Chiefs rumors: Shocking draft decision not out of the question

ESPN NFL Draft expert Jordan Reid can see the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, making a big move in the first round on Apr. 27.

The Kansas City Chiefs are once again standing on the NFL mountaintop, as they won their second Super Bowl title in the past four years.

The Chiefs will be in contention for the Super Bowl every year as long as quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains healthy. Given that, and his contract, the Chiefs can make additions via the NFL Draft, and recent history has shown that they are good at finding difference-makers.

But, what could the Chiefs have in store at the 2023 NFL Draft, which just so happens to be taking place in Kansas City.

In a recent ESPN+ article highlighting 2023 NFL Draft buzz and rumors (subscription required), one question that was asked was “which teams are you hearing could trade up in Round 1?”

Expert Jordan Reid said that the Chiefs could be one of those teams that explores moving up.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid can see Chiefs trading up in first round of 2023 NFL Draft

“We saw them trade up for cornerback Trent McDuffie last year (No. 29 to No. 21) and I could see general manager Brett Veach moving up again this year. With 10 draft picks and a roster that doesn’t have many open slots, it makes sense if the team sees an opportunity to land an impact player,” writes Reid. “Kansas City has holes at offensive tackle and edge rusher, two positions that are plentiful in the first round. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Chiefs move up from No. 31 into the early 20s for a top-tier prospect at one of those spots.”

As Reid mentions, the Chiefs did this last year, when they saw Trent McDuffie, who was one of the top cornerback prospects behind Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr., fall down into the 20s. They moved up eight spots to select him. That moved paid off well for the team, as he is now slotted in as their starting corner for the foreseeable future.

Who could the Chiefs target? Well, Reid does bring up offensive tackle and edge rusher, as the team watched Orlando Brown Jr. sign with the Cincinnati Bengals, and they released Frank Clark. While the team did sign Jawaan Taylor to replace Brown, there are multiple offensive tackles who could be available in the middle of the first round. As for edge rusher, a player like Lukas Van Ness, Myles Murphy, or Nolan Smith could slip into trade range for Kansas City.

One can only imagine if the reactions from Chiefs fans in attendance at the 2023 NFL Draft when hearing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announcing that their favorite team and the defending Super Bowl champions traded up to get a difference-making player.