The 2023 NFL Draft is now behind us, and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs continued to get better. The Chiefs took seven players during the draft’s seven rounds and hit some major needs on their roster. Here are the Chiefs NFL draft grades for every pick in this year’s draft.
Kansas City Chiefs 2023 NFL Draft Grades
Round 1, pick 31: DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State)
Grade: A
Picking hometown kid Felix Anudike-Uzomah with the last pick of the first round was the perfect way to close out a fun night in downtown KC. Anudike-Uzomah wasn’t just a sentimental pick to fire up the crowd, though.
The Kansas State pass rusher fires off the edge and got to the quarterback 19.5 times in the last two seasons, the most in the Big 12. He is an excellent complement to last year’s first-round pick, DE George Karlaftis, and now the Chiefs’ pass rush should be among the best in the league.
Anudike-Uzomah should be a Week 1 starter for the Chiefs with Frank Clark gone, so that gives this pick a high Chiefs NFL draft grade.
Round 2, pick 55: WR Rashee Rice (SMU)
Grade: B+
There were bigger receivers and faster receivers available near the end of Round 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft, but the Chiefs liked the 6-foot-1 possession receiver from SMU, Rashee Rice.
This Chiefs draft pick is a direct reaction to losing JuJu Smith-Schuster. Rice is a lot like Smith-Schuster in many ways, so the Cheifs obviously found something they like in that style of receiver.
Because there were some wideouts with a little more high-ceiling potential at this point, the Chiefs draft grade gets knocked down a little, but not all that much.
Round 3, pick 92: OT Wanya Morris (Oklahoma)
Grade: A-
Once again, the Chiefs took a player who fills a need in Round 3 with Oklahoma offensive tackle Wanya Morris.
Kansas City has a big hole at right tackle after the departure of Andrew Wylie in free agency. Right now, Lucas Niang is the starter, but the team could use a talent upgrade, and Niang has a spotty injury history.
Morris is an excellent run blocker and needs to get better, technique-wise at pass blocking, but he has a real shot at becoming the starter at some point this season. At worst, he will be the team’s swing tackle as he played both the right and left side in college.
Round 4, Pick 119: CB Chamarri Conner (Virginia Tech)
Grade: C+
Virginia Tech cornerback Chamarri Conner has good size at 6 feet and the versatility to play nickel or on the boundary. He is a bit slow for the position, though, and isn’t great in man-to-man coverage. Conner is a fine pick in the end, but one the Chiefs probably could have made a round or even two later.
Plus, the Chiefs are relatively deep at corner after using several picks on the position in last year’s NFL draft. That’s not to say they shouldn’t have picked one or didn’t get some solid players later. They just may have pulled the trigger too early on CB and grabbed one without a lot of upside.
Round 5, Pick 166: EDGE BJ Thompson (Stephen F. Austin)
Grade: B+
BJ Thompson is 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, and put up great production at a small school after leaving Baylor. He has incredible speed off the line and can finish once he gets to the quarterback.
Thompson will need to bulk up in the NFL to become a force, but after taking the much safer Felix Anudike-Uzomah in Round 1, selecting a project with huge upside like Thompson in Round 5 earns the team a high Chiefs NFL draft grade.
Round 6, Pick 194: DT Keondre Coburn (Texas)
Grade: B+
At 6-foot-2, 332 pounds, Keondre Coburn is a massive space-eater who can occupy offensive linemen and help shut down a team’s running game. Coburn started 45 games in four years at Texas and has excellent athleticism for his massive size. He doesn't offer a ton in the way of pass rush, but he can push the pocket backward at times.
Couburn is a two-down specialist, but with Kansas City’s loaded roster, a Chiefs draft pick who can do one thing really well is a great pick. Coburn should see the field right away in 2023 as the team’s first- and second-down run stuffer.
Round 7, Pick 250: CB Nic Jones (Ball State)
Grade: B
Nic Jones is a small school corner with some potential and good size at 6 feet, 189 pounds. He’s also an excellent tackler at the position. This is a good pick by the Chiefs at the end of the NFL Draft, even though it makes their fourth-round pick a little more head-scratching.
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