Three wide receivers the Kansas City Chiefs should target in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft

Even after signing Hollywood Brown to a $7 million deal in free agency and getting the perfect wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs offense with the needs they have, they can easily still take another wide receiver, or two, in the 2024 NFL Draft. They could even still take one with their first-round pick, which comes in at pick No. 32 this year rather than 31 last year.

Now, they very well could go with a wide receiver in the later rounds, and I actually think they won't draft a wide receiver with their first pick, but instead, an offensive tackle, which I have also broken down the three OTs the Chiefs should target in round one. In this case, there are three guys, and maybe more, who could be available in round one and take this offense to a whole other level.

This wide receiver class is deep, and with three wide receivers projected to go in the top six picks, there is still a ton of talent available at the back end of the first round that the Chiefs can get. Here are the three I think they should target, and if they are available, I should definitely consider drafting if they do go that direction on draft day:

Three wide receivers Chiefs should target in round 1

Ladd McConkey, Georgia

Destin Adams of A to Z Sports took McConkey in the second round in our most recent mock draft for the Chiefs. He could very well be there in round two, as he is one of the more difficult players to gauge teams' feelings. He has all the talent in the world and can be very good, so taking him in the first round wouldn't be a reach.

McConkey is A to Z Sports' 31st overall prospect on our big board and the sixth-ranked wide receiver. The Chiefs need a guy who can get open almost at will. They need a guy who converts third downs, has great separation, and can get to another gear with his speed, as that seems to fit the trend they like. McConkey ticks those boxes. However, he does have some weaknesses with those strengths. Here are both:

STRENGTHS

• Shifty & precise route runner at all levels of the field
• Uses physical hands & quick footwork to create leverage vs press
• Manipulates corners with head fakes & stuttering steps
• Minimal stall, sinking his hips & cutting off routes on the vertical plane
• Sharp hip-sink & sudden acceleration on stop-go routes
• Midpoints zone coverage defenders & runs routes at the proper depth
• Good speed to stack coverage early & extend separation
• Leans away from his break to influence CBs into early hip-turns
• Elusive after the catch, but minimal unnecessary dancing
• Gives consistent effort as a run-blocker

WEAKNESSES

• Below-average size/frame
• A small catch radius will cap his effectiveness in the middle of the field
• Only two career 100+ yard games
• Struggled to stay healthy at Georgia
• Steep dropoff in route efficiency if the CB is in phase
• He was mostly given free releases, so press experience is limited
• Will need to be protected from difficult blocking assignments
• Bigger CBs can interrupt his release if they land a punch

A.D. Mitchell, Texas

There is a huge chance this guy doesn't make it to pick No. 32, but that doesn't mean he won't fall for some odd reason or that the Chiefs won't trade up. On our big board, he is the fourth-ranked wide receiver and the 15th-ranked player in the draft. He is projected to go in the middle of the first round, but, as we know, the draft is crazy, and he could fall to 32, or the Chiefs could trade up.

Mitchell is that physical beast the Chiefs don't have. He is strong, fast, and has amazing hands. The Chiefs would be getting a wide receiver who is ready now and has so much potential. However, as we have said before, he still has some weaknesses with those strengths. Here are both:

STRENGTHS

• Size, speed, & fluidity that you can't teach
• Only one drop in 2023
• Has the body control & spatial awareness to make difficult sideline catches
• Adjusts route tempo & makes crisp horizontal breaks
• Takes purposeful steps to attack leverage & set up his break
• Glides between route phases. Footwork isn't segmented or choppy
• Smooth transition in & out of double moves
• Glides horizontally to evade press coverage
• Savvy hand usage at the stem/break

WEAKNESSES

• Mediocre production in college (1407 career yds)
• Inconsistent physicality on contested catches
• A lot of his big plays came off of double moves
• Faced mostly off coverage in the Big 12
• Needs an extra step to cut off vertical routes
• Doesn't break many tackles after the catch
• Takes routes off on the backside of the play

Keon Coleman, Florida State

When you talk about the best hands in the class, there aren't many who have better hands than Coleman does. If you look at the top 10 catches of the 2023-24 college football season, Coleman will likely have two on there. And he's physical, even when he's going up to get the ball.

A lot of fans think taking him at pick 32 would be a reach, but I'm not sure I feel that way. He is very good and is another guy who could play right now, and he can play multiple positions. A to Z Sports' Big Board has him as the 37th-ranked player in the class and the seventh-ranked wide receiver in an extremely deep class. He is projected to go in the middle of the second or in the easier picks of the second round. Here are some of his strengths and weaknesses:

STRENGTHS

• Dominant contested target with strong hands & excellent play strength
• Subtle hand usage at the catch point to disarm corners and keep himself clean
• Boxes out crashing DBs & secures the ball through contact
• One of the best run blocking receivers I've scouted
• Good instincts and vision as a ballcarrier
• Capable of winning vertically on double moves
• Can power through press coverage with physical hand usage & wipe moves
• Alpha play-style/demeanor

WEAKNESSES

• Very little separation on tape. Route breaks are rounded, clunky, & upright
• Average athletic traits. Slow starter with underwhelming top speed
• Not an advanced route runner. Telegraphs breaks & does little to set up defenders
• Needs extra steps to throttle down & stop his momentum
• Lacks agility & foot quickness to defeat press coverage
• Will struggle to separate consistently vs. NFL man coverage
• Contested targets were not an efficient play (10/30 in 2023)
• Lacks juice to avoid tackles & create after the catch

The Chiefs have some important decisions to make. If they do as well as they did last year, they could have two straight seasons with a rookie wide receiver who has 1,000 yards receiving.