Chiefs' 2023 draft disaster looks even worse with FAU injury update

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is owed a lot of credit for the roster he has built (and rebuilt more than once) in his tenure. The Chiefs have remained at or near the top of the NFL mountain all while watching star players like Tyreek Hill, Tyrann Mathieu, L'Jarius Sneed, and other solid contributors to multiple Super Bowl-winning teams hit the door.

There are always questions from the fan base and media at large when these things happen, but somehow Veach and the Chiefs keep ringing the bell and providing answers.

Veach can certainly hang his hat on evaluating talent. After all, he was the one who spotted Patrick Mahomes while scouting an offensive tackle from Texas Tech and told Andy Reid, "This is our next quarterback." Well done on all fronts there, indeed.

FAU was placed on IR, and that reminds us all of how poorly the 2023 Draft class has panned out for the Chiefs.

Veach's 2022 draft class is also one that truly forged the future of what the Chiefs will look like in Act III of the current dynasty, particularly on the defensive side of the ball with George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie. But if 2022 was Veach's breakout draft performance, 2023 can certainly be considered his sophomore slump.

With 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah being placed on injured reserve on Monday, the Chiefs are left with three players from the 2023 class on their active roster at the moment.

While Rashee Rice has certainly forged his way as a primetime player on the Chiefs roster as Patrick Mahomes' top receiving target when healthy, he also has some baggage off the field that the team will have to pay for at some point this season in the form of an inevitable suspension.

Chamarri Conner has had moments at safety but has also been exposed at times. Wanya Morris is the third, and to say that he has looked outclassed when he has hit the field for Kansas City would be an understatement.

There are some extenuating circumstances that are out of everyone's control when it comes to classifying the 2023 class as a bit of a letdown thus far, with B.J. Thompson's situation being the key. Could Veach, or Thompson, for that matter, have known that he would face the medical emergency that he did in 2024? The answer is no. There's no logical explanation that could lend itself to the Chiefs knowing that something like that could happen. That's a bad draw.

Thompson is one thing. Keondre Coburn and Nic Jones are another. Coburn, the Chiefs’ sixth-round pick in 2023, is on his fifth team (roster and practice squad combined) in three seasons, and Nic Jones is currently with the rebuilding New York Giants after being waived by the Chiefs.

This is not to say that all sixth- and seventh-round picks pan out for every NFL team, but when you're comparing this class to 2022, we're not even on the same planet. The book is yet to be written on the 2024 class—tough to judge guys coming into their second year. At least they're all still on the roster, which in comparison to 2023 seems like a crowning achievement.

When you break things down like I have below (grouping into "Day 3 Picks" for 2022, 2023, and 2024), there is a pretty obvious weakness in the three:

• 2022: Joshua Williams, Darian Kinnard, Jaylen Watson, Isiah Pacheco, Nazeeh Johnson
• 2023: Chamarri Conner, BJ Thompson, Keondre Coburn, Nic Jones
• 2024: Hunter Nourzad, Kamal Hadden, C.J. Hanson

FAU and Wanya are trending toward bust status, but there is always Rashee to keep this draft class somewhat relevant. Whatever Chamarri Conner can develop into only helps the class's case. But all in all, this one is looking like it might go down as a wash when all is said and done.

The saddest part? This was the draft hosted in Kansas City, the first round coincidentally being held the night that my son was born. You would think that a home-cooked draft would offer up a more delectable outcome than it did. Instead, the draft came to Kansas City and opted to order a McRib rather than indulge in some of the city's finest barbecue fare.