The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a tough loss in the AFC Championship to the Cincinnati Bengals. Things appeared to get even worse during the offseason. All three division rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, all appeared to get much better on paper. Meanwhile, the Chiefs traded away arguably their second best player in Tyreek Hill for five draft picks. They also enter the draft with a number of holes to fill.

The 2022 NFL Draft is likely to be a very busy one for Kansas City. They have 12 picks, tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the most in this draft. So, let’s get into it and run through the Kansas City Chiefs mock draft.

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Kansas City Chiefs 2022 NFL Mock Draft

Round 1 – Pick 29: Edge Arnold Ebeketie (Penn State)

The Chiefs struggled in 2021 getting a consistent pass rush. They are desperately in need of adding some young on the front four and Ebeketie could fill their hole especially well. His is slightly undersized at only 6′ 2”, but is very long and agile. He was lauded for his maturity and leadership skills at college. After dominating at Temple, he transferred to Penn State and put together a great season, finishing with 9.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. The Chiefs could do far worse than him at #29 overall.

Round 1 – Pick 30: DB Daxton Hill (Michigan)

Everyone knows that the Chiefs need an edge rusher. But they also need a corner, and in particular, an effective slot corner. That’s where Michigan’s Daxton Hill comes in. He mostly played slot cornerback for the Wolverines in 2021. He is very fast, as seen in his 4.38 40-yard dash time. With Keenan Allen, Hunter Renfrow and Tim Patrick all running routes from the slot frequently, it would make sense for the Chiefs to try and find a guy to slow those passing games down.

Round 2 – Pick 50: DL Travis Jones (Connecticut)

This is a very low-risk, high-reward pick for Kansas City. Travis Jones is a versatile defensive lineman who can play multiple gaps defensively. He is a very good run defender who can also get after the passer on occasion. Once again, all three opponents within their division pose solid running games and Jones would help the Chiefs on the interior. I know there are other needs at this spot, but the upside is too high to pass up.

Round 2 – Pick 62: WR George Pickens (Georgia)

The Chiefs brought former Bulldog wideout George Pickens over for a visit. They are clearly interested in him, and were likely checking to see the progress of his torn ACL (March 2021). With that much time to heal, if they like what they saw, they are likely to still get a discount with him being available late in the second round. Pickens is a big, athletic receiver who can make plays down the field. Picture Mike Williams, with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the football.

He is also one of the most sure-handed receivers in this draft class. Pickens could pick up at least some of the slack left by Hill.

Round 3 – Pick 94: S Bryan Cook (Cincinnati)

There are a number of good safeties that will be available in this draft. But Cook is likely the most physical of them all. He is a great tackler, can cover slot wideouts and tight ends, and has great instincts for the game. The secondary needs some help and Cook might just be the ticket. He can be a starter day one.

Round 3 – Pick 103: TE Jelani Woods (Virginia)

This might be a bit early to take a backup tight end, but I do not believe he will last to the Chiefs next pick. If Kansas City takes Jelani Woods here at the end of the third round, they have themselves one hell of an athlete. Woods is 6′ 7”, 265 pounds but can run. He actually needs better technique as a blocker, but would likely not be seeing the field much early on anyway. The position of tight end is changing, as is the NFL. Woods’ athleticism makes him an incredibly high upside pick. At worst, you have a guy for the future when Travis Kelce slows down. At best, you can run two TE sets and run circles around the middle of the field.

Round 4 – Pick 121: DL Phidarian Mathis (Alabama)

At one point, Phidarian Mathis was projected as a first-round pick. However, his stock has fallen and according to PFF’s Big Board, he is now projected as a mid-fourth-round pick. Kansas City will happily take that potential at this spot. Depth is always crucial on both the defensive and offensive lines. This pick makes sense for a lot of reasons.

Round 4 – Pick 135: OL Thayer Munford (Ohio State)

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Speaking of depth on the line of scrimmage, at this point, Kansas City has not drafted an offensive lineman. That will change with this pick as they draft the big man from Ohio State, Thayer Munford. He is another player that at one time was projected as an early-round pick and has slid on draft boards. But the talent is there and the Chiefs will need some at help at guard.

Round 7 – 233, 243, 251 and 259: Trade

This deep in the draft is practically impossible to predict. Knowing how many picks the Chiefs have accrued, it would make a lot of sense to package some of these seventh round picks to move up in the draft.