From the athletic nate taylor article about orlando brown.

[big nasty kcnut]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes gave his approval of — and showed his excitement for — the Chiefs’ blockbuster trade Friday in the manner he has done throughout this offseason: Five grinning faces with smiling eyes emojis.

Mahomes, the Chiefs’ superstar quarterback, used his Twitter account to post his reaction after general manager Brett Veach completed the team’s plan to overhaul its offensive line. Less than a week before the NFL Draft, the Chiefs acquired left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., a four-year veteran, from the Baltimore Ravens, a rival AFC contender.

In acquiring Brown, the Chiefs sent the Ravens a package of draft picks, including a 2021 first (No. 31), third (No. 94) and fourth (No. 136) and a 2022 fifth-round pick. The Ravens completed the deal by sending the Chiefs a 2021 second-round pick (No. 58) and a 2022 sixth-round pick.

Before the trade, the Chiefs’ biggest remaining roster need was a starting left tackle. The dream scenario for Veach and coach Andy Reid was to support Mahomes, and the rest of the Chiefs’ potent offense, with a legitimate Pro Bowl-level talent at left tackle to protect the quarterback’s blind side. The best option, the Chiefs believed, became reality once the Ravens agreed to send Brown to Kansas City. Brown has been a Pro Bowl selection the past two seasons, one as a right tackle in 2019 and last year as the Ravens’ left tackle. Last season, Brown didn’t surrender a sack or a quarterback hit in 389 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.


Such production from Brown made it easy for Mahomes to be thrilled with the aggressiveness Veach and Reid demonstrated. Earlier this week, Mahomes expressed his confidence in the Chiefs’ ability to surround him with quality blockers.

“I try to give my input on everything I can in this building of trying to help out the team in the best way possible,” Mahomes said Monday. “I trust in Veach and Coach Reid to make the right decision for the betterment of the team. They have a pretty good track record of getting great players.”

When the Chiefs begin the season, their starting offensive line could feature five players who weren’t with the team last year.

Brown, as the left tackle, is expected to play next to left guard Joe Thuney, whom the Chiefs signed in free agency to a five-year, $80 million contract, making him the highest-paid left guard in the league. The team signed center Austin Blythe to a one-year deal and will welcome back right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out of last season amid the coronavirus pandemic. At right tackle, rookie Lucas Niang, who opted out last season, is expected to compete for the starting role with nine-year veteran Mike Remmers, who re-signed on a one-year deal.

“We have a lot of great guys in that offensive line room, guys that played last year and guys that have a lot of experience,” Mahomes said. “That breeds competition. We love that.”


Veach guaranteed in early March, before free agency, that the Chiefs’ offensive line would undergo reconstruction. His first major attempt was using the first couple of days of free agency to pursue and persuade Trent Williams, the top veteran left tackle, to join the Chiefs. Alongside Veach, Mahomes, according to multiple sources privy to the conversations, made a strong pitch via text messages and phone calls to Williams. But Williams agreed to re-sign with the San Francisco 49ers on a six-year, $138.06 million contract, a deal that made him the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman.

“Trent was a guy we thought would’ve helped us on that left side,” Veach said Friday in his pre-draft news conference, two hours before landing Brown. “After that, it was our responsibility to be disciplined. We felt like we’d rather go into this draft process. We just didn’t want to sign someone just to sign someone.”

Patience from the Chiefs in free agency proved to be a wise decision. Not only did Veach help the Chiefs win the sweepstakes to acquire Brown, who requested a trade from the Ravens in February, but the Chiefs were also in position to sign free-agent defensive tackle Jarran Reed to be the team’s coveted third pass rusher.

When the team opened its offseason program Monday, Reid stressed that Veach would pursue every possible option to upgrade at left tackle.

When evaluating this year’s draft class, Veach said he and his staff graded 17 prospects they believe are capable of being impact starters. Veach didn’t share how many left tackles were among those 17 prospects. Before trading for Brown, Veach and his staff had done multiple mock drafts, going through several scenarios to see which prospects would be available, whether at the 31st pick or if the team moved up a few spots through potential deals. The experiment revealed to the Chiefs that they were unlikely to acquire a prospect with the 31st pick who was talented enough to be an opening-day starter.

“If you’re picking at 14 or 15, you know that this move will definitely get you either this player or that player,” Veach said. “At 31, it’s just so far down the line and there are so many dominoes. If one team does one thing that most people aren’t expecting, it’ll just kind of screw the whole dynamic of that first round.”

Brown, whom the Ravens selected with the 83rd pick in the 2018 draft, turns 25 on May 2. Since Brown entered the league, he has desired to be a left tackle, the premier position on the offensive line. His opportunity arrived midway through last season when left tackle Ronnie Stanley sustained a season-ending left ankle injury that required two surgeries. Brown performed extremely well in the Ravens’ run-heavy scheme. He requested a trade when the Ravens reaffirmed that Stanley, an All-Pro in 2019, would return from his injury as the left tackle.

When discussing Thuney, Veach said the Chiefs were enticed to sign him because of his athleticism, intelligence, production, consistency and durability. The Chiefs felt similarly about Brown, viewing him as an ascending player who has improved throughout his career. Also, Brown has yet to miss a game because of injury.


In 2019, the Chiefs made a similar move when they consummated a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks two days before the draft and acquired star defensive end Frank Clark. In that deal, the Chiefs sent the Seahawks the 29th pick, an exchange of that year’s third-round picks and a 2020 second-round pick. The Chiefs assessed their acquisition of Clark as equivalent to the 17th pick, based on the point value of the draft picks. And Clark played a pivotal role in the team winning Super Bowl LIV as he collected five sacks during the postseason.

The Chiefs believe they received better value from Friday’s trade. The Ravens essentially received the value of the 45th pick for Brown while the Chiefs filled their most crucial roster need and received a second-round pick.

One difference from the Clark deal is that the Chiefs are not expected to sign Brown to a new, multiyear contract once the trade is completed after he passes the league-mandated physical. Clark was the Seahawks’ franchise-tagged player before he was traded, and the Chiefs signed him to a five-year, $105.5 million contract, with $63.5 million guaranteed, to prevent him from reaching free agency after the 2019 season.

Brown is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to earn $3.3 million. If Brown performs well with the Chiefs, he is expected to earn a lucrative contract extension from the team, likely a deal better than what left tackle Garett Bolles signed with the Denver Broncos (four years, $68 million with $40 million guaranteed) to be one of the highest-paid players at his position. After the upcoming season, the Chiefs could also place the franchise tag on Brown to prevent him from reaching free agency. Such a move would allow both parties more time to negotiate an extension, a situation that occurred last summer with star defensive tackle Chris Jones.

“Chiefs are getting a straight up beast,” Calais Campbell, the Ravens’ star defensive end, wrote on his Twitter account of Brown.


No longer possessing a first-round pick in next week’s draft, the Chiefs can use their two second-round picks (No. 58 and No. 63) and a fourth-round pick (No. 144) to add depth at various positions.

The Chiefs want to continue to upgrade their pass rush and acquire a prospect who can pressure the quarterback from the side opposite Clark. They are intrigued by several pass-catching prospects, whether at receiver or tight end. A developmental center, a cornerback or a linebacker could also be options.

“There’s a mid-round pocket that we’re excited about,” Veach said. “I think that there will be some depth in the offensive line throughout the first three, four rounds — and same thing with the secondary. We’ll just have to be patient and disciplined and just look for value.

“I think that mid-two to early-three area is going to be a hot zone.”

Chiefs' draft choices
2
26
58
From Baltimore
2
31
63
4
39
144
Compensatory pick
5
31
175
5
37
181
Compensatory pick
6
23
207
From Pittsburgh via Miami