With the 2024 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, teams are mostly set with the rosters they'll have as they enter training camp to prepare for the NFL season. Some teams will see immediate production from their rookie class, and some may not have found the impact players they hoped to be selecting. For the Kansas City Chiefs, a back-to-back championship roster has now added a first-round speedster, a second-round potential solution at left tackle, and several Day 3 draftees who could see the field in a variety of roles. Looking ahead to the year to come, the Chiefs hold their rightful spot at the top of post-draft power rankings.
Conor Orr of SI.com delivered his post-draft power rankings on Wednesday, starting with the Chiefs at No. 1.
"It’s funny how the conversation has shifted from the Chiefs staving off some kind of decline to a sort of inevitability that they will reach a third consecutive Super Bowl," Orr wrote. "Despite picking late each year, general manager Brett Veach has done a great job of finding quality starters, be it DE George Karlaftis from a few years back, or WR Xavier Worthy this year. The Chiefs have now sidled up next to the Miami Dolphins in terms of best linear speed wide receiver tandems in the NFL. And OT Kingsley Suamataia could most certainly develop into a quality starter with time and seasoning."
Alongside Suamataia, the Chiefs have at least one contingency plan at left tackle, with 2023 third-round pick Wanya Morris entering his second year with a handful of games of experience under his belt while last year's starter, veteran left tackle Donovan Smith, remains a free agent.
To Orr's point, the Chiefs' 2022 draft class could have a stunning number of contributors in 2024. Cornerback Trent McDuffie, Karlaftis, safety Bryan Cook, linebacker Leo Chenal, cornerbacks Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson and defensive back Nazeeh Johnson could all see significant work on the defensive side of the ball alone. McDuffie, Karlaftis, Cook, Chenal and either Williams or Watson project as likely 2024 starters in base packages, with the other CB likely being an often-used CB3.
KC's 2023 draft class isn't looking quite as fruitful as the remarkable 2022 haul, but the Chiefs' drafts have produced a mix of roleplayers, starters, and budding superstars during the majority of Veach's tenure. From the early evaluations, it looks like the 2024 class should be no exception.
1 (28): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
2 (63): Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
4 (131): Jared Wiley, TE, TCU
4 (133): Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
5 (159): Hunter Nourzad, C, Penn State
6 (211): Kamal Hadden, CB, Tennessee
7 (248): C.J. Hanson, G, Holy Cross
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