We’ve got a little more information. We have another Super Bowl trophy in Kansas City. So let’s run the whole exercise again with the key internal decision being: Let’s keep Chris Jones and work from there. My goal with this is to take a balanced approach and try to build a complete team, distributing more of my resources to offense than 2023, but still giving the defense some assistance.

Cut
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
DE Charles Omenihu (last time, I said this stunk. Hearing him saying today that he thinks he should be paid like the guys in the tier right behind Nick Bosa makes it a pretty no-brainer. He clearly isn’t in a spot to do a small extension. So cut him loose.)

Extend
S Justin Reid (4/$49M – I stick to the restructure of Reid in this run. He’s just so solid and good and reliable, and the secondary still needs a veteran leader.)

Tag and Trade
CB L’Jarius Sneed (this time, I send him to the Eagles for #50 because it’s clean and easy and that Instagram post has that as the hot rumor right now)

Let Walk
Mike Edwards
Derrick Nnadi
Willie Gay
Jerick McKinnon
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Blake Bell
Richie James
Deon Bush
Tommy Townsend (we don’t need him any more, we have the Dolphin)
Jody Fortson
Prince Tega-Wanogho

Re-Sign
Drue Tranquill (2 years, $9.5M)
Nick Allegretti (2 years, $5.5M)
Tershawn Wharton (3 years, $9.5M – The DT room is thin even with Jones back, and watching the SB we really saw what I thought was Wharton’s best game. I like having a DT with that burst and speed, and he has clearly gotten much stronger, and he is athletic enough to run some DE snaps in a pinch)
James Winchester (minimal deal)
Malik Herring (ERFA tender)
Jack Cochrane (ERFA tender)
Nazeeh Johnson (ERFA tender)
Mike Caliendo (ERFA tender)

FA Moves
QB Trevor Siemian (1/$1.7M – veteran QB)
WR Darnell Mooney (4/$36.4M – I bank on getting more out of Mooney than in Chicago… good QB play and a better system. He fits nicely for KC as a player who can do the deep speed items as well as provide other WR things)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (1/$1.6M – just seems like a good bet for KC as a Spags-type DE who is a Veach reclamation attempt special to boot)
OT Yosh Nijman (2/$12.3M – I just am not comfortable going into the draft with only Wanya Morris and a rookie at LT. Nijman provides a little veteran depth with some upside).

To help facilitate all of this, I am restructuring $20M of Mahomes’ roster bonus. I end up with about $16M in cap space at the end of all these moves. That's more than enough to sign the draft class, operate throughout the season, and pounce on some June 1 cuts to fill gaps if there is a good fit.

Draft
As expected, the Chiefs are drafting 32nd.

Needs based on plan so far:
The Chiefs have no GLARING needs other than some long-term solutions at OT and WR. Which happen to be the strength of this draft. Gee, how did that happen? I will also be looking for a young DT, a speedy LB, and would like to double-up at WR.

Simulator used: SportsKeeda (uses Tony Pauline’s big board/associated with him)

1.32: T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas. Sweat is massive, and massive DTs typically don’t really draw love from a Spagnuolo defense. But in addition to how big he is, Sweat also has some explosiveness and pass rush juice. You can squint and see Vita Vea. This one is all about making life easier for Chris Jones so he can earn that payday and focus on pass rushing.

Also considered: Kingsley Suamataia went one pick before me to the 49ers, or would have been my selection here. McKinnley Jackson, DT, aTm; Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon

Not fucking considered at all: Ladd McConkey, GWH, Georgia.

2.50: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina. Man. I really don’t love the way this slot worked out for me on this run, but Legette’s speed and big, reliable hands make him intriguing. He DOES move better laterally than you’d expect a 6-1.5/225 pound WR to move. There’s some risk here, but I’m banking on the upside and figuring if nothing else he can run some deep shots for me.

Also considered: Cedric Gray, LB, North Carolina; Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas. Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington; Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan; Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington.

2.64 Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale. He’s going to need some time to work on technique and develop into an NFL T, but Amegadjie has the size, length and athleticism to be really effective. He and Wanya Morris can battle things out and push Nijman for the LT spot.

Also considered: Will Shipley, RB, Clemson; Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan; Josh Newton, CB, TCU. T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State; Javon Foster, OT, Missouri.

3.95 Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest I’m into BPA mode here, and Carson fit the bill. He’s athletic and versatile and helps re-build the DB room post-Sneed.

Also considered: Maason Smith, DT, LSU; Ty’Ron Hopper, LB, Missouri.

4.133 Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State. Johnson is a nice size-speed TE. I like him better than my other options here.

Also considered: Jacob Cowing, WR, Arizona; Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State.

5.158 Zion Tupuola-Fetui, DE, Washington. ZTF still intrigues me because of the tools and I want to add a LITTLE to the DE rotation.

Also considered: Tykee Smith, S, Georgia. Aineas Smith, WR, Texas A&M. Lots of DBs and WRs.

5.172 Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville. I am not first to the Guerendo train, but I’m on it. Size/speed combo is great.

Also considered: Lots of athletes.

7.250 Deantre Prince, CB, Mississippi. Just randomly picking a DB with the size/profile the Chiefs like.

Also considered: Lots of athletes.

Wrapping it up

This was my first time running a mock on this site, which was kind of nice because I couldn’t anticipate movement as well. I doubt Carson would fall that far but would be excited to recoup that level of CB prospect this late. T.J. Tampa seems like a better bet to be there, and it seems even more likely the Chiefs uncover a guy we haven't heard of as a good fit, too.

Two-deep (Re-signed,FA adds, rookies)

(2) QB: Mahomes/Siemian
(3) RB: Pacheco/Guerendo/Prince
(6) WR: Rice, Mooney, Legette/ Watson, Toney, Moore (Would love to trade Toney but just can’t find a fit. Could also cut one of the wonder twins and slot a cheap vet here)
(3) TE: Kelce/Gray/Johnson

(2) OT: Nijman/Amegadgie
(2) OG: Thuney/Allegretti
(1) C: Humphrey/Allegretti
(2) RG: Smith/Caliendo
(2) RT: Taylor/Morris

(6) DE: Karlaftis, Anudike-Uzomah, Gross-Matos, Harring, ZTFThompson
(5) DT: Jones,Sweat,Farrell, Wharton,run-plugging FA vet

(5) LB: Bolton, Tranquill, Chenal, Cochrane, Jones

(6) CB: McDuffie, Williams, Watson, Carson, Johnson, Jones Prince
(4) S: Reid, Cook, Conner, inexpensive vet, probably Deon Bush

(1) LS: Winchester
(1) K: Butker
(1) P: The Dolphin

That leaves 1 spot floating if my count is right, probably goes to depth at OL or maybe another DL who can float both spots.

The defense still is built around Chris Jones and I know that DE room is going to make some people nervous. I’d be looking for some training camp cuts/late FA additions to beef that spot up some more. The LB corps is still a strong one (and still one of the better ones in the NFL, if not quite as versatile in base with Willie Gay presumably making a lot of money elsewhere), and the secondary is still a strength (probably a little stronger at S in 24 than it was in 23, with Reid, Conner, and Cook, but obviously turning things over at CB).

The biggest change, I think, is how Sweat can adjust the calculus up front for offensive lines. With him lined up next to Jones, that’s two incredibly strong, quick, explosive players to worry. Sweat isn’t a great natural pass rusher, but he has juice and is a load that can’t be handled well 1x1. The DEs would have much easier assignments in this set-up, facing exclusively single blocks and likely having pass-blocking backs assigned to troubleshoot rather than ever chip.

On offense, I’ve spread my approach out and am counting on a numbers game. There isn’t a top-notch WR added to this offense that is going to become a clear Round 1 fantasy football pick, at least not for the 24 season, but with Mooney and Legette I’ve added two guys who can get deep and complement Rice and Kelce. I added another big, physical, fast running back to my group (not sure he’s much as a receiver, but Pacheco’s role there could be expanded and I still have hope for Prince in that regard, as he seemed like a good receiving WEAPON who needed to work on his pass blocking). Johnson seems like a nice upgrade from Blake Bell, with the size and blocking ability to slide into that TE3 role nicely, but more upside and threat as a receiver (watching his tape, I think he can do some of the vertical concepts they used to run with Fortson).

On the offensive line, I’m giving Andy Heck 4 options to run through LT and figure out how to make it work. Maybe it’s Jawaan Taylor flipping sides. Maybe it’s Nijman living up to his potential and being a solid starting LT. Maybe it’s the rookie wowing folks, or the second year player taking steps. I don’t know. But there’s enough volume there for me to be confident KC can get to a T setup that is better than 2023’s.

I’d feel good about the chances for a 3-peat with this one. KC wouldn’t be clear, far-and-away favorites (the Texans are probably putting a super team around Stroud), but the Chiefs would still have a strong defense that doesn’t have glaring weak spots to exploit, the offense would have more weapons and some different options for making teams pay when they play man and bring up the safeties, and Mahomes would be reasonably well-protected.

Looking ahead to 25, I haven’t addressed Bolton-Humphrey-Smith. I’m still thinking KC only moves to keep 2 of those guys, at most.

Overriding premise of this one is going to be: What if the Chiefs DO NOT take an OT or WR in the first round?

Cut
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
DE Charles Omenihu (this stinks, but it makes sense)

Extend
S Justin Reid (4/$48 – I stick to the restructure of Reid in this run. He’s just so solid and good and reliable.)

Tag and Trade
CB L’Jarius Sneed (super hard, but for the purposes of this exercise we are pretending I traded Sneed to the Los Angeles Rams for picks 1.19 and 3.83, sending them 5.172 and a 2025 3rd)

Let Walk
Chris Jones (this one still hurts, but I don’t see another path)
Mike Edwards
Derrick Nnadi
Willie Gay
Jerick McKinnon
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Blake Bell
Richie James
Deon Bush
Tommy Townsend (cap is too tight to spend money on a P)
Jody Fortson
Prince Tega-Wanogho

Re-Sign
Drue Tranquill (2 years, $9.5M)
Nick Allegretti (2 years, $5.5M)
Donovan Smith (3 years, $38M)
Tershawn Wharton (2 years, $8M – adding some insurance along DL)
Blaine Gabbert (minimal deal)
James Winchester (minimal deal)
Malik Herring (ERFA tender)
Jack Cochrane (ERFA tender)
Nazeeh Johnson (ERFA tender)
Mike Caliendo (ERFA tender)

FA Moves
WR Curtis Samuel (4/$45)
DT Teair Tart (3/$23M)
I stick with these because I just think they fit the Chiefs’ needs fairly well.
Some minimal contract depth moves/ST moves (DT, DE, etc.)

With these moves down, I’d be left with about $14.5M in cap space, with some of that going into depth signings. That’s probably enough to get the rookies signed AND have room to operate, so I would NOT have to touch Mahomes’ deal in this version.

Draft
Assumption: I will again run the draft on the current slotting, which has the Chiefs at 28, even though I think they end up lower.

Needs based on plan so far:
The needs haven’t changed with this, really. Still need to invest in pass rush, and a WR, and look at a developmental, long-term OT if possible. And snag some BPAs. The secondary is still strong, but with Sneed out of the building, I look at that position in the early rounds if it makes sense.

Also: proceeding as if Chiefs win SB.

Simulator used: NFL Mock Draft Database

1.19: Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri. OK, I know. I told OCity 32 was too high for him a few days ago, but I no longer believe that. He continued to dominate the Senior Bowl. A freaky big/long guy who can play inside and out just seems too perfect to pass up in this case.

Also considered: CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama. WR Brian Thomas, LSU. WR Troy Franklin, Oregon.

1.32: Trade to Arziona for 2.35, 3.71, 5.160, 7.221

2.35: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas. I didn’t love the WRs left to me at this spot, but I do like Sanders’ impact as a receiving weapon at the TE spot. He would be a nice upgrade in the TE2 spot from Noah Gray and make the Chiefs 3 TE sets great again.

Also considered: WR Xavier Worthy, DT Leonard Taylor, CB T.J. Tampa

TRADE: 3.95, 3.71 to Philadelphia for 2.53

2.53: Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest. I move up here to get the last CB in this tier. Carson fits KC’s profile and improves the depth that took a hit losing Sneed.

2.64 Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama. Burton is growing on me as a fit for KC. I like his experience in the slot and out, and his well-rounded game.

Also considered: Maason Smith, DT, LSU; Will Shipley, RB, Clemson.

Trade: 3.83, 5.160 to Seattle for 3.76 With the board falling a way I really like here, I move up to take…
3.76 Maason Smith, DT, LSU. Seeing Smith slip just a little more makes it too much to pass up. Yes, it’s a double-dip on the DL and technically at DT, but Smith is just such a great raw product to shape I can’t pass it up.

Also considered: Will Shipley, RB, Clemson; Johnny Wilson, WR/TE, Florida State; Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan;.

4.131 Delmar Glaze, IOL, Maryland. Glaze is a big, physical interior blocker with good athleticism who is good in pass pro. Really nice pull here, IMO.

Also considered: Jacob Cowing, WR, Arizona, Brenden Rice, WR,

5.157 Javon Foster, OT, Missouri. OK, not a homer pick. Foster has good size and length. He’s a solid athlete and a hard worker. Just a developmental shot here.

Also considered: Tykee Smtih, S, Georgia. Ainas Smith, WR, Texas A&M. Lots of DBs and WRs.

5.171 Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshite. Senior Bowl definitely influencing me, but Laube is a dynamic pass-catching running back. Slide him into the McKinnon role and let’s go.