Kansas City Chiefs 7-round 2024 NFL Mock Draft v3.0: Post-Free Agency edition

The first wave of 2024 NFL free agency is behind us, which means we're one step closer to the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25.

This is our third full 7-round mock draft for the Kansas City Chiefs, but it won't be the last. The Chiefs have agreed to trade CB L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans, but the trade has yet to be made official on the NFL's personnel notice. That means K.C. still carries the $19.8 million salary cap hit for Sneed, and can't yet make other moves in free agency. Those moves are surely coming once the deal is made official in the eyes of the NFL, and they'll likely change how we go about mock drafting.

To gauge player availability for this mock draft, multiple simulations were used. If players weren’t available at a specific pick with regularity, they were eliminated from contention at that spot. Typically, we see 8-12 players on the big board to choose from at a given pick, with more players available in the later rounds based on our custom 350-player big board.

The 2024 NFL draft order is officially set with compensatory picks being awarded. We did include the projected trade for Sneed in this mock draft, which includes a seventh-round pick swap in 2024. 

Without further delay, here’s a look at our mock draft version 3.0:

Round 1, Pick 32: Georgia OT Amarius Mims

If one of the premier tackle talents in the draft is to fall in the first round, Mims is the likeliest candidate because of lack of experience and injury concerns. He was available in just over 40% of our simulations at pick No. 32, while others like JC Latham, Joe Alt, and Olu Fashanu didn't make it to Kansas City with nearly as much frequency. Mims is currently viewed as a boom-or-bust prospect, but a team like Kansas City can certainly afford to take the swing. 

Mims was a one-year starter at Georgia mainly because he had Warren McClendon, Jamaree Salyer, and Broderick Jones ahead of him in 2021 and 2022. In turn, the 21-year-old only played 803 snaps during his career at Georgia, which is virtually half the total snaps of most other prospects he's competing against to be selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Then there are the injury concerns. Mims missed six games during the 2023 season due to ankle injuries, including one that required tightrope ankle surgery. 

Mims later suffered a hamstring injury while running the 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He was unable to complete his workout in Indy or compete at the typical Georgia Pro Day as a result. He's set to work out in front of NFL evaluators in mid-April, where he'll have a chance to redeem what has been a poor pre-draft process in terms of athletic testing thus far.

Now, that might seem like a whole lot of negative, but this is still a former five-star high school recruit we're talking about. He's listed at an impressive 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, and in his limited playtime, he has flashed some of the elite traits you look for in an NFL-caliber tackle. He has all the physical gifts you could ask for. He boasts impressive movement skills for his size, flattening any defenders in his way in the running game and the passing game. He has never allowed a sack in his college football career, and only seven career pressures at that.

For the Chiefs, they've got a safety net in second-year OT Wanya Morris where they don't need to feel pressured to get Mims on the field early. They can let him develop at whatever pace is necessary to ensure long-term success. 

Round 2, Pick 64: South Carolina WR Xavier Legette

Legette is a one-year wonder at South Carolina in 2023, with 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. His previous four seasons combined don't even get him close to that production. He's raw as a prospect at this position with an underdeveloped route tree. That could scare some teams away, but others could just believe that his best football is ahead of him.

It's easy to fall in love with the athletic profile. He ran a 4.39s 40-yard dash, jumping a 40-inch vertical and 126-inch broad jump at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds. If you told me he was made in a lab that creates football players, I'd believe you. That's the case when you turn on the tape as well. His playstyle reminds me a bit of former Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant at his peak.

As far as his fit in Kansas City is concerned, I think he can check a lot of boxes in the wide receiver room. Among wide receivers with at least 25 receptions in the 2024 NFL draft class, Legette ranks second in yards per route run against man coverage and sixth in yards per route run against zone coverage per PFF. Whether teams are trying to compensate for the Chiefs' weapons with zone, or attacking them head-on with man coverage, it feels as if Legette can be the perfect weapon. He also has practically 200 snaps in the slot and over 400 snaps out wide, bringing another element of versatility to the offense. 

Round 3, Pick 95: Texas RB Jonathon Brooks

A third-round running back out of the University of Texas who is listed at around 6-foot and 199 pounds? It worked out well for Kansas City with Jamaal Charles, but this selection does carry some risk for the Chiefs. 

Brooks suffered a torn ACL back in November when he was en route to a career season with the Longhorns. He had 1,139 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, in addition to 25 catches for 286 yards and a receiving touchdown. He's expected to make a full recovery and has the potential to be ready to return to the field by August, but it's hard to expect him to be 100% for the 2024 NFL season. Teams would be wise to ease him into action rather than rush him back out there. 

While this pick does carry some risk, there is plenty of upside should Brooks return to form. He's one of the most talented all-around backs in this class, making an impact in every facet of the game. The only reason he wasn't more productive at UT early on in his career is that he had to wait his turn behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson.

An area in which he could excel with the Chiefs should they select him? Brooks didn't allow a single pressure in pass protection in 2023. Should that continue in the NFL, it will make him a valuable asset to Patrick Mahomes and the passing offense in Kansas City.

Round 4, Pick 131: Boston College CB Elijah Jones

Kansas City found L'Jarius Sneed in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft, why not seek out another cornerback there in 2024? Jones is currently regarded as one of the more slept-on boundary cornerback prospects in this draft class. At 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds, he's sticky in man coverage and has a nose for the football with five interceptions in just nine games last season. With 55 career games played for the Eagles, Jones is one of the older prospects in this class at 24 years old. 

The Chiefs have spent time with Jones during the pre-draft process, which is necessary given the fact he was benched by Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley in November for undisclosed non-injury-related reasons. I'm told K.C. met with him multiple times at the Senior Bowl and had a formal with him at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indy. 

Round 5, Pick 159: Michigan EDGE Braiden McGregor

If the Chiefs bring back Mike Danna, who remains a free agent, I might pivot at this pick. Right now, McGregor feels like a natural replacement option for Danna. Part of that is because he's also a Michigan Wolverine, but the other part is because he fits the Steve Spagnuolo prototype at edge rusher. 

McGregor is listed at 6-foot-5 and nearly 260 pounds, boasting length and power as trademarks of his game. He spent four years at Michigan and appeared in 33 games. He put together his best season in 2023, with career highs in total tackles (26), tackles for loss (9.0), and sacks (4.5). Of course, he became a National Champion to cap off his college football career. If McGregor is still around in Round 5, I wouldn't put it past Brett Veach to be interested. 

Round 5, Pick 173: Penn State OL Hunter Nourzad

Finding a versatile interior offensive lineman is one of the most underrated needs for Kansas City in this draft class. Nourzad has multi-position versatility on the offensive interior at the next level. He has started at all five offensive line positions during his career, but at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, he's best suited for an interior offensive line spot in the league.