How Chiefs Can Navigate Offseason With Boosted Draft Capital

As much as Chiefs' fans want Kansas City to trade up into the top five and draft Jeremiyah Love or one of the top pass rushers, that should not be the approach. Instead, Kansas City should stick with the No. 9 pick and select whoever they feel is the best prospect available at one of the positions of need.

Now, if the Chiefs want to trade up from No. 29 to move up the board and go after a player that has slipped to an advantageous spot, that makes a lot more sense. In fact, Kansas City was in this exact position when it traded up and took, ironically,

Trent McDuffie in 2022. In that trade, the Chiefs sent picks 29, 94, and 121 for the 21st-overall pick. Kansas City leapfrogged the Buffalo Bills, who were also in need of a cornerback.

For example, the Los Angeles Chargers, who own the No. 22 pick, and the Chicago Bears, who own the No. 25 pick, each need to address the interior of their defensive lines, which is also a positional group the Chiefs should consider strengthening.

With the additional first-round pick and the plethora of mid-round picks, Kansas City could propose an intriguing package for a team selecting in the late teens or early 20s and potentially select defensive tackle Peter Woods or another player that has slipped into a bargain range.

Stay Patient

There is also a scenario where the Chiefs allow the board to unfold organically, and instead of prioritizing quality, they aim for quantity, addressing multiple areas of the roster, especially in the early rounds.

If Kansas City goes that route, staying with picks 9, 29, and 40, I would expect General Manager Brett Veach to be much more aggressive with the three fifth-round picks at his disposal and move back into the third or fourth round.