2019 NFL Draft

[Clayton]

So the Chiefs are entering defensive rebuild draft 2.0 here in 2019. Team needs appear to be CB, S, Pass Rusher, 4-3 LB. I'm thinking Chiefs are in a decent spot to do BPA in rd1 and then start hitting the needs with rd2 and rd3.

Prospect thoughts:

Brian Burns - Edge. Fits the Dee Ford mold but the Chiefs still have Dee Ford. Most likely will be gone by the time the Chiefs pick, too.

Jacobi Polite - Edge. Same logic as Burns except also maybe with more concerns attached. I think Polite is probably early in rd2 so maybe a target if the Chiefs trade back.

Zach Allen - Edge. Edge setter and run stuffer. Probably someone they draft if they think they're keeping Dee Ford long term. I don't think he is a first round prospect but if he falls then I think he is maybe someone they'd target in rd2.

Josh Jacobs - RB. He'd make a lot of sense if the Chiefs prioritized RB. But I dont think they will. I like the talent and scheme fit and I see him as a late first rounder but the Chiefs simply have too many holes on the other side of the ball. And its a running back.

Byron Murphy - CB. Not exactly a burner and he has T-Rex arms. Might be a Fuller clone.

Deandre Baker - CB. I think the Chiefs would take Baker but maybe not trade up for him.

Greedy Williams - CB. If the idea is to immediately upgrade the CB position then this isnt it. I do think the Chiefs would draft him if they could but you'd probably also be looking at some other CBs added as competition somewhere.

Devin Bush - OLB. If he falls then its probably positional value. Undersized but elite talent. I think Dorian O'Daniel might be able to play this spot but other than that it seems like something the Chiefs would target. If I was mocking the Chiefs right now, this would probably be my pick.

I don't like any of the Safeties in rd1.

 

[cdumler7]

Devin Bush after his work at the Combine won't make it to the Chiefs pick. They would have to trade up for him. At the safety position I could see Nasir Adderley being a player the Chiefs really like. He has quickly climbed into the top of the safety group.

 

[Clayton]

Devin Bush after his work at the Combine won't make it to the Chiefs pick. They would have to trade up for him. At the safety position I could see Nasir Adderley being a player the Chiefs really like. He has quickly climbed into the top of the safety group.

It used to be guys like Bush dropped in the draft but I think you're right.

I think they're taking an Edge player in rd1 if there aren't any LBers there.

 

[Clayton]

Jerry Tillery DL - Bad 3 cone. Probably a 5 tech. I dont see him being a scheme fit.

Greg Little OL - His draft grade is all over the place but I think he'd fit with what Reid looks for in linemen.

Deionte Thompson FS - High football IQ. Great first step that maybe hides a lack of speed. Poor tackling which might be a product of his lack of speed. Probably rd2.

Nasir Adderley S - Flexibility is a high point here. Maybe too aggressive. Not sure how you evaluate a S against poor competition and I'd like to see Armani Watts get another shot at being a similar player. Probably a solid player but I think he has risen too high.

Mack Wilson LB - High upside but lots of bad tape for a guy surrounded by talent. Should be an option late in rd2 but maybe the Bama connection lets him go higher.

Jaylon Ferguson Edge - I like his change of direction and should be relatively pro ready. Not sure he has a great ceiling. Rd2

Joe Jackson Edge - Most of his game seems to be based around getting his long legs into a bullrush or used to move laterally. Probably on par with Speaks and Kpassagnon as a prospect.

Trayvon Mullen CB - Checks all of the boxes. Mirror guy who does his job but maybe not great at improv. Probably helped out by having best pass rush in CFB. Seems like an option in rd1.

 

[Clayton]

So my prediction for the Chiefs draft:

Rd1: Juan Thornhill CB/S Virginia.

I think all of the top 3 CBs are going to be gone by pick 29 and Thornhill has the upside to maybe justify a rd1 pick. If Spagnuolo is supposed to be a defensive coach thats supposed to coach up young players then this is the guy to pick. He also has position flexibility which might be something they are looking for. Some scouts think he is the best FS prospect in the draft but I've seen some question that ability to come in right away and see him as more of a project at FS.


RD2: Jace Sternberger TE Texas A&M

Probably the 4th TE off the board. Mahomes reliance on Kelce is fairly noteworthy and the Chiefs do love using multiple TEs.

RD2: Blake Cashman LB Minnesota

I'm thinking one of these rd2 picks is going to be a Veach reach. I'll put Cashman here because of the fit but it'll probably be someone I've never heard of. I think the Chiefs might target an MLB but not either of the OLB spots.

RD3: BPA RB. Chiefs running backs are all currently guys who bounce from team to team. I'd imagine this is the spot they'll choose to upgrade the position.

 

[Black Adam]

clearly this changed because we gave our 1st rounder to the Seahags...

still, i'd agree we definitely need CB, LB's and some run stoppers here. today should be interesting...

 

[Clayton]

clearly this changed because we gave our 1st rounder to the Seahags...

still, i'd agree we definitely need CB, LB's and some run stoppers here. today should be interesting...

Yeah, this stuff changed quickly.

Its hard to predict which players Veach is going to fall in love with. Chiefs are in a really good spot to trade up if they have a CB or WR with a rd1 grade fall a little bit. I think conventional wisdom would suggest that they should stay put and get two players at the end of these 'runs', though, especially since this is the where the value is in the draft.

 

[Clayton]

So, I'm pretty happy with Juan Thornhill in round 2. I was pretty clearly way off with my evaluation on this draft but I think I actually watched more of Thornhill than any other non-Mizzou prospect in this draft. People have given him the comps of: Byron Jones, Ha-Ha Clinton Dix or Marcus Williams. PFF likes him at free safety and thinks he is great at run support from that position. Charlie Campbell likes him at FS as well him but sees him as the top Safety at being able to cover TEs and the top S when it came to 'ball skills'. I saw a Voch Lombardi video that says he likes him at SS at first because he doesn't have the vision to play FS yet. Thornhill also played outside CB for awhile and he looks the part but seems to get caught on sharp cuts.

The other thing of note is that his sparq score is nuts. He'd walk into the league as one of the best athletes at the S position. Virginia also lined him up at ILB in some cases but I don't see that happening in the NFL. I think he makes some business decisions when it comes to tackling sometimes. That PFF run support grade is great but he definitely attacks the ankles.

Overall I think he'll be a great pick at the bottom of rd2. When you have a flexible player like the Honey Badger then it allows you to draft a guy like Thornhill who might not have an immediate niche until you get him into camp. If Thornhill is able to play multiple positions on the defense in addition to the Honey Badger then this pick becomes a home run.


The Chiefs also traded up for Mecole Hardman with their first pick. I'm guessing the trade up was because they were more familiar with him because he has been torching Mizzou for awhile and maybe saw him as safer. Not much to say here although I think its more accurate to say that he is somewhere in-between Tyreek Hill and Jeremy Maclin as a prospect on the field and not strictly like Hill. Hill's level of speed was unique. The worry with Hardman is the lack of production but he was playing for Georgia and they do love to run the ball and they had another draft worthy WR.

 

[Clayton]

Another bit on Hardman:

“Dave had the biggest smile in the room,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “There were a few returners that we had Dave go out and we do that every year. He came back, and he said Mecole, he thought, was the closest thing to Devin Hester that he’s seen in a long time. He was ecstatic. He is by far the best punt and kick returner in the draft and, again, it’s hard to turn down that kind of speed. When you have a quarterback like Pat Mahomes you want to give him as many weapons as possible.”

 

[wazzu31]

James Williams is going to ball out for you. Mahomes to Williams all day everyday for touchdowns.

 

[Clayton]

Veach's comment on Thornhill made it sound like they see him as a FS and is drafted to be a FS. It makes sense because Honey Badger seems to prefer to play in the box.

PFF thinks the Chiefs botched their draft by not addressing the CB spot. PFF was way higher on the CB class than the NFL was, though, just based on where everyone was drafted

 

[Draft Crazy]

You guys should draft Mecole Hardman.