This Kansas City Chiefs mock draft couldn’t have come at a better time after the blockbuster trade of wide receiver Tyreek Hill earlier this offseason.
General mananger Brett Veach shocked the masses by acquiring five draft picks from the Miami Dolphins in return for the All-Pro wide receiver.
The move sets up a ton of needs for Kansas City heading into the draft. But before we present you with our Chiefs mock draft, let’s check in on the selections they boast in the annual event.
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2022 Kansas City Chiefs draft picks
- 1st round, 29th and 30 overall
- 2nd round, 50th and 62nd overall
- 3rd round, 94th and 103rd overall
- 4th round, 121st and 135th overall
- 7th round, 234th, 243rd, 251st and 259th overall
Kansas City Chiefs mock draft: Benefiting from Tyreek Hill trade
Andy Reid and Co. have earned four consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances and seem set up for continued title contention.
However, the aforementioned Hill trade changes the dynamics here. Simply put, the Chiefs are thin at a number of positions. That includes wide receiver, cornerback, edge pass rush and linebacker.
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1st round, 29th overall: Jahan Dotson, wide receiver, Penn State
The trade of Tyreek Hill changes the dynamics big time for the Chiefs. They will now almost certainly use a first-round pick on a wide receiver. If so, Dotson makes the most sense.
- Jahan Dotson stats (2021): 91 receptions, 1,182 yards, 12 TD
The 5-foot-11 pass-catcher is slippery smooth at the line and can provide an immediate throwing window. While he’s not as electric as Hill, this will help Patrick Mahomes make the transition in 2022. After all, he did win the Pennsylvania state 4X100 relay in high school. Teaming Dotson up with the recently-acquired JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be a boon for Kansas City.
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1st round, 30th overall: Kyler Gordon, cornerback, Washington
The loss of Charvarius Ward to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency thinned out an already questionable Chiefs cornerback depth chart. He was their top cover guy — yielding a mere 79.4 QB rating when targeted last season.
Kansas City will need to add both a veteran and a couple rookies to the mix this offseason. That’s where Gordon comes into play. Standing at nearly 6 feet, Gordon is a perfect boundary corner in the Chiefs’ scheme. He’s a sure tackler and shows some tremendous coverage technique. The dude could very well end up being a Day 1 starter for the Chiefs with the team also interested in acquiring New York Giants cornerback James Bradberry.
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2nd round, 50th overall: Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State
Kansas City flirted with releasing/trading Frank Clark earlier this offseason. At the very least, it seems that Clark is not in the Chiefs’ long-term plans. Even with him in the mix, the edge pass rush position struggled big time for the team last season. Michael Danna was second behind Clark with a mere three sacks.
At 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds, Thomas is a perfect fit in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme. He can play both the edge position and inside on the defensive line. A season ago for San Diego State, Thomas registered a whopping 20.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He could be an immediate Day 1 rotational player.
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2nd round, 62nd overall: Nick Cross, safety, Maryland
Kansas City’s decision not to re-sign All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu was rather interesting. Replacing him with free agent Justin Reid was even more dumbfouding. While Reid performed well in coverage a season ago, he was a liability in his first three NFL seasons.
As for Cross, he’s seen as a single-high free safety at the next level with a tremendous amount of range. That was evident last season with Cross recording three interceptions in his first stint as a full-time starter. Cross would make sense next to Juan Thornhill in the Kansas City Chiefs’ secondary.
3rd round, 94th overall: James Cook, running back, Georgia
Clyde Edwards-Helaire had an uneven first two seasons in the NFL after the Kansas City Chiefs made him a first-round pick back in 2020. The former LSU standout put up just 646 totla yards with a mere 19 receptions this past season.
Kansas City’s offense has in the past relied on running backs being able to catch passes. Even with free-agent signing Ronald Jones in the mix, that’s not the case right now. Cook would change this in a big way. The young brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, the former Georgia standout caught 27 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns a season ago. He also averaged a robust 6.4 yards per rush. Dude would be dynamic in Kansas City’s offense.
3rd round, 103rd overall: Greg Dulcich, tight end, UCLA
Having Travis Kelce locked up long-term is a major key for Kansas City moving forward. In no way does this mean that the Chiefs don’t need to find a potential heir-apparent down the road.
With a plethora of picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kansas City opts to use one of them on a talented tight end from UCLA who dominated Pac 12 competition. The 6-foot-3 pass-catcher tallied 42 receptions for 725 yards and five touchdowns in 2021. He can stretch the field while presenting tremendous mismatches against linebackers and safeties.
Rounding out the Kansas City Chiefs mock draft
- 4th round, 121st overall: Jack Jones, cornerback, Arizona State
- 4th round, 135th overall: Jack Sanborn, linebacker, Wisconsin
- 7th round, 233rd overall: Luke Fortner, guard, Kentucky
- 7th round, 243rd overall: Amari Carter, safety, Miami
- 7th round, 251st overall: Neil Farrell Jr., defensive tackle, LSU
- 7th round, 259th overall: De’Jahn Warren, cornerback, Jackson State
Tell us what you think about our seven-round Kansas City Chiefs mock draft in the comments section below.