The Kansas City Chiefs could opt to reinforce the defensive line in the 2023 NFL draft, including additions at the edge rusher position.
The team invested in the position just a season ago, selecting George Karlaftis in the first round of the draft. With Frank Clark’s release and Carlos Dunlap still a free agent, the Chiefs could use some reinforcements at edge rusher. Many consider this class to be quite deep at the position too, with upwards of eight players at the position projected in Round 1.
Here’s a look at some of the edge rushers the Chiefs could consider adding in each round of the 2023 NFL draft:
Round 1: George EDGE Nolan Smith
The Chiefs had a formal with Smith at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and DL coach Joe Cullen ran the defensive line drills at the Georgia pro day. He’s a bit of an outlier for Steve Spagnuolo’s system (about 25 pounds too light at 6-foot-3 and 239 pounds), but it’s hard not to like the tape and intangibles here. He’s a great run defender and a dynamic pass-rusher, but he has missed some time over the past two seasons with injuries. Teams are going to need to be comfortable with that to take him in the first round.
Round 2: Auburn EDGE Derick Hall
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds, Hall just barely made it on Steve Spagnuolo’s typical thresholds. He was really productive over the past two seasons at Auburn, recording 112 total tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception. He improved his stock at the combine after proving to be among the best athletes at the edge rusher position in this class with a 4.55s 40-yard dash, a 1.59s 10-yard split and a 127-inch broad jump.
Round 3: Ohio State EDGE Zach Harrison
Harrison has measurables that will surely catch Steve Spagnuolo’s attention. He’s listed at 6-foot-6 and 274 pounds and his 36 1/4-inch arms are the longest of any edge rusher in this draft class. He’s an impressive athlete for his size, boasting impressive quickness, power and a high motor. In 13 starts in 2022, Harrison posted 34 tackles, eight tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks, one interception, four balls batted and three forced fumbles.
Round 4: Missouri EDGE Isaiah McGuire
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 264 pounds, McGuire seems to be among the most underrated pass rushers in this draft class. I wouldn’t be shocked if the NFL is higher on him than the media currently seems to be. He led Missouri in sacks in back-to-back seasons with six in 2021 and 7.5 in 2022 all while going up against SEC offensive linemen. He’s got great length, he’s a better athlete than given credit for and he’s powerful to boot. He can play base end in the Chiefs’ scheme with the size to reduce down and play inside on passing downs.
Round 5: San Jose State EDGE Viliami Fehoko
Fehoko was a four-year starter at San Jose State and was highly productive in each of his last three seasons, accumulating 44 tackles for loss and 22 sacks in that span. He has a unique build, weighing in at 6-foot-4 and 276 pounds with 33-inch arms. Fehoko has the versatility to play both three-point and two-point stances, but he was more often used as a rush-linebacker at SJSU. He does a really good job of converting speed to power and his effort is something that should leave a good impression on NFL teams.
Round 6: Central Michigan EDGE Thomas Incoom
Incoom reminds me of Mike Danna in the sense that he has inside/outside versatility and they both played at Central Michigan (though Danna finished his career at Michigan). In 2022, Incoom had a highly productive season with 56 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 43 pressures and one forced fumble. He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-2 and 262 pounds, but he can win in a variety of different ways. He’s very sound against the run and has some “wow” plays as a pass-rusher too.
Round 7: Ferris State EDGE Caleb Murphy
Murphy set an NCAA record in 2022, recording a whopping 25.5 sacks (and 39 tackles for loss) as a senior for the Bulldogs en route to a D-II national championship win. At 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds, he has really impressive quickness and instincts. He has a highly-developed pass-rush plan and a really slick inside counter move that he likes to use often. He lacks elite athleticism, but he put up some seriously dominant tape at the D-II level.
