Chiefs could have trouble with variance in offensive tackle rankings in 2021 draft

The Kansas City Chiefs still have a clear need at the offensive tackle position after missing out on some top players in free agency.

The 2021 NFL draft class is considered to be loaded with offensive line talent at the tackle position, but opinions on the different players within the draft class are polarizing, to say the least. According to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, personnel executives agree that this is a good draft class for the offensive line, but he says the rankings around the league are, “all over the map.”

Now, it’s not prolific to say that different teams value players differently. Obviously, scheme fit and other things come into consideration. That’s usually a given in any year of the NFL draft. But to have such variance in rankings around the league that the No. 3 OT for some teams is No. 7 for other teams, well that seems rather unique and it presents a big challenge for Kansas City.

Jeremiah noted that No. 1 and No. 2 for most teams are near-universal with some combination of Oregon’s Penei Sewell and Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater. The Chiefs would have to manufacture a big trade-up in order to land either of those players. From there, that’s where the rankings get tricky.

Part of it stems from the fact that there’s a strong belief that some of the top tackles would do better at guard at the next level. Jeremiah used Alabama OT Alex Leatherwood as an example, saying that some teams see a top-40 pick, while others value him in Day 3.

The bottom line here is that Kansas City has to go into the draft knowing what they want, but also knowing what every other team wants out of the tackle position. That’s not always the easiest thing to do, especially when you have some new first-time general managers and some teams that make some questionable draft decisions.

I also keep coming back to what Veach told reporters ahead of the free agency period.

“Really from rounds one through three, one through four and they’ll go quick even if there are numbers there,” Veach told reporters of offensive linemen in early March. “By the time you blink your eyes, you’ll get into the middle or late round two, all those numbers that you saw that we joke about every year, ‘wow there’s so many linemen’, but when you take 31 or 32 every year, by the time you get to 31, they’re all gone. That’s just the way it works, but just want to share from a numbers standpoint, I think the offensive line is really deep. . . .”

Given the variance in offensive tackle rankings across the league, it really makes you wonder if the Chiefs won’t be more aggressive going after the player they want. That could mean trading up or targeting a player at the end of the first round who might be considered a “reach” by the media. Whatever the case, Brett Veach certainly has his work cut out for him when it comes to landing some blindside protection for Patrick Mahomes.

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