The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to pick up the pieces after going through a forgettable campaign that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
For more than a decade, the team sat comfortably atop the AFC, winning the conference title five times. The Chiefs, however, spiraled to a 6-11 record last season, compounded by the ACL injury of Patrick Mahomes.
If there is a positive from their dismal finish, the Chiefs found themselves picking at No. 10 in the NFL Draft. Due to their dominance, they had always selected at the end of the first round. Now, they have a chance to pluck a talented prospect early.
Kansas City general manager Brett Veach, however, admitted in a report from Arrowhead Pride's Maurice Elston that their process heading into the NFL Draft has not been easy, conceding the adverse effect of the NIL.
“I believe we moved over 25 guys off our board that we had top 75, top 100. So it’s really impacted, I think, the draft, and then you’re getting older, older prospects as you go on,” said Veach.
“Typically, the second and third rounds would be those guys that maybe they didn’t play a lot, but they were young. Well, now, these guys are just bouncing and getting paid by another school and getting paid and playing.”
The NFL Draft offers the Chiefs an opportunity to reset. Holding a top-10 pick gives the team leverage it has not had since the early years of Mahomes. The NIL, however, has affected their usual approach, as stated by Veach.
Based on mock drafts, some of the names who could end up with the Chiefs at No. 10 include Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Texas Tech linebacker David Bailey, and Miami linebacker Rueben Bain Jr.
