The Kansas City Chiefs are slated to make five selections on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, assuming they don’t move around and trade away picks.
Below you will find reactions, grades and initial thoughts from our team of writers for each pick on Day 3:
Charles Goldman's grades:
Round 4:
Conner is a unique player who offers the team a utility player for the defensive secondary. Last season he played over 250 snaps in the slot, over 250 snaps as a deep safety and over 100 snaps in the box. He also has a ton of value as a special teamer in the NFL.
There’s a lot to like about the athlete, but if I had one complaint, he misses far too many tackles. In the last three seasons, he’s missed no fewer than 13 tackles in a given season. That’s something that Steve Spagnuolo is going to want to work with him on at the next level.
Trading up to secure him in a poor safety class is a solid move, especially considering the Chiefs are due to receive some fifth-round compensatory draft picks in 2024. Make sure that you go and get your guy before someone else has a chance to.
Grade: B+
Round 5:
The Chief finally added some speed to the edge rusher room. He’s instantly one of the best athletes that the team has and he has the frame to add weight, which will surely come once he gets into K.C.’s training program. This pick isn’t about the instant impact in 2023, but instead, it’s about the ceiling.
I’m of the opinion that going and getting your guys on Day 3 is a smart thing to do. Even if Thompson was graded in later rounds by various outlets, I like the conviction for Kansas City to go get a prospect that they’ve done a lot of work on during the pre-draft process.
Grade: B
Round 6:
Big fan of the player and value in Keondre Coburn in Round 6 for Kansas City. He’s a true nose tackle prospect, who has great power and plays with a whole lot of juice. I think he’ll have a chance to come in and be an immediate contributor in the defensive line rotation, especially helping to clog rushing lanes on early downs.
Grade: A
Round 7:
This pick feels a bit like a luxury given the fact that the team is so loaded at the cornerback position already. I get the sense that it was made more with special teams and Dave Toub in mind, but it’s also hard not to get excited about his ball skills.
Grade: B-
Wesley Roesch's grades:
Round 4:
Chamarri Conner will be an immediate special teams impact player. He can work as a gunner and jammer on punts and can be relied on to make tackles on kickoffs. It might be a bit before he makes an impact on defense but he has some potential with his size and length to be someone who can cover other “big guys” like tight ends. He can also make tackles in the backfield which is a plus.
Conner is a solid pickup, but I’m not sure it was necessary to trade up in the fourth round for him — I think he could have been taken later in the fourth or even the fifth. Plus, the Chiefs have more immediate needs like defensive tackle, so I would have liked to have seen a move there in the middle rounds instead.
Grade: C
Round 5:
I’m not surprised that the Chiefs decided to double-dip at edge, especially on an athletic freak like BJ Thompson. He’ll need to bulk up and put in a lot of work with the coaches on his technique, but the upside is there if he can figure things out in the pros.
Thompson probably won’t see much action year one, if any at all. He might end up on the practice squad for the majority of the season. It’s not rare to see a project get taken in the fifth round, but there were some players on the board who could’ve made more of an immediate impact. Thompson was also projected to go in the sixth or seventh round, so this seems like another reach to me.
Grade: C
Round 6:
I might be a little biased with my grade here but Keondre Coburn was one of my draft crushes, so I love this pick. I had the Chiefs taking Coburn in round four in our Chiefs Wire dueling mock, so landing him in round six is tremendous value.
Coburn may be a two-down run stopper, but I actually think he could earn a starting job early in his career. He’s a space-eater — he draws double teams with his massive size and strength, and can make his way into the backfield with a great bull rush. He’s exactly what the Chiefs need as they lacked depth in the interior defensive line heading into this draft. They might have gotten a steal with this guy.
Grade: A
Round 7:
I’m not super familiar with Nic Jones but I know he’s a ballhawk with 19 career pass deflections and three interceptions in college. He’s also a good special teamer who can play multiple phases and block kicks and punts.
I don’t think the Chiefs necessarily needed a cornerback at this point — I would’ve preferred a running back, actually — but in a passing league, you really can’t have too many good defensive backs.
Grade: B+
Nicolas Roesch's grades:
Round 4:
I like the selection of Chamarri Conner, although at No. 119 it seems like a little bit of a reach. Conner could be an immediate core special teams guy, which the Chiefs value more than most teams. He’s a freak athlete and can play all over the secondary.
Conner was a four-year starter and a team captain at Virginia Tech, so he brings a lot of experience and leadership qualities to the NFL. He’ll have the opportunity to develop under L’Jarius Sneed, and possibly replace him if K.C. doesn’t retain Sneed.
Grade: B-
Round 5:
The Chiefs passed on a couple of running backs that I liked and felt could have made an immediate impact, but I still like the pick of BJ Thompson. He was one of the most explosive defensive players in the entire draft and has an unlimited ceiling.
Thompson will need to add weight, but if he does and stays explosive, look out. The downside is he probably won’t see much game action this season and this is more of a pick for 2024. Fortunately, the Chiefs have a roster that can allow them to do that.
Grade: B
Round 6:
Defensive tackle was the Chiefs biggest remaining need, and the Chiefs landed a possible starter. Colbern is a load at 332 pounds and is great at clogging up lanes.
With the big push that he can create in the middle, it will make the lives of the Chiefs defensive ends that much easier. If nothing else, I expect Colbern to at least be a key role player right off the bat.
Grade: A-
Round 7:
A late seventh-round pick is always a crapshoot and Veach and Co. have more than earned enough trust when it comes to cornerbacks. Jones is versatile and has good ball skills.
I like that he’s a risk taker and is always looking to make a play. Special teams ability will be key for Jones to make the team or practice squad. His long arms and big hands will obviously be a big plus for him.
Grade: C+
John Dillon's grades:
Round 4:
Chamarri Conner is a serviceably exciting selection by the Chiefs in the fourth round, and should provide the team with valuable depth in their secondary. Conner is athletic, but didn’t record an interception in 2022, and had a tendency to miss some tackles at the collegiate level.
Nonetheless, with time to develop as a member of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, Conner could become a key presence for the team in the coming years if he can improve his game.
Grade: B
Round 5:
I didn’t see linebacker as a major need in this draft class, but the Kansas City Chiefs’ selection of B.J. Thompson in the fifth round was a clear indication that the team wanted to explore their options at the position. Thompson will face an uphill battle to compete for snaps in his rookie season, but might be able to carve out a role for himself on special teams.
This isn’t a particularly exciting pick, but Thompson must have made an impression on the Chiefs during the scouting process. I’ll defer to Brett Veach’s expertise here.
Grade: B-
Round 6:
Coburn was one of my favorite defensive linemen in this draft class and has the size to be a key player on the Chiefs’ front-four after some time to adjust to the NFL game. Kansas City needed to bring someone in to beef up their run defense moving forward after losing Khalen Saunders in free agency, and Coburn is a worthy addition to their defense in the sixth round.
Don’t expect this guy to make a huge impact in 2023, but keep an eye on him as his career in Kansas City progresses.
Grade: B+
Round 7:
Nic Jones will face an uphill battle to make the Chiefs’ final roster in September. His game lacks refinement, but the physical traits are there for Jones to be a potential playmaker after a few seasons of experience on a practice squad under his belt.
This move doesn’t move the needle for me personally, but it doesn’t have to given that Jones was picked in the seventh round. Maybe the Chiefs found a diamond in the rough that I don’t see, but as it stands, this is an average pick this late in the draft.
Grade: C+
