We’re just a few days away from the 2023 NFL draft.
Brett Veach has positioned the Kansas City Chiefs to add several talented players throughout all seven rounds. As we have for the past six seasons at Chiefs Wire, our staff members are dueling it out with their final mock draft projections.
Below you’ll find mock drafts from Charles Goldman, Wesley Roesch, John Dillon and Nick Roesch, along with some thoughts on why their mock draft makes the most sense for Kansas City.
Be sure to let us know which mock draft is your favorite:
Wesley Roesch:
| Pick | Player |
| Round 1, Pick 31 | Ohio State OT Dawand Jones |
| Round 2, Pick 63 | Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman |
| Round 3, Pick 95 | Louisville EDGE YaYa Diaby |
| Round 4, Pick 122 | TCU EDGE Dylan Horton |
| Round 4, Pick 134 | Texas DT Keondre Coburn |
| Round 5, Pick 166 | Kansas State RB Deuce Vaughn |
| Round 6, Pick 178 | South Alabama CB Darrell Luter Jr. |
| Round 6, Pick 217 | North Dakota State RB/FB Hunter Luepke |
| Round 7, Pick 249 | UCLA OG Atonio Mafi |
| Round 7, Pick 250 | TCU WR Derius Davis |
It’s tough to mock the Chiefs because, as a Super Bowl-winning team, they could go anywhere at any time. Sure, they have a few needs but general manager Brett Veach doesn’t always prioritize “need” from pick to pick. That said, I think the team does cover most of its needs in this draft, although I’m skeptical that they’ll end up using all 10 picks.
The Chiefs could likely trade up in the first round to pick up one of their “guys,” but I’m not sure who that’d be so I decided to stay put and take Jones with the first pick. It seems likely that Jones will still be there at pick No. 31 which is good because he’d be great for the right tackle-needy Chiefs. Jones has awesome size and strength and could win the starting right tackle job on day one.
Tillman is my preferred pick for K.C. in round two — he’s actually my favorite receiver in this class in regard to the Chiefs’ need for a big-bodied receiver. He’d be a wonderful replacement for JuJu Smith-Schuster, and unlike Skyy Moore, I think he could contribute early in the season.
I double-dipped at edge rusher with Diaby and Horton — two prospects who would be good fits in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense given their size and length. Neither would start right away but could contribute as depth pieces as they develop. Keondre Coburn in round four is one of my favorite picks — I actually think he could start day one or at least contribute as a two-down run-stopper.
I also double-dipped at running back which seems strange on the surface, but there’s a method to the madness. Vaughn would be an awesome addition to the Chiefs’ offense as a pass catcher and someone who can make plays in space — sort of a Jerick McKinnon replacement (minus the hit-stick blocking, unfortunately). Luepke in round six is another one of my favorite picks — with Michael Burton gone, Luepke could serve as the team’s new fullback and a short-yardage running back who can plow through defenders.
Luter is a long cornerback who could be an interesting prospect and day-one special teams contributor. Mafi is a mauler who I’d love for the Chiefs to take a late-round flier on. And finally, Davis is a speedy receiver who’d actually work best as a return specialist for K.C. — he earned six total return touchdowns in college and averaged 15 yards per punt return.
You may have noticed that I left tight end out of my mock. I actually think the Chiefs could take a tight end, but I don’t think it’s as much of a need as people think. Sure, this year’s tight end class is good, but it’s more top-heavy and the Chiefs don’t really need to spend significant resources on the position. Travis Kelce is still the league’s best and the rest of the Chiefs’ TE room is deep enough to get through another year.
Nick Roesch:
| Pick | Player |
| Round 1, Pick 31 | Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison |
| Round 2, Pick 63 | Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman |
| Round 3, Pick 95 | Missouri EDGE Isaiah McGuire |
| Round 4, Pick 122 | South Carolina DT Zaach Pickens |
| Round 4, Pick 134 | Illinois RB Chase Brown |
| Round 5, Pick 166 | Purdue CB Cory Trice Jr. |
| Round 6, Pick 178 | Cincinnati TE Josh Whyle |
| Round 6, Pick 217 | Ferris State EDGE Caleb Murphy |
| Round 7, Pick 249 | Louisville OG Caleb Chandler |
| Round 7, Pick 250 | Virginia WR Keytaon Thompson |
I’ve done a lot of mock drafts in the last couple of months and this one is by far my favorite. I believe my first five picks could be legitimate contributors as rookies. Harrison would immediately plugin as the Chiefs’ starting right tackle and could have an outside shot at being their left tackle if Jawaan Taylor disappoints.
Tillman would be a great value at No. 63, and I wouldn’t mind if the Chiefs had to move up a little bit to grab him. The Chiefs need a big, physical receiver who can make contested catches, block well and break tackles. At 23 years old and with four years of college ball under his belt, Tillman is better equipped to pick up Andy Reid’s offense than a typical rookie.
McGuire is someone I have really come to like for the Chiefs over the last few weeks. He has the prototypical size for a Steve Spagnuolo DE and his measurables are among the best of all EDGE guys in this draft. This past season in a matchup against Georgia he dominated first-round projected OT Broderick Jones.
Staying in the trenches, Pickens is a guy I feel is flying under the radar and could push to start opposite Chris Jones. Pickens is a brick wall against the run, and he had some impressive pass-rushing displays during Senior Bowl week.
Back on the offensive side of the ball, Brown and Whyle could also make impacts as rookies, especially Brown. He reminds me a bit of Isiah Pacheco as he’s a downhill, one-cut runner who can also make plays as a receiver, maybe even more so than Pacheco.
Whyle will have a tougher time finding playing time with so many veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, but he’s a smooth route runner who would really benefit from Andy Reid’s schematics.
The Chiefs hit a home run drafting cornerbacks last year, and Trice Jr. could continue that trend. He has great size and would be a natural fit in Spagnuolo’s press-man coverages. With L’Jarius Sneed’s future up in the air after 2023, the Chiefs need CB depth.
Rounding out my mock draft are project players Murphy, Chandler and Thompson. Murphy was insanely productive in Division II for Ferris State and plays with a high motor. Chandler is an athletic interior offensive lineman who is versatile, and Thompson is a Swiss army knife receiver who is dangerous with the ball in his hands and could contribute on special teams.
Closing out on a side note, I would support the Chiefs trading up in the first round to grab a playmaker. The Chiefs are still a Super Bowl contender and don’t have many holes to fill, so they definitely don’t need 10 draft picks. I also remain intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins, whom the Chiefs have had reported interest in.
John Dillon:
| Pick | Player |
| Round 1, Pick 31 | Pittsburgh DL Calijah Kancey |
| Round 2, Pick 63 | Houston WR Nathaniel “Tank” Dell |
| Round 3, Pick 95 | FSU DB Jammie Robinson |
| Round 4, Pick 122 | BYU OT Blake Freeland |
| Round 4, Pick 134 | UAB RB DeWayne McBride |
| Round 5, Pick 166 | Bowling Green DL Karl Brooks |
| Round 6, Pick 178 | NDSU FB Hunter Luepke |
| Round 6, Pick 217 | BYU WR Puka Nacua |
| Round 7, Pick 249 | Georgia QB Stetson Bennett |
| Round 7, Pick 250 | Oregon IOL Alex Forsyth |
I went bold with this mock in the hopes that one of these players in the first three picks would fall into the Chiefs’ hands without the need to trade up, but won’t be surprised if the team gets leap-frogged by teams with more draft capital.
Kancey falling to Kansas City at the end of the first round would be a best-case scenario for a team that needs to do everything it can to mitigate the defensive attrition they suffered in free agency. The choice of Dell in the second was driven by the team’s need to replace Mecole Hardman, though they don’t necessarily have to look at a receiver in the first two days of the draft given their depth at the position.
Robinson would give the Chiefs another Swiss army knife in the secondary a la L’Jarius Sneed and add to their stockpile of defensive weapons. The tackle Freeland likely won’t be around as late as I picked him, but if bold is the theme here I’m hedging my bets on Andy Reid pounding the table for a BYU product at a position of need. The same goes for Nacua in the sixth.
McBride, Brooks, and Leupke were all production picks for me. They stood out in 2023 as stars on small school teams and could be gritty additions for the Chiefs on both sides of the ball, though these would be luxury picks that value upside over need on day three.
Kansas City rounds out its board with a national-champion quarterback and a versatile offensive lineman who might be able to carve a niche for himself on the Chiefs’ offensive front. Bennett’s selection has shades of the team’s decision to take Aaron Murray in 2014, and Forsyth played at the same school as former Chiefs lineman Geoff Schwartz.
Charles Goldman:
| Pick | Player |
| Round 1, Pick 31 | TCU WR Quentin Johnston |
| Round 2, Pick 63 | Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton |
| Round 3, Pick 95 | Louisville EDGE YaYa Diaby |
| Round 4, Pick 122 | Old Dominion OT Nick Saldiveri |
| Round 4, Pick 134 | Minnesota CB Terell Smith |
| Round 5, Pick 166 | San Jose State EDGE Viliami Fehoko |
| Round 6, Pick 178 | NDSU FB Hunter Luepke |
| Round 6, Pick 217 | Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. |
| Round 7, Pick 249 | Pitt LB SirVocea Dennis |
| Round 7, Pick 250 | Arizona State DT Nesta Jade Silvera |
If one of the top receivers were available at pick No. 31, the Chiefs would pull the trigger. Johnston can be that tall, long “X” receiver the team has been lacking and really solidify their WR corps.
I opted for an infusion of defensive line help in the middle rounds. Benton can play a true head-up nose tackle, but he also has pass-rush upside. Diaby has really crazy burst for a player listed at 263 pounds, adding some juice to the edge-rushing unit.
If the Chiefs wait on the offensive tackle position, I hope they go after Saldiveri at the start of Day 3 (if he lasts that long). He has the potential to turn into a starting tackle in the league in short order given his athleticism.
Getting back to the defense with the next two picks, I add a cornerback in Smith and another edge rusher in Fehoko. Smith is a bit of a luxury pick, but I feel like the depth of this class is going to push down some seriously good cornerbacks. Fehoko is another edge rusher who shows impressive burst and effort for his size (6-foot-4 and 276 pounds). He can rush from a two-point stance or a three-point stance.
I give Andy Reid his fullback/offensive weapon combo in Luepke. I take a running back in Rodriguez who reminds me a lot of Isiah Pacheco in the sense that his offense really hid his talents at times. Finally, we get back to the defensive side of the ball with an undersized coverage linebacker (Dennis) and a powerful defensive tackle (Nesta Jade Silvera).
