The Kansas City Chiefs are going to have to wait a while before they make their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but that's what happens when you win the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season. It's hard to think that Kansas City has many holes on their roster with the resounding and sustained success they've had over the years, but no team is perfect.
Luckily for them, if ever there was a draft to address some of their biggest areas of weakness, this is the draft to do it. The 2024 class is filled with star power in the first few rounds, which is great for a Chiefs team that will be looking to add immediate contributors to their Super Bowl contending roster. Armed with the 32nd overall pick in the draft, let's take a look at three players the Chiefs should target with that pick.
Xavier Worthy, Wide Receiver, Texas
If people weren't familiar with Xavier Worthy's game before the 2024 NFL Combine, he made sure they were after what he did in Indianapolis. He only set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash time in the history of the event at 4.21 seconds.
Officially a 4.21 for Texas WR Xavier Worthy, fastest 40 in NFL Combine history. pic.twitter.com/qke8agOr6o
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) March 3, 2024
While the performance and result he put up at the Combine is impressive and jaw-dropping, some folks were still a bit skeptical. 40-yard dash times aren't the most translatable skill to success in the NFL at wide receiver, and some of the fastest receivers from the combine (John Ross and Marquise Goodwin are a few recent examples) haven't been all that successful in the league.
But Worthy is different. He has a legitimate NFL skillset as a route runner and outstanding college production to back up his blazing speed. Worthy brought in 62 balls for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman at Texas. His production dipped a bit in 2022, but in 2023, he set career-highs in receptions (75) and receiving yards (1,014) despite playing next to players like Adonai Mitchell and Ja'Tavion Sanders, who both should hear their names called relatively early in the upcoming draft as well.
Worthy is an exceptional receiver. He just happens to be very fast too. The Chiefs did sign Marquise “Hollywood” Brown this offseason to help stretch the field for them, but that was only on a one-year deal. They can play him and groom Worthy for next season and beyond.
Ladd McConkey, Wide Receiver, Georgia
Another deep threat the Chiefs could target is Georgia's Ladd McConkey. Believe it or not, McConkey is pegged by many as perhaps the best route runner in this year's class. The film doesn't disagree either.
Ladd McConkey is one of the most versatile receivers in the 2024 class. He can win as a deep threat, gadget player and route runner. His small frame will always hold him back from dominating the catch point but luckily he wins with separation #BuildingTheBoard pic.twitter.com/ewNInDaq5V
— As a Former NFL Agent (@TommyK_NFLDraft) December 22, 2023
He's also one of the most efficient receivers in this year's draft class, although his counting stats don't do him much justice on that front. McConkey registered just 1,688 yards during his college career on 119 receptions. To put that in context, Washington's Rome Odunze put up 1,640 yards last season alone. But on a yards per route run basis, McConkey was exceptional during his time at Athens, especially last season. Only LSU's Malik Nabers was more efficient on a per route basis than McConkey.
Now, that doesn't make McConkey the best receiver prospect in this year's class, but it does show that he's got game and should be a very solid player at the NFL level. He'd fit like a glove in Kansas City next to Brown, Travis Kelce, and Rashee Rice.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Cornerback, Missouri
If Kansas City does not go with a wide receiver in round one, they should be looking at a cornerback. L'Jarius Sneed was an instrumental figure in their success in the last few seasons, but with the team paying Chris Jones this offseason in addition to the investments they've made to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and their offensive line, they couldn't make it work with Sneed on an extension. They ultimately traded him to the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-rounder.
The Chiefs still have Trent McDuffie, but now could use another corner. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. could be that guy. He has size at 6-feet tall and 188 pounds to hold up over the course of a full NFL season, and he can do a little bit of everything on the field too.
The Chiefs' depth at that position is a bit thin now after McDuffie with Sneed out of the picture. It's a position of need, and Rakestraw could come in and immediately help fill that void.
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