The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Kansas City Chiefs took care of adding a pass-rusher at the end of Round 1 with homegrown Felix Anudike-Uzomah from Kansas State. As the draft goes on, the Chiefs must continue to add depth and talent to their Super Bowl roster. There are still six rounds and nine more Chiefs’ draft picks left to go. With that in mind, here are the three best players left on the board for the team to target with the Chiefs’ second-round pick and beyond in the NFL Draft.
3. Gervon Dexter, Florida
The Chiefs need to continue bolstering their defense in the second and third rounds, especially across the defensive line. Chris Jones is an amazing player, but he needs help stopping the run.
Florida interior defensive lineman Gervon Dexter is an excellent run-stuffer who stands up his opposite offensive lineman to shed the block and make plays in the run game. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound DT also has some potential as a pass rusher.
Dexter has a solid bull rush and a swim move. What he needs to get better at is getting off the ball faster. If he can learn from Chris Jones (and get some attention taken off him by the star), the former Florida Gator could become an all-around star.
If the Chiefs draft does include a DT like Dexter, the starting D-line of Dexter, Jones, George Karlaftis, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah would be hard to deal with.
Kansas City can likely trade back from the current Chiefs second-round pick spot (No. 63) and draft Dexter in the early third round, that would probably work. Or they could wait for their own third-rounder at No. 95.
2. OL Dawand Jones, Ohio State
The Chiefs became one of the few defending Super Bowl champs to lose both starting tackles the next season, with Orlando Brown Jr. going to the Cincinnati Bengals and Andrew Wylie going to the Washington Commanders.
Kansas City replaced Brown with Jawaan Taylor, which is a nice move. However, Lucas Niang at right tackle is far from a sure thing. Getting in some competition at RT is key in this Chiefs draft, and monstrous OT Dewand Jones from Ohio State could be an excellent option.
Jones is a 6-foot-8, 374-pound mountain of a man who moves much better than you’d think at that size. He can drive through run blocks and go through even large defensive ends and tackles. And as a pass-blocker, it’s simply a long, arduous journey to get around a person that large.
He’ll need to keep his weight down (relative to his massive size) in the NFL, but if he can and if he hones his strength and athleticism, Jones could be a true rock in front of Patrick Mahomes and a road grader for Isiah Pacheco.
Jones will have to be the Chiefs' second-round pick, and they may need to trade up a few spots as OTs will be starting to get thin toward the middle of Day 2.
1. WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
The Chiefs have never truly replaced Tyreek Hill’s speed, so getting a deep-threat wide receiver should be a Day 2 priority for the team. One player who fits this bill in the 2023 NFL Draft is Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver, Jalin Hyatt.
Hyatt is taller than Hill at 6 feet, 176 pounds but he can still fly. He ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, and he looks even faster on tape blazing by defensive backs.
The Chiefs receiving corps isn’t slow by any means, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Richie James, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson, and Skyy Moore all have pretty good wheels. Still, none are the go-long threat that Hyatt could be in the right system with the right QB in the NFL.
And, of course, Andy Reid’s system is the right system and Patrick Mahomes is the right QB.
At this point, the Chiefs are just getting better and better at every position group and can afford to take some luxury picks. Wide receiver isn’t the team’s biggest needs, but after adding Skyy Moore last year, getting Hyatt to make a young duo to help Mahomes out for the next four or five years is a solid use of these mid-round Chiefs draft picks.
Like Dawand Jones, Jalin Hyatt will be one of the last high-end wideouts as the end of the second round approaches. That means Kansas City can hope he’s there at the Chiefs’ second-round pick or be a bit more aggressive to make this happen.
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