4 UNKNOWNS THAT WILL DRIVE THE CHIEFS’ DRAFT STRATEGY

Few analysts seem to agree on the direction the Kansas City Chiefs will go with the NFL Draft’s final pick of the first round on Thursday night — assuming Kansas City does not trade out of the first round altogether.

But we can be pretty sure that the decisions the team makes on both Thursday and Friday night will largely be driven by the answers to four questions about the team.

1. What will happen with Rashee Rice?

Much remains unknown about the fallout from the second-year wideout’s high-speed car crash in Dallas at the end of March. On Monday, head coach Andy Reid confirmed the team is still gathering information about the situation. On Friday, general manager Brett Veach acknowledged that while the incident “maybe subconsciously” could cause him to put more emphasis on selecting a wide receiver in the first round, the team had already considered it one of its needs.

So even though free-agent wideout Hollywood Brown was added to a position group that struggled for much of 2023, Kansas City is likely to add another one early in the draft. Still, the type of receiver Veach prioritizes may reveal his actual concern about Rice’s situation. Acquiring a deep threat — like Troy Franklin of Oregon or Xavier Worthy of Texas — could be seen as a move to build the group around him.

But what if the Chiefs aggressively target a player with similar skills? Xavier Legette of South Carolina would be a good candidate to fill Rice’s rookie role built around yards after the catch — and he was reported to have visited Kansas City during the scouting process. Pulling the trigger on the former Gamecock (or a player like Malachi Corley of Western Kentucky) could signal that the team expects Rice will be unavailable much of the season.

After he returned to work with quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Texas, there is no sign Rice’s place with the team is in immediate danger. If the Chiefs are considering moving on from him, though, there would be no advantage in making the move before the draft; that would tip off other teams about their draft plans.

2. What is the internal scouting on Wanya Morris?

2023’s third-round selection took over at left tackle when starter Donovan Smith left the Chiefs’ Week 12 contest — and then started the next four games.

Then Morris suffered a concussion while rotating snaps during the team’s meaningless Week 18 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. With the rookie unavailable during the first round of the playoffs, Smith returned to the starting lineup — and remained there through the postseason.

We will never know if Kansas City would have brought Smith back if Morris hadn’t suffered his untimely injury. But during their comments this week, both Reid and Veach gave Morris’ play an up-and-down assessment — and each also said that the second-year player would have to compete for 2024’s starting position.

The Chiefs have been linked to several draft-eligible tackles this spring — although a Week 1 upgrade from Morris is unlikely to be available with the draft’s 32nd selection. If Veach trades up to select a tackle, that should be taken as a sign the team believes it has found an immediate starter.

But without an aggressive move at the position — or the acquisition of a veteran player — we should consider Morris the man to beat at left tackle.

3. How ready are Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson?

The biggest argument that Kansas City got worse in the offseason is the trade that sent cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans.

While Veach identified cornerback as a position where the Chiefs might improve in the draft, the team is likely counting on a significant leap by either Williams or Watson. Both are third-year corners who have teased potential since being selected on Day 3 of the 2022 draft. Don’t forget: although Sneed (also a Day 3 pick) had a significant role during his rookie year, he did not show signs of being a premier boundary cornerback until well into his third season.

While both Williams and Watson have shown promise, snaps have often been almost evenly split between them; neither has become the team’s unquestioned third cornerback. Watson also recently underwent shoulder surgery.

The Chiefs’ faith in their in-house corners will be revealed by how early Veach addresses the position this weekend.

4. When is Charles Omenihu expected back?

Even with a six-game suspension to start the season, Omenihu looked like a free-agency bargain after the pass rusher totaled seven sacks in the 11 games he played. But unfortunately, an ACL injury during the AFC Championship caused him to miss the Super Bowl — and the timing of that injury puts his status to start the season in doubt.

In the meantime, the Chiefs have prioritized continuity in the defensive line room. After giving superstar Chris Jones a monster contract, the team retained fellow defensive tackles Tershawn Wharton, Mike Pennel and Derrick Nnadi. Kansas City also re-signed versatile inside-outside pass rusher Mike Danna to a three-year contract.

Combined with edge-rushers George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah — the team’s two most recent first-round selections — the room is already very crowded. If Omenihu is expected to play at least half of the season, it is hard to see room for another premium addition.

But if Kansas City devotes another top-100 draft pick to the pass rush, it would suggest that Omenihu is not expected back until late in the year.

Either way, the team won’t have to expose another player to the market to make it possible. A recent rule change would allow the Chiefs to return Omenihu from the Reserve/Injured list even if he is placed there before the season begins.

2024-04-22T17:25:22Z dg43tfdfdgfd