Will Chiefs Approach 2023 NFL Draft Opposite Of 2022 Picks?

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The 2023 NFL Draft will be a fascinating step for the Kansas City Chiefs. Easily, general manager Brett Veach and his staff have had their two best drafts during his tenure in the last two years. Immediate contributors, franchise pillars and key starters have all been found in those last two drafts. Namely, the fact that names like Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith were still available when they were in 2021 is baffling. Kansas City also put a lot of early faith and trust in names like Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis last season.

With the goal being to continue that trend of finding immediate contributors and key starters, the Chiefs have a new challenge. That would be to continue to be at the top of the league offensively. Of course, having Patrick Mahomes is already a major benefit. He cannot do it all alone, however. Is the 2023 NFL Draft approach becoming more clear for the Chiefs? Let’s kick it off.

Offensive Heavy In 2023 After Defensive Heavy In 2022?

If you look back at the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chiefs used seven of their 10 draft selections on defensive players. This included both first-round picks, as well as four of the first five picks within the first three rounds. Kansas City also drafted five defensive backs last year, completely revamping the secondary. Overall, the Chiefs knew that the defense had to be rebuilt with younger, faster and more physical players. And mostly, that paid off in 2022.

That is not to say that the defense was in as rough of shape as it could have been entering 2022, personnel-wise. Yet, the same can be said about the offense for the Chiefs entering 2023. Kansas City was indeed first in yards and points as an offense last year. However, adding a certain infusion of youth and juice is obvious as this team continues to evolve during this next stretch of Patrick Mahomes’ career.

Giving Mahomes The Best Possible Supporting Cast

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Could the Chiefs truly flip flop their 2023 draft strategy to picking largely on the offensive side of the ball? The simple answer is yes. As for the reason for that, Kansas City must continue to surround Mahomes with the best supporting cast that they can possibly build.

Despite some exciting flashes from Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore in the playoffs, there are depth questions at wide receiver. Meanwhile, is this year the perfect time to find a new running mate for Travis Kelce at tight end? All of these questions hold a bit more merit entering 2023. Especially as defending champions, the Chiefs are likely looking to restock the cupboards for the superstar that is Mahomes.

Why Certain Offensive Positions Make Sense In Early Rounds

If you look at where the Chiefs are at, there appears to be a strong likelihood that Kansas City goes offensive picks heavy throughout the 2023 NFL Draft. That is especially true early on within the first few rounds. Wide receiver, tight end or offensive tackle all appear to be on the table in round one. Given that there are no perceived “can’t miss” guys at wide receiver, a top three or four wide receiver in this year’s class could be there for the taking at the end of round one. There is just no top-tier, elite talent like Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle or others from recent years that will be gone extremely early in the top 10.

Interestingly, the tight end class is the deepest it has been in a long time. Any team could take one from any round, and arguably find an immediate contributor in the passing game this year. Will the Chiefs continue to incorporate more 12 or 13 personnel in 2023, to boot? Given how successful it was for Kansas City last season, tight end makes more sense now than it initially did at the onset of this offseason. Certainly, the team could wish to spare Kelce a bit more as he gets older as well.

Finally at offensive tackle, the Chiefs will need a long-term option at the side opposite of Jawaan Taylor for the next few years. You could give someone like Lucas Niang a chance to compete for a starting job this year. Though, starting a rookie offensive tackle on the other side of Taylor is extremely possible for Kansas City.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis in the coming days. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.