KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs’ most glaring needs entering the 2020 NFL Draft probably were at inside linebacker, cornerback, running back and depth on the offensive line.
Kansas City addressed all those areas with picks during the past three days, building up a roster that mostly returns intact from last season’s Super Bowl championship run.
Given the issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the league’s first virtual draft, the Chiefs’ decision to bring back 20 of 22 starters should help them navigate a tumultuous offseason and hit the ground running in 2020.
First-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a former LSU running back, will be a joy for fans to watch as Kansas City’s offensive coaching staff finds ways to torture opposing defenses with his crazy open-field and pass-catching skills.
Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay Jr., who was Kansas City’s second-round pick, brings much-needed athleticism and coverage ability to the middle of the defense.
The Chiefs waited until the fourth and seventh rounds to get better in the secondary, but adding two players with high upside after watching the AFC West build up offensive arsenals in hopes of dethroning them was a savvy move in a deep draft at the cornerback position.
Veach and company didn’t ignore the trenches either, using a third-round pick on a promising offensive tackle, so it was a rock-solid draft on balance.
Kansas City was dealing from a position of strength and attacked its roster holes with surgical precision.
Obviously, the Chiefs had already assembled a championship roster, but several picks should make an instant impact and some of the developmental guys should help alleviate salary-cap pressure in the coming years when Patrick Mahomes — and maybe Chris Jones — are playing on long-term, mega deals.
OVERALL GRADE: B+
One can quibble with selecting a running back in the first round, but I’m not going to get twisted about it at No. 32, especially with the draft’s elite corners and wide receivers long gone and especially given how much Andy Reid — who knows the game better than me and is among his generation's brightest offensive minds — loves the pick.
The Chiefs then added speed and athleticism at every level of the defense and also got a quality addition for the offensive line, one who could have an immediate impact at guard and fill a bigger need down the road at tackle.
Picking Michigan defensive end Michael Danna, who many analysts viewed as a priority free agent, was the only pick where the value clearly didn’t match up with draft position. It also keeps KC from getting an A from me.
The bigger issue for Kansas City might be that, in a relatively deep draft, its AFC pursuers — both within the division, but especially the Baltimore Ravens — made out like bandits. It remains to be seen whether any closed the gap enough to knock Reid and Patrick Mahomes from the NFL summit.
Round 1 (No. 32 overall)
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
Height/weight: 5-7/207
2019 stats: 215 carries, 1,414 yards, 16 TD; 55 receptions, 453 yards, 1 TD
Scouting report: Edwards-Helaire should elevate the Chiefs’ offense to a new level with the mismatches he creates in the passing game.
Andy Reid will be able to scheme him into space, especially with dynamic vertical (Tyreek Hill) and intermediate (Travis Kelce) threats already in place.
Edwards-Helaire, who touched the ball on 439 plays from scrimmage in his LSU career and only had one fumble, is an ideal complement to Damien Williams and provides a terrifying new toy for Kansas City, if you’re an opposing defense.
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Round 2 (No. 63 overall)
LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State
Height/weight: 6-1/243
2019 stats: 28 tackles, 3 .5 tackles for loss, interception, 2 fumbles recoveries
Scouting report: One of the most athletic linebackers in the draft, Gay has tremendous ability in pass coverage.
He played limited college games, including an eight-game suspension for academic fraud last fall, so he’ll need time to develop his technique and instincts, but the raw talent is undeniable.
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Round 3 (No. 96 overall)
OT Lucas Niang, TCU
Height/weight: 6-6/315
2019 stats: Started six games at right tackle, 0 sacks allowed
Scouting report: Niang missed the Horned Frogs’ last five games last fall after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, an injury he suffered as a junior in 2018.
As long as he recovers well from the surgery and rounds back into playing shape, Niang is one of the more athletic tackle prospects in the draft and could flourish as a versatile addition in the Chiefs’ zone-blocking scheme.
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Round 4 (No. 138 overall)
CB L’Jarius Sneed, Louisiana Tech
Height/weight: 6-0/192
2019 stats: 73 tackles (43 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions
Scouting report: Sneed played corner for the Bulldogs in 2017 and 2018, but he moved to safety last fall. He went one pick ahead of teammate Amik Robertson, who is undersized but competitive as a cover man.
The Chiefs are banking that Sneed’s speed — he ran a blazing 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine — combined with terrific instincts and ball skills will allow him to thrive as a corner in the NFL.
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Round 5 (No. 177 overall)
DE Michael Danna, Michigan
Height/weight: 6-2/261
2019 stats: 38 tackles (20 solo), 3 sacks, forced fumble
Scouting report: Danna is a strong player and was a nice rotational piece on a deep Wolverines defensive line after leaving Central Michigan as a graduate transfer.
He plays with a high motor, racking up 23 tackles for a loss and 13 1/2 sacks in his final two seasons with the Chippewas.
Danna also had two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, including two for touchdowns, as a redshirt junior at Central Michigan before having modest production in his only season in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Round 7 (No. 237 overall)
CB Thakarius Keyes, Tulane
Height/weight: 6-1/202
2019 stats: Kansas City gave up a sixth-round pick next season to move back into the draft late and select Keyes, who the Chiefs didn’t want to get into a bidding war for as a priority free agent.
A late bloomer who didn’t start playing football until his junior year in high school, Keyes racked up 85 tackles and 18 passes defended in 23 games as a junior and senior at Tulane.
He has incredibly long arms and should be an asset for Kansas City, especially in zone coverage with decent instincts and ball skills.
