Kansas City Chiefs draft grades: Analysis of KC’s seven 2023 NFL Draft picks

The Kansas City Chiefs landed seven players in their 2023 NFL Draft class, and the next question after that is a natural one: How’d they do?

The answer is complicated ... especially when trying to gauge just hours after the draft’s completion.

From a big-picture perspective, the Chiefs did things differently than a year ago, when analysts in post-draft grades overwhelmingly lauded them. In 2022, KC seemed content to let talent fall to its spot, then mostly took value picks from consensus boards while rounding out a rookie class that was a significant part of a Super Bowl season.

This time around was different. The Chiefs didn’t hold their breath and wait for guys, deciding to trade up in rounds 2, 3 and 4. And they took quite a few reaches based on consensus boards, seemingly trusting their evaluations over the wisdom of the crowds.

That sort of thinking over time can be risky, as most guys fall into similar places on projected draft boards because evaluations have improved over time. There are fewer secrets in the NFL with scouting, and studies have shown that going for frequent reaches compared to consensus, in general, has not led to great results in the past.

Post-draft analysis should be more than just pick-by-pick commentary, though. KC deserves credit for using its first three picks in positions of need and in areas that produce the greatest NFL surplus value. Edge rusher, receiver and offensive tackle are expensive positions on the open market, and if the Chiefs hit on those spots early, they’ll get a multiplier effect for being right.

The Chiefs also resisted the temptation to go bonkers with a first-round trade to move up for a receiver. While I’m sure it was enticing to think about what receiver Zay Flowers might look like next to Kadarius Toney and Travis Kelce, general manager Brett Veach remained disciplined while knowing his team had multiple needs to fill.

Some teams do crazy things when they get emotionally attached to a player, and Veach ended up thinking better of trying to do too much at an elevated cost.

With that, let’s go pick-by-pick to give a first-blush look at how the Chiefs did with each of their selections.

Round 1, 31st overall, EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State

The Chiefs appeared to make the best of a good-turned-bad situation with how the draft board fell to them.

Around pick 20, it appeared KC might have its choice of a few receivers. But that notion was dashed with a run on wideouts in the early 20s. Then, pass-rusher Nolan Smith nearly tumbled to the Chiefs’ selection before being swiped away by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 30.

The Chiefs could’ve traded back to the mid-40s, Veach later said, but doing that would’ve meant they likely would’ve had to trade back up to try to get Anudike-Uzomah. So the Chiefs chose not to “get cute” and instead took the top guy left on their board.

Anudike-Uzomah falls in line with a lot of the Chiefs’ preferences. He’s a bigger player on the edge and also is just 21, with KC often targeting younger players with success in the last few drafts.

This is a slight reach compared to consensus boards, but one also negated some when considering positional value. It’s tough for a team like the Chiefs to get premier pass-rushers without drafting them, making this a logical pick after they stood pat at 31.

Grade: B+

Round 2, 55th overall, WR Rashee Rice, SMU

This is probably the most interesting selection by the Chiefs and will potentially have the most impact on how we gauge this draft as a whole in the future.

The Chiefs seemingly had two choices on Day 1: Spend most of their draft capital to go up and get a receiver, or wait it out at 31, then allow themselves to splurge and move up for most of the other guys they wanted in future rounds.

The Chiefs ended up going the latter route. And this is a clear move of the Chiefs calling their shot.

They like Rice better than consensus. He worked out with quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Texas, and Mahomes obviously was impressed and relayed that to the team’s front office.

The Chiefs didn’t sit around to see if some other team shared their opinion of Rice. Instead, they moved up eight spots and gave away what most trade charts value as an early sixth-round pick to get him. KC probably would have been fine getting Rice without giving that value away, but it didn’t want to wait to find out.

Rice is a possession receiver who seems to be a natural fit for the vacated JuJu Smith-Schuster role. Not only that, assistant GM Mike Borgonzi raved about Rice’s ability to run after the catch, and that’s a bigger deal for the Chiefs, given how often they throw into open space.

Other well-thought-of receivers were available here, including Marvin Mims, Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. The Chiefs targeted Rice, though, and while giving away an additional sixth-round pick to get him doesn’t sound like much, it’s worth remembering the Chiefs turned seventh-round picks last year into a starting running back and cornerback on a Super Bowl-winning team.

As mentioned before, this seems like one of the Chiefs’ biggest heat checks. Rice was 72nd on Pro Football Focus’ Big Board, with a third-round grade from many other publications.

The Chiefs deserve all the praise if they end up right on this one. For now, though, we’ll only base it on how the consensus perceives Rice and his value, making this a gamble the Chiefs used an additional resource to take.

Grade: C+

Round 3, 92nd overall, OT Wanya Morris, Oklahoma

KC didn’t require much draft capital to move up three spots to get Oklahoma’s Wanya Morris — most draft-value calculators had the compensation equating to a seventh-round pick — but once again they placed an extra bet on the belief in their board.

The fit here isn’t difficult to see. Morris was inconsistent at Oklahoma but flashed athleticism the Chiefs love at the position. Offensive line coach Andy Heck also has an excellent history of developing players.

The Chiefs needed some right-tackle competition with Lucas Niang, and they got that with Morris. It doesn’t hurt that Brandon Thorn — one of the nation’s top offensive line analysts — called Morris to the Chiefs a “perfect landing spot” when evaluating both landing spot and future coaching.

Like the last pick, odds are that the Chiefs would’ve gotten Morris without a trade-up. And while that seems insignificant, giving away seventh-round compensation can’t be dismissed entirely for a team that has hit grand slams with those players in the past.

Add it all up, though, and this selection checks many of the Chiefs’ boxes and gives Morris a chance to succeed in a comfortable situation alongside a former college teammate, Trey Smith.

Hard to ding the Chiefs much for this one.

Grade: B+

Round 4, 119th overall, CB Chamarri Conner, Virginia Tech

The evaluation becomes complicated again for KC’s fourth-round pick, with the Chiefs trading away what most draft calculators believe is the equivalent of a sixth-round selection to go up 15 spots to get Conner.

This follows with the last two selections: The Chiefs jumping up to grab a player that most consensus boards consider a reach at this spot.

Conner was 199th on PFF’s Big Board and had a Round 6 projection at NFL.com. The Chiefs love versatility in their secondary, and Conner fits that, with the potential to play both corner and safety while contributing from the start on special teams.

Veach mentioned before the draft that this year’s class had great depth at cornerback, so it’s not surprising the Chiefs took one. And if you want a glass-half-full view, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah called the Conner selection his early favorite pick of Day 3, noting the Chiefs’ ability to get the most out of late-round corners.

It’s reasonable again, though, to wonder whether KC gave away a late-round pick it didn’t have to. And secondary doesn’t seem to be a desperate need given the Chiefs’ excellent drafting there last season.

Conner is super-athletic, and perhaps the Chiefs will find a diamond in the rough, as they did with L’Jarius Sneed in the fourth round a few years back.

That’s the hope now. But as it stands, this is the most difficult Chiefs pick to decipher, given potential position need and the resources allocated to move up.

Grade: C

Round 5, 166th overall, EDGE BJ Thompson, Stephen F. Austin

Thompson is a project. He’s a “freaky athlete,” as Chiefs area scout Jason Lamb described Saturday, with an ability to bend around the edge possessed by few with his frame.

His athleticism testing is impressive. He’ll need to maintain weight and work on additional pass-rush moves, but one doesn’t have to squint hard to see the potential upside.

NFL.com had Thompson with a seventh-round/priority free-agent projection, and many other mock drafts pegged Thompson in the sixth- to seventh-round range.

In the end, Thompson seems like a reasonable dart-throw at this point in the draft.

Grade: B

Round 6, 194th overall, DT Keondre Coburn, Texas

This pick most resembled what the Chiefs did a year ago.

Coburn was 139th on the PFF Big Board and the 14th-best defensive tackle on Mel Kiper’s final rankings, yet the Chiefs remained patient and snagged him with a pick a round or two later than many projected.

It wouldn’t be shocking if Coburn competed for immediate playing time. KC has a need on the defensive interior next to Chris Jones, and Coburn — like Morris — flashed ability in college amid bouts of inconsistency.

Several Chiefs defensive linemen improve under position coach Joe Cullen a year ago, and Coburn has a chance to be the next.

Considering all the factors and what we know now, this pick seems like one of the Chiefs’ best of the weekend.

Grade: A

Round 7, 250th overall, CB Nic Jones, Ball State

Much like Thompson, Jones appears to be a bet on projection. He’s a press corner coming to a team that loves to play that style, and he’s also joining the Chiefs with a history of contributing on special teams. That could help him keep his roster spot while learning and adding strength.

KC has a lot of corners and safeties now, but it’s also earned some benefit of the doubt with a recent ability to turn late-round secondary guys into studs. Jones isn’t guaranteed to make the team, but he seems to have enough upside for this selection.

Grade: B

Overall grade

KC deserves praise for what it did do. It had a logical draft. It filled spots of need. It didn’t go super-flashy and didn’t get swept up in a first-round, short-term move that could do long-term damage. And it also added a fifth-round pick next year in a trade with Dallas for a sixth-rounder in 2023 — the type of future-helping transaction a current Super Bowl favorite should be looking to make when the current roster might not have as many vacancies as future ones might.

This draft class still comes with more questions than last year’s. The Chiefs believe in their board — as they should — but strayed away from public perception more times than they felt necessary a season ago.

Is that wrong? Not necessarily. And obviously, the Chiefs are likely to get the benefit of the doubt just a year after all 10 of their draft picks remained on the team while helping contribute to a Super Bowl champion.

If studies have taught us anything from the draft, however, it’s that selection success can be fleeting from year to year. As a result, overconfidence should mostly be avoided, with the best teams often cleverly trading down while boringly taking advantage when the football world says good players are falling to them.

The Chiefs pivoted this year compared to last. They took “their guys” in rounds 2-4 while putting extra belief in their evaluations.

It might pay off big. But for now, it remains at least as a “to be determined” while viewing as a whole from an outside lens.

Overall grade: B