There are just 12 days to go until the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
This is our third full 7-round mock draft on Chiefs Wire for 2023 (find 1.0 here and 2.0 here). We’ll be sharing different mock drafts with varying themes into late April. The theme of this mock draft was to avoid the thing that Brett Veach loves most — trades. We traded up in 1.0 and traded down in 2.0. Now, we’re seeing what things could look like if Veach simply stands pat.
In order to gauge player availability for the mock draft, I ran multiple simulations on three different simulators. If players weren’t available with regularity, they were eliminated from contention at a specific pick. Typically, that gives us 8-10 players on the big board to choose from at a given pick.
The Chiefs still have a few roster spots to fill. A friend of the site, KCSN’s Kristian Gumminger, believes that the team has seven open spots on the 53-man roster to fill through the draft, undrafted free agency and otherwise. They certainly have more spots to fill on the 90-man offseason roster, even after the recent additions of Richie James and Justin Watson.
Without further delay, here’s a look at our mock draft version 3.0:
Round 1, Pick 31: Kansas State EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
This Kansas City native has become a popular pick for the Chiefs at the end of the first round. He tends to be selected in the 25-40 range in most mock draft simulations and was available at pick No. 31 on five separate occasions.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds with 33.5-inch arms, he’s on the smaller end of Steve Spagnuolo’s thresholds. That said, his age (21), athletic profile and production could make for an exception. He earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022 and was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Anudike-Uzomah was super productive at Kansas State, racking up 19.5 sacks, 88 total pressures and eight forced fumbles in 27 games over the past two seasons. He has a really impressive get-off and a well-developed plan when rushing the passer. He also has multiple pass-rush moves and counters at his disposal that he uses effectively.
It’s hard to go wrong with this prospect and pairing him with George Karlaftis could solidify the Chiefs’ edge rushers for a very long time.
Round 2, Pick 63: Texas A&M DB Antonio Johnson
Surprise! The Chiefs taking a defensive back this early in the draft is probably not a move that many would expect, but depending on how things shake out with Justin Reid in 2023, they could have a need here. Given the frequency in which Johnson was available at this pick, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Versatility is the name of the game for Johnson. He can play both traditional safety roles, but he can also play slot corner and linebacker in certain sub-packages. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could line up on the perimeter and play cornerback too. He certainly has the size at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds.
Johnson has a great downhill trigger and always seems to be making plays in opponents’ backfields. Steve Spagnuolo will love using him on blitzes, whether off the edge or lined up over the interior offensive line. Let’s not discount his coverage ability either. Johnson has a great feel for zone coverage with seven passes defended and an interception over his three seasons at Texas A&M.
Round 3, Pick 95: Ole Miss WR Jonathan Mingo
Mingo has been receiving some hype as a second-round prospect lately, but he’s currently hovering in the 90s on the consensus big board. As a result, he was available at pick No. 95 on six different mock draft simulations.
If the Chiefs are looking to replace a lot of what JuJu Smith-Schuster brought to the team, there might not be a better prospect in this class than Mingo. He’s got a solid build with a 6-foot-2 and 220-pound frame and he’s a heck of an athlete for that size. He ran a 4.4s 40-yard dash and jumped out of the building with a 39.5-inch vertical.
Mingo isn’t afraid to get after it in the run game as a blocker, which will get the attention of Andy Reid. He’s got great physicality and play strength to make those tough catches across the middle of the field and fight for extra yards. He also seems to have some untapped potential as a deep threat. The big question with this prospect is his lack of production. His best season came in 2022 with 51 receptions for 861 yards and five touchdowns. He never had more than 27 receptions in each of his three seasons prior.
Round 4, Pick 122 (via MIA for Tyreek Hill): Utah OT Braeden Daniels
Daniels (6-foot-4, 297 pounds) is one of the elite athletes at the offensive tackle position in this draft class. He plays with an edge and really gets after defenders in both the run game and the passing game. He has some versatility to his game, playing both left tackle and left guard over the past two seasons. In 966 snaps at left tackle for Utah last season, Daniels didn’t allow a single sack and only 15 pressures on the year according to PFF.
Round 4, Pick 134: Penn State TE Brenton Strange
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 254 pounds, the first thing that stands out about Strange is his willingness to get after it in the blocking game. Run-blocking or pass-blocking, he’s looking to exert his will on an opponent. As a receiver, he’s shown some YAC ability and has proven to be a threat in the red zone. Strange might be a little overly reliant on his physicality and ability to gain extra yards by fighting through contact. It’ll serve him well at the next level to become a more nuanced route runner and put in the work to avoid contact.
Round 5, Pick 166: Michigan State DT Jacob Slade
Kansas City needs to beef up their defensive tackle room, but I think they can wait until Day 3 to do it. Slade (6-4, 315 pounds) had one of the highest run-stop rates in the country in 2021 (11.7%), but it dipped a bit over the course of the last season. That’s in part to playing in fewer games (8 compared to 13). Slade lives in the B-Gap and is physically imposing, even against double teams. He’s the type of player who can spell Derrick Nnadi and help free Chris Jones to wreak havoc.
Round 6, Pick 178 (From CHI via MIA for Tyreek Hill): East Carolina RB Keaton Mitchell
Mitchell is one of the most explosive running backs in the 2023 NFL draft class. He led the entire FBS last season with 29 runs of 15+ yards, showing breakaway speed and homerun ability. He’s only 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, which is one of the reasons I expect he’ll be available at this spot. It didn’t seem to stop him from putting up over 3,000 total yards and 25 total touchdowns over the past two seasons with the Pirates.
Round 6, Pick 217 (Compensatory Pick): Arkansas WR Jadon Haselwood
Haselwood was the No. 1 receiver recruit in the 2019 class and ended up at the University of Oklahoma. In three years there, he caught 62 passes for 736 yards and seven touchdowns. He transferred to Arkansas in 2022, where he led the Razorbacks with 52 receptions for 703 receiving yards and three scores opposite fellow draft-eligible wideout Matt Landers. Haselwood isn’t the most athletic receiver in this class, but he’s tough as nails and knows how to use his 6-foot-3 and 215-pound frame.
Round 7, Pick 249: Chattanooga OG McClendon Curtis
Curtis (6-6, 324 pounds) has the makings of a multi-positional swing offensive lineman. He has the arm length (35 inches) and size to play tackle or either interior guard spot. He dominated the competition in the FCS and graded out as one of the best offensive linemen in the nation over the past three years. He shows excellent physicality and nastiness in the trenches, which is everything you want to see from your offensive linemen. He plays with his head on a swivel and always seems to be looking for work and to plant a defender on the ground.
Round 7, Pick 250 (Compensatory Pick): Houston FB/EDGE Derek Parish
Parish mostly played edge rusher for Houston, but his path in the NFL might be playing the fullback position given his 6-foot and 241-pound size. Simply put, Parish is a football player who could probably play a number of different roles on your team. He’ll be a multi-phase special teamer, a fullback, a slot receiver, a situational pass-rusher and he probably could do those quarterback sneaks that Patrick Mahomes is allergic to after his mishap in 2019.
