The Chiefs currently only have eight offensive linemen on their 90-man roster. That’s typical of an in-season depth chart, more than for the offseason. Wanya Morris, a third-round pick from the 2023 draft is currently penciled in at starting left tackle but the team doesn't have a fallback after the departure of veteran left tackle Donovan Smith if they don’t add at the position early in this month’s draft.
Several players could slide into the Chiefs’ striking distance at pick No. 32 or if Kansas City desires them enough to move up for an offensive tackle in the first round. The Chiefs could also wait at pick No. 32 to see who’s available to them in that spot or even move back a few spots into the second round to make a selection at the position.
Regardless of where they end up making their first selection, an offensive tackle should be among the considerations.
Here are five offensive tackles that the Chiefs could target early in this year’s draft.
Full draft target breakdowns: WR | RB | TE | S | CB | DL | EDGE
Chiefs 2024 NFL draft OT targets
Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Measurables: 6-foot-8 | 322 pounds | 34-inch arms | 6-foot-10 wingspan | 10-inch hands
Combine numbers: 5.19 40-yard dash | 1.76 10-yard split | 34.5-inch vertical | 8-foot-11 broad | 7.50 3-cone | 4.71 short shuttle
If teams are betting on upside at the tackle position, Guyton may not make it out of the top-20 picks. However, teams may go for more polished players at the position, especially a team like the Chiefs that have aspirations of a three-peat on their minds.
Guyton could be a steal for the Chiefs and while he may not be the perfect addition to the position for 2024, he provides insane value for Patrick Mahomes’ protection for years to come as we can expect Kansas City to continue to be perennial contenders.
Guyton rolls his hips into run blocks and has smooth lateral movements. He’s fluid on pulls but needs to lock in on target. Guyton is fluid in mirroring defenders without overreacting. He can deliver a punch when right, easily gets to reach blocks and is smart on the pickup of stunts.
Guyton will need to improve on hand placement as he gets his arms outside of the defender's frame. He’ll also miss badly versus shifty guys in space and lunges on second-level blocks.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State
Measurables: 6-foot-6, 312 pounds | 34-inch arms | 6-foot-10.5 wingspan | 8.5-inch hands
Combine numbers: 5.11 40-yard dash | 1.77 10-yard split | 32-inch vertical | 9-foot-1 broad
Fashanu has received a lot of attention in this draft with many having him as a top-10 prospect overall. As of late his stock has taken a dip and he too could last long enough for the Chiefs to have an opportunity to move up to pick No. 25 or thereabout if he’s still available.
Fashanu leaves a lot to be desired in the run game but could provide Mahomes an upgrade in pass protection, even as a rookie. He’s proactive with his hand usage, great on pulls to latch on and his strength is anchoring when taking on pass rushers.
In the run game, Fashanu doesn’t sustain blocks and gets beat across his face and on the ground too often in space. His pass protection will also need fine-tuning as he’ll let defenders into his chest and is susceptible to spin moves.
Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
Measurables: 6-foot-5 | 326 pounds | 34-inch arms | 6-foot-10 wingspan | 10.5-inch hands
Combine numbers: 5.04 40-yard dash | 1.74 10-yard split | 28-inch vertical | 9-foot-2 broad
Suamataia could be a surprise on the first night of the draft by sneaking into the bottom of the first round and going off the board before the more heralded Amarius Mims at the tackle position.
Suamataia has shown vast improvement in his game from 2022 to 2023 and continues to be on an upward trajectory of positional growth. He has a punch that can rock defenders back, has improved drastically in taking on second-level blocks and has a long first step to quickly get in position for reach blocks.
Suamataia will need to prevent defenders from getting into his chest and anchor better when facing pass rushers. He can be slow to respond to stunts and misses in space too often. Lastly, Suamataia will need to respond quicker in his pickup of blitzes.
Amarius Mims, Georgia
Measurables: 6-foot-8 | 340 pounds | 36-inch arms - 7-foot-3 wingspan | 11-inch hands
Combine numbers: 5.07 40-yard dash | 1.78 10-yard split | 25.5-inch vertical | 9-foot-3 broad | 4.33 short shuttle
Mims has routinely been viewed as a top-20 pick in this draft class but leaves a lot to be desired as a developmental prospect. There’s a chance he lasts until the Chiefs pick at No. 32 and beyond if teams look for a more pro-ready and sure thing at the position.
Mims is drawing the eyes of talent evaluators as they hope to use his dynamic size, length and movement combination, which is rare at the position. His length and size help mask major issues in his game as the only thing he currently does consistently is wall off while sustaining the block.
Mims has late eyes on blitz pickup, no GPS locator when out in space and despite his massive size, can be put in the dirt routinely with a solid grip-and-rip from balanced defenders. Lastly, he has limited playing time in college and staying healthy at his size while going against the top athletes in the world is far from a given.
Patrick Paul, Houston
Measurables: 6-foot-8 | 331 pounds | 36-inch arms | 7-foot-2 wingspan | 9.5-inch hands
Combine numbers: 5.14 40-yard dash | 1.77 10-yard split | 29-inch vertical | 7.65 3-cone
Paul is a similar prospect as Mims with a massive frame and exceptional length. He hasn’t received the attention of Mims which is puzzling due to similarities between the two and Paul having more playing experience and a drastic decline in injury risk when comparing the duo.
Paul has shown NFL traits, mostly in his ability to anchor versus pass rushers and the use of the “long-arm” technique to hold defenders at bay.
Paul’s flaws are plentiful, like Mims in this regard. He drops his head versus the pass rush, and has bad hand placement with arms not only outside the frame but routinely getting around the back of the defender. This would make for easy holding calls at the next level. Paul’s kick is poor as it’s more of a quick foot-tap than a kick and despite his size, he’ll let defenders take control of reps by letting them into his body.
Who will the Chiefs draft?
Guyton would be the most desirable addition of this group if looking for a long-term return, but may not be the apple of the Chiefs’ eye due to his developmental time frame. Fashanu would give the most pro-ready pass protection out of this group but is more of a one-dimensional player at this point and should be off the board before Kansas City would consider trading up to a reasonable range.
Mims and Paul are developmental prospects at the position that may not ever get to the value of their drafted slot and neither provide the desired return in Year 1.
Kansas City should stay at pick No. 32 and select Suamataia. He’s still a developing prospect but has NFL bloodlines with Penei and Noah Sewell as cousins. Sewell quickly fine-tuned his flaws as a rookie and the hope would be, based on the growth from 2022 to 2023 for Suamataia, that he too will quickly rise to NFL-ready.
