Check out the career arc right now of BoPete Keyes. Literally just saw this on Wikipedia:


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So here's the deal for me.

I think there's an interesting debate to be had about grading players relative to where they were drafted compared to just evaluating how good they've been for you.

Like, our draft went:

1. Clyde
2. Gay
3. Niang
4. Sneed
5. Danna
7. Keyes
With Wharton, Durant and Townsend tacked on.

But what if the Chiefs did this instead, for some reason:

1. Sneed
2. Gay
3. Danna
4. Wharton
5. Clyde
7. Townsend
With Niang, Durant and Keyes tacked on.

Does that change how you might evaluate the draft class?
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CEH - F
Gay - B
Niang - F
Sneed - A+
Danna - B

CEH was pretty bad value at the time but it's only gotten worse over his career. Not sure what happened with him but it's looking like he succeeded because of the talent around him at LSU and not because of his own.

Gay is a B because of the missed games.

Niang was fucked from day one but I saw the value in drafting him where they did. It would have been nice if he worked out.

Sneed needs no explanation.

Danna took a little while to come on but he's turned into a damn good rotational DE and gets a B based strictly off value.

Getting Wharton and Townsend as UDFAs was amazing value and although Wharton isn't a starter, he's great depth at DT. Fuck ever drafting kickers or punters.
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It's a solid B.

Whiffing on the first rounder for a RB just sucks big pecker
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Pretty solid IMO
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I'm going to grade total draft resources used

1.32. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU

F : You never take a damned RB in the first round. Never. The WRs and DBs that went over the course of the next 20 picks makes you cringe even more. The fact that Clyde has been average-at-best is grounds for an F.

2.63. [acquired from the 49ers for DE Dee Ford in 2019] LB Willie Gay, Mississippi State

B : Gay has developed a bit slowly but he's become a solid, average starting LB. If you look at what else was available thereafter, I think Veach did an okay job. There were some really good players that went at DB, DT, and OG over the next 15-20 picks as well but I'm not going to knock Veach too hard on it.

2.64. Traded to the Seahawks for DE Frank Clark.

B : Hanging onto Frank too long with diminishing returns factors into this grade, certainly. So does overpaying somewhat. What also factors in though is what was available at the time and the impact Clark had right away. You look over the draft and sans trading up for Sweat, this was the best move Veach could have made for a DE in 2019. Clark was a catalyst in KC winning the SB as well that year.

3.96. OT Lucas Niang, TCU

C- : When Niang has been on the field he's been solid, but he can't stay healthy, which signficantly hurts his grade. That said, it's hard to really knock the pick a ton when you look at the next bunch of picks and there's nothing there either.

4.138. CB/S L'Jarius Sneed, Louisiana Tech

A : You look at how good Sneed is as a nickle CB, and I'd argue best in the NFL, then you look at the rest of this draft and realize just how much of a needle in the proverbial haystack he was. A superb pick.

5.177. DE Mike Danna, Michigan

A : Danna is a very solid pick for late in the draft as a rotational player. There aren't many that make it in the leauge at this point. The one player I point to is Donovan Peoples-Jones as a great pick but the draft was pretty baron at this point.

6.211. Traded to the Jets for LB Darron Lee.

A : Trading a late pick for a current player is always a solid investment to me. You very rarely hit on a late picks. Lee had shown to be a capable starter but better as a reserve, and that's easily worth a 6th. He spent his one year here as a quality reserve and good special teamer, so I'm quite okay with that.

7.237. [Chiefs trade a 2021 6th round pick to the Titans to move up for this pick.] CB BoPete Keyes, Tulane

C : Veach definitely went up for the wrong corner (see Dane Jackson). Keyes was solid on special teams for half of a year. If you're making the pick and not trading it, you do hope you can latch onto a special teams guy for a few years. This late in the draft though, you're lucky if a guy makes the team. I have a hard time grading this one so I'm going middle of the road.

7.246. Traded to the Dolphins for S Jordan Lucas.

A : See what I said about Lee. Lucas also had 4 starts where he played well and was a good reserve and special teamer. He played one more year spending all his time on special teams. Easily worth a late 7th.

My overall GPA comes out to 2.85, good for a B-. I'd say that's relatively accurate in my eyes. A home run in the first would have driven that to a B+ and another in the 3rd would have been an A-.

The overall grade on the picks made alone is 2.44, good for a C+. An A in the first would have driven it to a B.
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Draft goes from a B+ to a C, solely for the CEH pick. You can absolutely draft an RB 1st rd but whoever endorses a slow runt of an RB at that pick should be kicked out of the draft room.

Me personally I would have liked to pair a young edge with our acquisition of Frank Clark, but looking back that class wasn't that great
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Nice breakdown, Crow.

I may quibble a little here and there, but I was thinking the same thing; B- to B. I couldn't settle on where I landed so I decided to read the thread and saw you essentially got to the same place.

It was a good draft. It's disappointing they fumbled away the 1st rounder that had a chance to make it a GREAT one, but it is what it is. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. If this is the sort of class that becomes normal for KC, we'll win a hell of a lot of games.
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Mike Danna had 35 pressures and 5 sacks in 13 games. That’s 2.6 avg pressures a game.

Boy was Clyde a bust, but picks like Danna sure offset that with a hell of a value.
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if it weren't for the complete bust at the end of the 1st round with 2 all pro's drafted shortly after. This would be an A. But Gay, Sneed and even Danna who's starting to play well gives it a solid B. The trade for Clark helped us win a Superbowl because he was clutch during that playoff run so it's a solid B. Which isn't bad, actually pretty good.
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It's a good, strong B.

Looking at in hindsight, I don't think the move to attack RB was NECESSARILY a bust.

Jonathan Taylor obviously would have been a home run, but even taking DeAndre Swift instead of Clyde Edwards-Helaire would make that look a lot different.
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4 or 5 contributors despite some big misses still a really good draft ill give it a B+
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Meh. I think it was a Class-A bout with stupidity on Veach's part.

Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman were ripe for the taking with an obvious need to fix the X where Sammy was a misfire and they take an undersized RB with no speed. Complete WTF of a pick then and now.

Even if they don't completely whiff in that regard, they should have at least tried to add a DE and gone with Yetur Gross-Matos. That pick would still look like relative shit, in all likelihood, but RB is absolutely not what they should have done.

And if you are going to pin your hopes on a RB in 1 then you better be going for the prime RB in the draft and that was undoubtedly Jonathan Taylor both then and now.
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Outside of Niang(who the door isn't shut on yet) every single draft slot was a hit.

Draft Yatur Gross-Matos at 32 and Clyde at Niang's spot and this is a legendary draft
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