Tyson at 9 Makes No Sense for Chiefs in This Scenario

A few days later, Schrager’s first of two mock drafts has Veach taking Jordyn Tyson with the No. 9-overall pick. It’s significant because Schrager has a penchant for accurate predictions.

Before the 2019 season, he predicted the Chiefs would win their first Super in 50 years, then had the Buccaneers winning the next year. He also correctly picked the Rams ahead of the 2021 campaign and Kansas City as a repeat winner in 2022 and ’23.

The scenario is key

But Schrager isn’t perfect, and Tyson to the Chiefs at 9 doesn’t seem like the wisest move for Veach & Co. Not because of Tyson’s injury history but because of the scenario Schrager laid out.

In Schrager’s mock, the best three edge rushers are gone – David Bailey, Arvell Reese and Rueben Bain – in the top eight selections. In that scenario, any of the top defensive backs, tight ends or wide receivers would be available to the Chiefs.

“Might be the most polarizing prospect in this draft,” Schrager said Tuesday morning on Get Up. “Can go anywhere in the top 10 and can also go in the 20s. That is how different opinions are on Jordyn Tyson.”

That’s also why the Chiefs would be better served in that situation to trade back and acquire more draft capital rather than simply take Tyson. If every edge rusher is gone and another team is truly in love with Tyson, Carnell Tate or Makai Lemon, they’d be on the phone with Veach to ensure another team doesn’t get the player they love.

Rather than take wideout with injury history, trade back to hedge bet

Schrager’s Kansas City selection makes no sense because, even if the Chiefs love Tyson, he’s so polarizing that the odds are good they can still get him a few picks later -- and pick up additional capital. Cincinnati won’t take a wide receiver at No. 10. Miami or Dallas could take one at 11 and 12, respectively. But moving back is the best move in that situation – and the Chiefs figure to still get one of those three wideouts.

Tyson, called the draft’s most explosive wide receiver but also nagged by a hamstring issue that forced him to schedule a private workout for teams only six days before the draft, is the epitome of high-risk, high-reward.

The Chiefs could use that to their advantage, assuming at least one team is in love with Tyson and willing to take the risk. That additional draft capital would benefit Kansas City in a trade and the Chiefs could still get a first-round wide receiver, if that’s the direction they go.

Plus, remember that only one NFL wide receiver taken in the top 10 during the Patrick Mahomes era has earned All-Pro honors. Ja’Marr Chase is the only one. History tells the Chiefs to draft a wide receiver outside the top 10.