People seem to love Morris but he looked rough to me and clearly coincided to when we were playing out worst. Mahomes looked constantly rushed during that period. No way I’d be confident letting Smith walk without a 1st round replacement. Not likely to be there at #32 though

Justin Reid is a great player but he’s overpaid imo. For me he needs to be restructured or dare I said it moved on from in painful call. He shouldn’t be a top 5 paid player on this team. That’s way too big a luxury. Cook is underrated and will be back and Conner really came on. Keeping Edwards would be cheaper.

D line is the area that’s now going to need big draft capital. Pretty clear Jones is gone. Now with Omenihu being out most of the year we need something other than run stuffers

Ps are we aloud to say we may need a new punter yet?

I defer to you on that - I’m admittedly way behind in offseason analysis so I don’t know where the positional depth pockets exist beyond at WR.

But I know Veach does, since that “pocket” purchasing is at the core of his roster building philosophy.

I’ll trust their approach, but it sounds perfectly logical to expect we might patch the DL together largely in FA with mostly short term deals, and expect that WR is addressed early in draft.

People might hate it, but man if we could trade back a bit and grab an extra 3rd rounder, that would be nice.

I see some mocks having Byron Murphy available for us at 32. Oftentimes with Leggette and Sanders on the board.

I think I'd go with Murphy.

As this goes along too.....I'm coming back to signing Chris Jones.

Just did a PFN mock that was just silly; I traded back in the 1st into the mid 2nd.

Byron Murphy
T'Vondre Sweat
Ja'Tavion Sanders

All UT, all the time, baby!

It's early but I'm with Pest here in thinking that the Chiefs will most likely not use a 1st rd pick on a WR. They don't need to get a WR bc Rice is a WR1 and he's proven it over and over again. They need complimentary guys.

If you look at the Chiefs strategy from all of their games in the postseason, it's always 2 main guys getting the targets, especially in the post Tyreek era. Aside from those 2 (Kelce and Juju/Rice) everyone else just gets 1-3 targets a game. Not seeing us needing that from a 1st rd pick.

I think they're gonna get a good consistent value guy like Tyler Boyd who won't cost that much but will be that experienced vet like Juju was and can be the guy who can step up as a WR2 if needed.

The draft is just so loaded with WR's this year. I posted the tweet in the WR thread about 11 WR's projected as top 50 picks. I think the ey can trade up for a Xavier Worthy or Jalen McMillan in rd 2 or just stay there.

I'd like them to get a speed threat who can do what Hardman does but actually catch the ball. A guy like Marvin Mims who I liked last year. A guy like that would help a lot.

I think you need to start really thinking about post Kelce world and what that will look like.

That's one reason I really like Legette and Worthy.

I get that O.city, I feel that too... then I come back to it feels like we'd be veering off the approach that's been setting us apart if we do it.

Do not wanna get caught paying for what a guy did in years prior. Have to pay for prime years.

The catch with Chris is he might have another 1-2 dominant years left. And that might secure you another SB. But it's risky with so much cash already in escrow for our talent that is still 26 or under.

You still offer him, competitively, but I doubt he's willing to settle. Which is too bad because he has to be making some good cash off endorsements these days. Mahomes should dangle a commercial carrot or two out there.

The thing with Chris is that....hell he may just be that dominant force for another couple years and really cement a HOF status. Dude has just matured into such a leader here, it's just been fun to watch.

All things come to an end, it probably will but damn I'd love to see him and Kelce and Pat just finish this thing out.

I would certainly think there's an emotional component to it and hell, the holdout may have given him a taste of what he'd be missing out on. He clearly loves his coaches.

I would hate to see him go rot in Chicago to end a HOF career. Take the $60m guaranteed and stay happy, stay a champion.

Keep doubting Cade Stover!

(I really think Andy Reid would get 800+ yards out of Stover pretty easily)

I'd love to get Mike Gisecki as TE3 here. He was only a $4.5 million cap hit last year and had a poor season due to the Patriots QB being a dumpster fire, but he can be a buy low guy with his excellent athleticism.

Only 28 years old too

Eh, I'd look younger and try to develop more there.

Can we get Worthy too?

So you Mizzou guys....is Darius Robinson at 32....talk me out of him

I don't think he gets that high.

Robinson is a really powerful LE with better-than-average quickness. I think he'd be an absolutely outstanding E for the Chiefs in this system. He's going to reduce inside really well in dime packages, too.

I could see taking him at the end of the 2nd if you have walked on Jones and are looking for some interior pass rush beef.

But if you're popping in the 1st for a DL, I don't think you do it for Robinson.

He's probably a top 50 player in this class right? Taking that at 32 woudln't be the worst thing.

If you’re thinking he’s a disruptive 3 or 5 tech DT, no.

He’d have to put about 15-20 pounds back on for that though.

I don't think he is.

Top 100, sure. But i don't see him being powerful enough for DT or fast enough for DE.

I think he might be an NFL 5-tech in a 3-4 system. A good, but not great one, at that. So I'd be surprised to see him go before the 3rd round.

It's too early for the "everyone is a potential 1st round pick" game, fellas. Can't we at least wait until mid-February before we start convincing ourselves that dudes who end up going in the 4th and 5th rounds are worthwhile considerations in the 1st?

Someone was saying on Twitter he was a DE that could kick inside, I thought that would fit what we want here.

I don't think he's going to be much of a DE at the next level.

To me he looks like a Rasheem Green sort of player. Just nothing special; certainly not worth a 1st rounder. I think Crow likes him in the 2nd, I wouldn't take him there either.

I just don't see enough upside. He's almost certainly an NFL player and may even get a 2nd contract with someone. But he's never gonna be a guy you WANT starting, IMO.

OL and DT's with a WR mixed in.

Assuming Sneed is resigned/franchised, and Jones let go. Would bringing in Hollywood/Ridley AND DJ Reader be feasible? Wilkins will probably only be a slight step down from CJ $$ wise. But I could see Reader being relatively more affordable.

With the idea that Danna and Jones are likely gone and now Omenihu being hurt...this team is going to end up going DT or DT with it's first pick.

Robinson is going insane at the senior bowl, he now has 1st round buzz.

Indeed - so sayeth Twitter.

I watched like 1 Mizzou game does this dude warrant this buzz?

I mean, I watched lots of Tigers games and have said my piece on him.

Interestingly, the clips I'm seeing have him wrecking shit as a 3-tech rather than an edge. That COULD be a home for him if he can learn to play with his pads down as a taller DT.

I mean it's the exact same question people asked about Jones. So lets say instead of considering him as a DE, you're looking at him as a Jones replacement.

Do I think he has anything close to the first step that Jones had? No, I don't. That said, Jones wasn't as physically developed as Robinson is coming out of the draft. Jones really built his body his first 2-3 years in the league before becoming a real monster.

Someone do me a favor

Give me a quick cut up of what an offseason could look like IF we do keep Jones and Sneed

What’s a realistic plan to do that and also get better at WR, build depth on DL, LT

Cause I think we will at least try. I think it would be “plan A”.

If you are keeping both of them then basically all of the other FA's are gone.

You're talking cheap signings, vets that want a ring guys who flamed out in other spots etc.

Then you're talking drafting a WR in round 1 or 2 while also needing to replace Mike Danna and find a contributing LB.

Yup.

Keep 'em both and it's a WR in the first, OL in the 2nd and likely a run-it-back season next year.

Unless you structured the Jones deal really aggressively in the hopes of milking another run out of the Kelce era. And that's defensible, but if you do that, replacing Kelce in 2-3 years is gonna be AWFULLY hard with the Jones cap/dead cap charge hanging around.

Honestly, if they win the SB, I'm just gonna say "**** it" and push as many chips into the middle as is necessary for 2024 and a three-peat season. It would TOTALLY change my calculus.

Because you're only ever 1 year of eating shit away from a clean cap sheet. You can push for 2 more after this one and just grab your ankles in 2026.

Brady went 10 years between rings and still won 7. I'm almost always a 'slow and steady' team builder but if there's a 3-peat on the line, full speed ahead boys! Damn the torpedoes!

Starting Cap Space = ($31m)

Drop MVS +$12m = ($43m)
Jones $30m/3-yrs, $18m Signing Bonus = -$18m Cap Hit = ($25m)
Sneed $18m/4-yrs, $12m Signing Bonus = -$10m Cap Hit = ($15m)
Draft -$8.5m = ($6.5m)

Ending Cap Space = ($6.5m)


The above plan to keep Jones AND Sneed leaves us with $6.5m to sign depth players.

In addition to dropping MVS you have the following options:

-Drop Reid for +$11m
-Restructure Mahomes +$6m
-Restructure Taylor +$12m
-Restructure Thuney +$7m
-Restructure kelce +$6m

It's possible.

Personally, I think you pick 1. Sneed or Jones and Sneed would be where I'd go there.

Willie Gay is most likely out, I could see a team thinking he is a defensive centerpiece with his athletic ability and paying him that way. But I think you can reasonably keep Tranquill.

I think the secondary is largely in tact other than Connor is ready to replace Edwards in the 3rd safety role.

You're however going to lose Mike Danna and Chris Jones, Omenihu is out half the year. That is going to leave you with some work to do on the DL. The hope is that guys like FAU, Truman Jones and BJ Thompson are ready to contribute next year, that would be a huge thing. If not you need a vet DE that can play meaningful snaps or Malik Herring is playing a ton of snaps. And then DT is an overhaul position.

In this method WR and DT/DE are your biggest issues....and OT is there depending on if they really go with Morris or if Smith comes back.

They are not getting rid of Justin Reid, I just don't see that he's been to good.

Don't need to, lots of options IMO.

SB winning roster doesn't need too many outside FAs.

I think CP is overdoing it with the salary cap doom and gloom a bit.

Veach is a ****ing cap wizard!

I hope we keep both.

It's hard to justify paying a 30 year old player a record setting deal when you have so many good younger players up for contracts.

Like I'd try to keep Gay before Jones.

I’m pretty sure they can get up to like $36m by restructuring Mahomes? That’s the max I think.

To me that’s the only way you can keep both.

But I don’t wanna go into a season without depth.. and if that’s the trade off for keeping Jones past his prime years, that may not be worth it.

FAU replaces Danna, Herring can be the depth piece

I do think the idea entering Baltimore was to come into 2024 with a DE rotation of GK, Omenihu, and FAU. Danna out, Felix in.

Now we know Omenihu production will be a bonus, so it’s just damn tough. And more challenging to let Chris go.

Depending on FA, LB might pop up as a draft need. Only 3 under contract next year and we need some speed.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Buy stock in Mizzou&#39;s Darius Robinson immediately. If I shared the player comp one of his American squad coaches gave me last night, it would change a lot of these first round mocks you&#39;re seeing right now. And that&#39;s just after Practice Day 1.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheDraftStartsInMOBILE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE</a>™️ <a href="https://t.co/ddg8KK6ueu">pic.twitter.com/ddg8KK6ueu</a></p>&mdash; Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1752698630451184058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Seems there's JJ Watt type player being thrown around.

Instead of going after a WR AT #1, maybe we should try a tight end. Somebody like Kincaid or LaPorta. They provide the eventual replacement for Kelce and a third solid receiver, which Mahomes needs.

Just think if they had done that this year for Laporta instead of FAU.

I don't hate it. Star TE's are a lot more affordable than star WRs.