The 2019 NFL Draft is coming up, which means that The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for every team. Each NFL team will be looked at heading into this year’s draft including what their needs are and who they could be targeting. The Kansas City Chiefs will be the 26th team evaluated.

Summary

In Pat Mahomes’ first year as a starting quarterback, the Chiefs had a great season that resulted in an AFC Championship Game appearance. They had a regular season record of 12-4 and have a lot to look forward to for the 2019 season.

The Chiefs had the number one offense in the NFL, scoring 35.9 points per game. Their passing offense ranked third with 309.7 passing yards per game. Mahomes had a great season that saw him throw for over 5,000 yards. Tyreek Hill led the team in receiving yards with 1,479, while tight end Travis Kelce wasn’t far behind with 1,336 yards. The rushing offense ranked 16th in the NFL at 115.9 yards per game. Kareem Hunt led the team in rushing, but was released after 11 games. The offensive line had a few solid players, but could be improved for next season. Carlos Hyde was signed to provide a solid running back after Hunt was released, but the offense will otherwise look very similar next season.

Defensively, Kansas City allowed 26.3 points per game, which ranked 24th in the league. Chirs Jones was a star on the defensive front, while Dee Ford blossomed into a solid pass rusher with 13 sacks. The linebackers had their fair share of struggles last season, as Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens could play better. The secondary had to deal with Eric Berry’s injuries again, which held him out most of the season. They struggled as a result of that. Berry, Steven Nelson and Dee Ford have all left Kansas City, one way or another, but Tyrann Mathieu was signed to help fill the void in the secondary, while Alex Okafor and Emmanuel Ogbah were brought in to bolster the defensive end position.

2019 NFL Draft Picks

Kansas City has eight picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

First Round (one pick): No. 29

Second Round (two picks): No. 61, No.63

Third Round (one pick): No. 92

Fifth Round (one pick): No. 167

Sixth Round (two picks): No. 201, No. 214

Seventh Round (one pick): No. 216

Team Needs

Guard/Center- Mitch Morse is gone at center and the guards could be upgraded as well.

Running Back- Signing Hyde will hold them over, but they should try to get a young running back to pair with him.

Defensive End- The acquisitions of Ogbah and Okafor helps, but this defense would greatly benefit from a great pass rusher with the loss of Ford.

Linebacker- None of the linebackers played up to par last season and the Chiefs have to get a playmaker at the position.

Cornerback- Nelson is gone, so someone to play well across from Kendall Fuller is needed.

Safety- Mathieu needs a running mate back at safety to lock up the back end of the defense.

2019 NFL Draft Targets

First Round:

Pick No. 29: Byron Murphy, Cornerback, Washington

The Chiefs will be going up and down the field next season, but they need to slow down their oppnents. They can do that by taking a corner early in the draft. Murphy is a good zone corner who is a day one prospect. He may fall to the Chiefs’ pick because of his lack of size and long speed, but there aren’t many better corners in this draft class than him.

Second Round: 

Pick No. 61: Mack Wilson, Linebacker, Alabama

Wilson was a solid, but not great linebacker for Alabama. He does have the physical tools to develop into a solid linebacker at the NFL level though. The Chiefs need to find someone who can make plays at the linebacker position or they will continue to rank in the bottom half of the league for defense.

Pick No. 63: Juan Thornhill, Safety, Virginia

Thornhill is one of the most athletic safeties in the class and provides good value in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. NFL teams will love to work with his athleticism and turn him into a good safety in the NFL. He can start next to Mathieu in the backend of the defense to really help the secondary improve.

Third Round: 

Pick No. 92: Oshane Ximines, Edge, Old Dominion

The Chiefs need to get some depth for their new edge rushers. Ximines was productive at Old Dominion and has the chance to develop into a solid pass rusher at the NFL level.

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