In the Kansas City Chiefs‘ quest to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, they’ll have to use the 2024 NFL Draft to address two major areas of need — wide receiver and cornerback.
Despite the success of winning another Lombardi Trophy last season, the Chiefs’ wide receivers struggled with drops throughout the season, and Rashee Rice’s status for the season is uncertain after his arrest. At cornerback, Kansas City will have to find a replacement for the departed L’Jarius Sneed.
In Ian Cummings’ latest seven-round mock draft for Pro Football Network, he has the Chiefs drafting players at each of these positions with their first two picks. Let’s dive into those selections and the rest of the players Cummings has the Chiefs taking in his seven-round mock.
Latest NFL Mock Draft Has Chiefs Drafting WR Ja’Lynn Polk
With the No. 32 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Cummings has Kansas City selecting Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk in his latest mock draft.
Cummings has been very consistent in previous mock drafts this offseason by having the Chiefs add a wide receiver early. He has also mentioned Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey as another option in a previous mock draft, but now, Polk is the guy the Chiefs take.
READ MORE: Top WRs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Some people see Polk as more of a late-second-round pick because of a lack of game-breaking speed, but there are many things to like. He still runs a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, which is very fast, but there are concerns he doesn’t have the speed to pull away from defenses.
One big strength that Cummings sees is Polk’s ability to create separation in his route running. In his scouting report on Polk, Cummings says the former Washington receiver is an “incredibly fluid route runner who can stack effortless hip transitions on double-moves.”
The Chiefs appeared to hit a home run on last year’s second-round pick in Rice, who became a huge part of the offense last season. However, right now, there are question marks on what his availability will be early next year after he was recently charged with eight felonies for a driving incident.
Kansas City already added former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Hollywood Brown in free agency, but he only signed a one-year deal, and they could use more depth at the position.
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
With tight end Travis Kelce turning 35 years old early next season, the team is going to continue to try to get playmakers for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
For Kansas City and any team that needs a receiver, this is the perfect year to dive in. This class is regarded as one of the best receiver groups in a long time, as there are potentially up to eight receivers that could go in the first round.
Chiefs Add Depth in the Rest of the Draft
Cummings has the Chiefs drafting Sneed’s replacement in the second round with the selection of former Michigan CB Mike Sainristil.
One other intriguing pick Cummings has the Chiefs taking is Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat in the fourth round. Sweat has immense upside, but there are questions off the field — he was recently arrested for a DWI. There is no denying his potential, however, and pairing him with Chris Jones could be a high-upside move.
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