The Chiefs made it to the AFC championship for the fourth time in as many years after beating the Bills in one of the best playoff games in NFL history. However, they weren't able to reach the Super Bowl, falling to the Bengals 27-24 as Cincinnati advanced to its first Super Bowl since 1989.
Now, Kansas City will look to bounce back after its disappointing finish to last season. Although, they are going to look a bit different than they have in previous seasons.
The Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill during the offseason and have lost some other key players like Tyrann Mathieu and Charvarius Ward in the secondary. The team has also lost some of its depth, so they will need to replenish that during the draft.
There's no doubt the Chiefs are still one of the AFC's best teams. But, they're looking a bit more beatable given the arm's race within the conference and the Chiefs' personnel losses. That being said, they need to hit on their early draft picks to ensure they have solid, cost-controlled talent on the roster as Patrick Mahomes' massive extension kicks in.
Luckily, Kansas City is armed with two first-round picks and 12 selections overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. What might the Chiefs do with back-to-back picks near the end of Round 1? Here's a breakdown of five potential prospect combinations that could work well for them.
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Combination 1
- No. 29: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
- No. 30: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota
One of the biggest issues for the Chiefs early in 2021 was their decision to play Chris Jones at defensive end. He played well at the position, but the team couldn't stop the run with him on the outside. Eventually, they moved Jones back inside and the results were better, but adding a true, three-down playmaker next to him at tackle instead of going by committee is a solid move.
Wyatt (6-3, 307 pounds) has excellent movement skills and projects to be a strong pass rusher at the NFL level. He would pair well with Jones and could benefit from the attention paid to the stalwart veteran. He had 2.5 sacks last year while playing on a Georgia defense loaded with high-end talent.
As for Watson, he would help the Chiefs to replace the departed Hill, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson. The North Dakota State product has a massive 6-4 frame but clocked a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He's a bit raw, as he played at the FCS level, but he recorded 800 yards and seven TDs on just 43 catches.
Watson's upside is enormous and working with Mahomes could bring out the best in him. At the very least, having both him and Marquez Valdes-Scantling around will make it very difficult for opposing defenses to cover Kansas City's receiver.
Combination 2
- No. 29: Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
- No. 30: Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
The Chiefs could opt to wait to select a receiver until the second day of the 2022 NFL Draft. After all, it's a deep receiver class and they can probably rely on Mahomes to elevate the play of whichever wide-out they draft. As such, the Chiefs could focus on bolstering their defense during Day 1 of the draft.
Kansas City lost Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes to free agency. Both played well last year and were top-four cornerbacks in the Chiefs' rotation. As such, they need to be replaced and Booth, who had three interceptions last season for Clemson, would fit well across from the team's top corner L'Jarius Sneed.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs could also stand to add another edge rusher, as Melvin Ingram is still a free agent. Ingram's acquisition last season allowed the Chiefs to move Jones back to tackle and immensely upgraded their defense. They won't want to be stuck with Jones on the outside or a lackluster exterior pass rush again, so grabbing the athletic Boye Mafe, who had seven sacks last year and signed at the Senior Bowl, would make a lot of sense.
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Combination 3
- No. 29: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
- No. 30: David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
OK, yes, so the Chiefs could eschew a receiver as they did in the previous scenario, but Dotson is a player that would make a lot of sense if they don't trade up for a guy like Chris Olave or Treylon Burkss.
Dotson is a major speed threat and while he didn't run as fast as expected at the combine, the tape still shows that he can take the top off the defense. He racked up 91 catches for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior and averaged 15.1 yards per catch during his career. Pairing him with Mecole Hardman could help replace some of the speed and elusiveness element that the team lost after Hill's departure.
Meanwhile, Ojabo would be a pure upside play. He's recovering from a torn Achilles suffered at his Pro Day, but he would have been a top-10 pick if not for that injury. He's athletic, has a 6-5 frame and totaled 11 sacks last year and created several other sack opportunities for Aidan Hutchinson. The Chiefs have a good enough roster that they can take a chance on a guy like Ojabo if he falls to them.
Combination 4
- No. 29: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
- No. 30: Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
Passing on offense entirely to add two defensive backs with their first two picks might not be a popular move for the Chiefs, but it could pay off. The losses of Ward, Hughes and Mathieu will loom large if the team can't add some players to replace their production.
McDuffie would be a great option to add at cornerback if he makes it to the Chiefs' pick. He was sticky in coverage during his three years at Washington and could be a top-20 pick. That said, he recorded just two interceptions in college, so that could drop him into the latter half of the first round. The Chiefs won't hesitate to add him as a potential starter.
The addition of Cine would be a more exciting one. The Georgia safety is a big-time playmaker who flies to the ball and is a hard hitter. He had 73 tackles, nine pass defenses and an interception last season for the Bulldogs and looks like an impact player at the next level.
The Chiefs used three safeties a lot last season. Two of them, Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen, are gone. Justin Reid will serve as a replacement for one and adding Cine to join the rotation with Reid and Juan Thornhill could pay off in spades.
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Combination 5
- No. 29: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
- No. 30: Trade down with Seattle — Travis Jones, DT, UConn
If the Chiefs don't add two pieces in the secondary, they could double down on the defensive line. Andy Reid loves drafting trench players early, be it on the offensive or defensive lines, and he could be positioned to do that in the late first round.
Ebiketie isn't guaranteed to be a first-round pick, but he had 9.5 sacks last season and a whopping 18 tackles for loss. He generates a lot of pressure and has good length on his 6-3 frame, so that could get him some looks in the late first.
The second pick here is a bit of a cheat, as I'm projecting a trade down. The Chiefs are perfectly located to deal one of their late first-round picks to a team in need of a quarterback. They could try to get a second-round pick in 2023 as part of any deal, and that would spread their draft capital out over a couple of years.
The Seahawks seem like a team that could trade up. If they don't get Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett at No. 9, they could trade into the end of the first round for a player like Matt Corral or Desmond Ridder. In this case, the Chiefs make a deal with them, drop to the 40th pick (Seattle has both 40 and 41 in the second round) and take Travis Jones.
Jones (6-5, 333 pounds) performed well at the Senior Bowl and has logged at least 40 tackles in each of the three seasons he played at UConn. He has eight sacks in his last two combined, so he can be a well-rounded, three-down contributor next to Chris Jones.
Check out the Sporting News 2022 NFL Mock Draft, brought to you by SN's lead NFL Writer Vinnie Iyer.
