KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If the Kansas City Chiefs are going to make a move up to land Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams, they’ll probably have to move inside the top 15 to do it.
Despite tearing his ACL in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, Williams remains a coveted talent.
He may not last until the 15th pick — and certainly wouldn’t, if healthy — It’s hard to imagine him sliding past Philadelphia and New Orleans at picks 15 and 16.
With several gaping holes to fill on defense, most notably at defensive end and in the secondary, the question will be how much the Chiefs are willing to give up for a shot at Williams.
To jump ahead of the Eagles, it might take a substantial portion of the Chiefs’ cache of picks — based on traditional valuation of picks, probably Nos. 30 and 50 plus a third- or fourth-round pick depending on how high Kansas City must move.
If Williams is worth three top-100 draft choices? If General Manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid believe so, go and get him.
But I’m not sold it comes together, so my first-round mock draft doesn’t have Kansas City moving up in the 2022 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday in Las Vegas:
1. Jacksonville — DE Travon Walker, Georgia
Speculation for months had Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson as the first player off the board, but the Jaguars opt for the player with the highest ceiling rather than the lowest floor — and the Bulldogs’ run at matching the NFL Draft-record with six first-round picks begins with a bang.
2. Detroit — DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
Watch your knees: Hutchinson falls into the Lions’ lap and Dan Campbell may bite his own staff’s kneecaps off in joy. He’s a local kid, Wolverines star and should be a staple of Detroit’s pass rush years to come.
3. Houston — OT Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State
With no quarterbacks screaming to be taken here, the Texans would be best served taking the athletic and powerful Ekwonu to give Davis Mills time in the pocket.
4. New York Jets — CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati
It’s possible the Lions take him at No. 2. Detroit could use him after whiffing on Jeff Okudah two years ago, but the Jets land arguably the most impactful talent in the draft when the Lions pass. Gardner didn’t allow a touchdown in his entire college career in coverage.
5. New York Giants — OT Evan Neal, Alabama
It’s a make-or-break year for Daniel Jones. But Neal would help any quarterback, whether first-year coach Brian Flores — er, Daboll, with apologies to Bill Belichick.
6. Carolina — OT Charles Cross, Mississippi State
Maybe Liberty quarterback Malik Willis is the pick here, but otherwise the Panthers need to do more to protect Sam Darnold. Cross should help solidify the protection up front.
7. New York Giants — DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
Thibodeaux was a darling in the early draft speculation, but questions about his hustle and technique — he usually wins with sheer athleticism, including a lightning-quick first step — led to a mini-fall. The Giants aren’t complaining after shoring up both lines in General Manager Joe Schoen’s first draft.
8. Atlanta — WR Drake London, USC
The Falcons need a quarterback — which we’ll get to, I promise — but the value isn’t there. Unwilling to find a partner to trade down with in hopes of collecting picks and accelerating the rebuild, the Falcons replenish a decimated wide-receiver corps with London, who is arguably the most productive pass-catcher available.
9. Houston* — Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
The Texans will consider Stingley at No. 3, but I think there’s a better chance he falls than one of the offensive tackles. Ekwonu provides a foundational piece for Houston’s rebuild on offense, while the chance to come up and still get Stingley — a foundational piece on defense — proves too irresistible.
* Projected trade: Houston sends two picks, Nos. 13 and 68, to Seattle for pick No. 9 overall.
10. New York Jets — WR Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
The Jets will consider Alabama’s Jameson Williams here. After all, Williams is the best deep threat in the draft class. But Wilson is a close second and, more importantly, he doesn’t have the medical red flag for a squad that doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for Williams to heal up from his torn ACL.
11. Washington — S Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame
The Commanders will consider trading out of the pick and probably would jump at the chance to add London or Wilson. With those options unavailable, Ron Rivera stays true to the board and drafts the best available player, who also happens to fill the defense’s biggest need.
12. Minnesota — DE Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State
The Vikings would love to get Stingley here, but got outmaneuvered by the Texans. Instead, Minnesota replenishes the pass-rush ranks with a suburban Minneapolis native with a high-motor, three-down defensive end.
13. Seattle — DT Jordan Davis, Georgia
After the projected run on offensive tackles, the Seahawks may consider staying put and taking Johnson to bolster the pass rush. The consolation prize is Davis, who provides unique athleticism on the defensive interior. The trade down provides an extra early third-round pick to address other needs.
14. Baltimore — OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
It’s a natural fit from a culture perspective, given Penning’s bruising style of play, and fills a need, especially with Ronnie Stanley struggling to stay healthy after signing a mega deal.
15. Philadelphia — WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
General Manager Howie Roseman won’t need to bleed the clock if Williams is available to reunite with Devonta Smith in the Eagles’ receiving corps. If Jalen Hurts can’t get it done with that running game and the outside weapons, Philadelphia will know it’s biggest draft need for 2023 by season’s end.
16. New Orleans — WR Chris Olave, Ohio State
Explosive and crafty as a route runner, Olave gives the Saints a much-needed weapon as the post-Sean Payton era dawns.
17. Los Angeles Chargers — CB Trent McDuffie, Washington
It’s a luxury pick to a degree. The Chargers signed JC Jackson to a big-money deal, but the cornerback depth beyond Asante Samuel Jr. isn’t great for an injury-prone secondary. Maybe LA addresses the offensive line here, which worked out well last season, but I think McDuffie’s talent is too tempting.
18. Philadelphia — LB Devin Lloyd, Utah
Yeah, yeah — the Eagles don’t value linebackers this high. Did you see the impact Micah Parsons made for Dallas last season? If Lloyd can do half that for a defense that desperately needs more athleticism and thump from its linebackers, the do-it-all Utes star was a steal.
19. New Orleans — OT Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan
After Terron Armstead bolted for Miami, left tackle became a massive need, which went unfilled during free agency. Tulsa’s Tyler Smith is a more polished and NFL-ready player today, but Raimann may end up being the better player in the end. The Saints bank on that upside.
20. Pittsburgh — QB Malik Willis, Liberty
Finally, a quarterback goes off the board. The Saints may consider taking one and some QB-hungry may get antsy and jump into the top 20, shaking up the proceedings. Or maybe, as in this case, the Steelers patiently get the most athletic QB prospect in Willis to develop behind Mitch Trubisky in the search for Ben Roethlisberger’s long-term replacement.
21. New England — DE George Karlaftis, Purdue
Maybe the Patriots go with Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, but it would be hard to pass on Karlaftis, who many peg as a top-15 prospect, if he falls this far. Belichick’s no fool; he knows value when it smacks him in the face.
22. Green Bay — G Kenyon Green, Texas A&M
It’s tempting to go wide receiver here, but with another second-round pick and a strong group of second-round receivers, the more pressing need is up front between the tackles, especially with so many teams picking in this range with interior line needs.
23. Arizona — DT Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
The Cardinals also would love for Karlaftis to fall and may even consider swapping with Pittsburgh — a move the Chiefs probably wouldn’t rule out either — to keep him from Belichick’s clutches. Failing that, and with the defensive ends now picked over, Arizona bolsters the interior of its line instead.
24. Dallas — C Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa
Tyler Biadasz has struggled at center. He improved, but bumping him to guard and replacing him with Linderbaum might allow the Cowboys to improve at two spots up front with one pick.
25. Buffalo — G Zion Johnson, Boston College
The Bills could go corner or wide receiver here. Maybe even Iowa State running back Breece Hall from Wichita is in play as the consensus top running back in the draft. But shoring up the interior offensive line is the smart long-term play and the one for which Buffalo opts.
26. Tennessee — OT Tyler Smith, Tulsa
The Titans would love for Green or Johnson to slide just a bit farther. With left tackle Taylor Lewan on the wrong side of 30 by NFL standards and right tackle Dillon Radunz coming off a disappointing rookie season, Smith is the next man up for Tennessee. Again, if Radunz bumps inside and thrives at guard, it’s an even bigger win for Mike Vrabel.
27. Tampa Bay — DT Travis Jones, Connecticut
Despite cringing when making this pick — because Jones is a draft crush with his powerful, pocket-collapsing presence on the defensive interior — it makes sense. Jones seems like a natural replacement up front for Ndamukong Suh.
28. Green Bay — WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas
Terrific after the catch and ideally suited for the Packers as a chain-moving, tackle-breaking machine, Burks is another draft crush of mine I’m sorry to see go off before the Chiefs could pick. Of course, Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, Central Michigan’s Skyy Moore, North Dakota State’s Christian Watkins and Georgia’s George Pickens are still on the board among others, so there are lots of options here to give Aaron Rodgers a new toy on offense. It’s also why there was no rush at No. 22 to get a wideout.
29. Kansas City — S Lewis Cine, Georgia
Maybe the pick here is Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, which would be fine. Maybe it’s Nittany Lions teammate Jaha Dotson, which wouldn’t be a bad pick either. There is second-round depth at both positions that is better than the depth at safety, especially from an athletic perspective. That’s why it comes down to Cine or Michigan’s Daxton Hill. The testing numbers win out here.
30. Atlanta* — QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
The fifth-year option is more important for a quarterback than any other position, which is why the Falcons are eager to come up and draft a replacement for Matt Ryan. Kansas City collects even more ammunition — now owning picks 34, 50, 62, 82, 94 and 103 — to make massive Day 2 waves.
* Projected trade: Kansas City sends pick No. 30 to Atlanta for two picks, Nos. 43 and 82.
31. Cincinnati — CB Kaiir Elam, Florida
Interior offensive line probably needs the most help, but upgrading the corner spot isn’t a bad idea either and the draft board value dictates it’s Elam.
32. Detroit — QB Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
The Lions have played coy about drafting a quarterback at the back end of the first round, but why not if Pickett’s just sitting there? Goff isn’t the long-term answer, but Pickett — who has all the tools to thrive in the modern NFL, if he can hang onto the ball — might be.
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Want more insight about the Kansas City Chiefs? The “4th & 1” podcast is the twice-weekly, Chiefs-centric podcast from KSHB 41 News, the official broadcast “Home of the Chiefs.” Analyst Nick Jacobs and host Tod Palmer analyze and breakdown the Chiefs’ opponent and performance for pre- and post-game episodes — available on iTunes, Spotify, Omny or your preferred podcast platform — each week during the season.
