Kansas City Chiefs

2022 NFL Draft: How the Chiefs should use their 12 picks

Updated Apr. 28, 2022 2:51 p.m. ET

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Let’s get this out of the way right now: Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is taking one heck of a gamble in trading away Tyreek Hill, one of the great deep threats the NFL has ever known.

But given the salary that Hill, Davante Adams and other wide receivers of their caliber are commanding in the current market, the Chiefs made the right choice in sacrificing one superstar for the opportunity to get younger, cheaper and, yes, perhaps even faster players via the 2022 draft.

Peddling Hill to the Miami Dolphins nearly doubled K.C.’s number of selections, with the club jumping from seven picks to an even dozen. No team has more. And better yet for Veach and coach Andy Reid, the selections are beautifully distributed, including two picks each in the first, second, third and fourth rounds.

Nick Wright on Tyreek Hill deal

Nick Wright explains why, ultimately, the Tyreek Hill trade will be a win for Kansas City, despite losing such a talented player.

By contrast, Kansas City had just two picks among the top 100 selections a year ago and three or fewer among the top 100 each previous draft since 2015.

Considering the immediate impact the Chiefs enjoyed from those top two picks (LB Nick Bolton and C Creed Humphrey) last season, as well as the fact that this year’s draft class lines up nicely with the biggest needs of the club, it is easy to see how K.C. came to the conclusion that trading one player (albeit a really good one) could very well be the best way to secure the immediate and foreseeable future of the team.

Now, let's take a look at how the Chiefs can best use their current picks in the 2022 draft. We’ve already profiled the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles.

Following the pick-by-pick plan outlined below would help Kansas City win in April and, more importantly, put the Chiefs in position to keep winning in the fall.

First round, No. 29 overall (from Dolphins): Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma

Currently, the Chiefs’ three biggest needs would appear to be edge rusher, cornerback and receiver. Selecting this late in the first round, however, Kansas City should be operating on the time-honored Best Player Available strategy. There were plenty of peaks and valleys in Winfrey’s two seasons in Norman, but the flashes were first-round caliber, and they continued at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.

With star Chris Jones the only defensive tackle on the Chiefs’ roster currently signed through 2023, Veach & Co. would be wise to build for the future with a tenacious defender who might explode amid all the talent he’d be joining in Kansas City. Finally, if there has been an NFL kryptonite for AFC West top guns Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) and new Denver Bronco Russell Wilson, it has been pressure up the middle.

First round, No. 30 overall: David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan

With so many selections to play with, Veach is one of the few GMs with the flexibility to invest an early pick in Ojabo and absorb the fact that he is likely to miss a significant amount (and perhaps all) of his rookie season after tearing his Achilles tendon during his March 19 Pro Day workout at Michigan.

Prior to sustaining the injury, Ojabo had been viewed as a possible top-15 candidate, as he boasts incredible twitch off the edge for a man with his 6-foot-4, 250-pound frame. Kansas City is currently led by DE Frank Clark, another former Wolverine, off the edge and is thought to be considering bringing back veteran Melvin Ingram. There are numerous other productive veteran edge rushers currently on the market but none with Ojabo’s upside.

Should Kansas City stick with this pick — which is by no means a lock, given the number of clubs that might be calling Veach in hopes of sneaking into the late first round for a quarterback — Ojabo is precisely the type of long-term investment that makes the trading of Hill good business.

Second round, No. 50 overall (from Miami): Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State

Finally, a receiver! Some Chiefs fans will be anxious to see which rookie wide receiver Veach and Reid add to the roster. But let's be clear: Hill can't be replaced with a single pass-catcher. That is not giving enough credit to the NFL’s unofficial fastest man or recognizing how Reid has operated in the past. Dating to his days coaching the Eagles, Reid’s offense has been described as significantly more difficult to master for young receivers than the schemes of other clubs. That might be why Kansas City has invested a grand total of two top-100 selections in rookie wide receivers (Mecole Hardman at No. 56 overall in 2019 and Chris Conley at No. 76 in 2015) since Reid arrived in 2013.

Like it or not, Chiefs fans, Kansas City’s replacements for Hill will be a combination of Hardman and recent free-agent acquisitions Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster. With this many picks and a receiver class as stacked as this one, however, don’t expect Veach to pass on a savvy speedster such as Dotson. The former Nittany Lion possesses the agility, acceleration and courage to handle the jet-sweeps and quick screens Hill is leaving behind that MVS and Smith-Schuster lack the traits to replicate.

Second round, No. 62 overall: Jaylen Watson, CB, Washington State

One could make the argument that Kansas City’s biggest need is replacing not Hill but starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, who bolted to San Francisco on a three-year, $40 million deal in free agency. The Chiefs might well select a cornerback in the first round. And if Veach were to match the aggressiveness he showed in trading up 17 spots to land Patrick Mahomes five years ago, this position (along with edge rusher) is one of the few for which I could envision Kansas City considering packaging some selections to move up and get a special talent.

Kansas City's general unwillingness to invest early picks at receiver (as discussed previously) has also been the case at cornerback. Despite all the talented quarterbacks in the AFC, the Chiefs have not used a top-60 pick on a corner since drafting Marcus Peters in the first round back in 2015. There are enough similar elements to Watson's game that could push Veach and veteran defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to make this pick — namely Watson's length, speed and physicality. Another Senior Bowl and combine standout, Watson is generating more buzz among scouts than in the media.

Third round, No. 94 overall: Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina

Even if the Chiefs were to make the early investment in Ojabo, as projected at No. 30 overall, the club might still be looking to take full advantage of the depth of this year’s edge rusher class by doubling down on the most important position in defensive football.

While Ojabo and Enagbare technically could play the same position for the Chiefs, they are polar opposites in style, with the former a quick-twitch speed rusher and the latter both longer and stronger at the point of attack. Enagbare lacks the burst and bend that teams prioritize on draft day, but he’s currently more effective against the run and might just need a little more of a supporting cast to "surprise" at the next level.

Third round, No. 103 overall: Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah

Reid cut his teeth in the NFL coaching offensive linemen, and those roots run deep. As such, one can expect Kansas City to invest at least one or two picks on blockers, even with the club placing the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and stealing two long-term starters in the draft a year ago in Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith. How Veach and Reid feel about Brown’s first season in Kansas City (and his likelihood to sign a long-term deal) could push the club to invest a much earlier pick at this position, if necessary.

Even if the Chiefs are unable to work out an extended contract with Brown, Reid might see a future starting-caliber talent waiting to be developed in Jones, a 6-foot-7, 310-pounder with light feet (4.97 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and long arms (35 3/8 inches), just like Brown. Sure, Jones is raw, but with Brown and Lucas Niang each expected back at least one more year, the Chiefs would have time to develop him.

Fourth round, No. 121 overall (from Miami): James Cook, RB, Georgia

While 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire has certainly flashed a starter skill set, his struggles with durability and ball security could have the Chiefs looking for more options in this draft, even after luring Ronald Jones II out of Tampa Bay on a one-year, free-agent deal.

Like both Edwards-Helaire and Jones, Cook is both a slashing runner and an excellent receiver out of the backfield. As the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings superstar Dalvin Cook and part of the rotation Georgia used to win the national championship this past season, Cook is perhaps more prepared than most rookie running backs to fit in, rather than expect to be the bell cow.

Fourth round, No. 135 overall: Chase Lucas, CB, Arizona State

As mentioned, cornerback is an area of concern for Kansas City, especially given how the AFC West has further solidified its position as the NFL’s best division at quarterback. Like his former Pac-12 opponent Watson, Lucas is being slept on by the national media; he offers the awareness, athleticism and physicality the NFL prioritizes. The Chiefs currently have just one cornerback (L’Jarius Snead) signed past the 2022 season.

Seventh round, No. 234 overall (from Vikings): Luke Tenuta, OT, Virginia Tech

With four seventh-round selections, don’t expect Veach and the Chiefs to wait nearly 100 picks before they pick again. Kansas City is too talented to realistically find a starter this late in the draft, like the team did a year ago with Smith at right guard, as he fell due to health concerns.

Winning with that selection could push Veach to be bolder early in the draft (see the Ojabo selection at No. 30). If sticking at No. 234, however, expect the club to go back to developing young talent such as Tenuta — a battle-tested blocker with good length, who might need only a little tutoring to carve out a niche at the next level.

Seventh round, No. 244 overall (from Las Vegas Raiders): Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington

Needless to say, the Chiefs will not be drafting a quarterback to "push" perennial MVP candidate Mahomes. That said, Reid began his career in Green Bay under Mike Holmgren and legendary general manager Ron Wolf, each of whom prioritized selecting and grooming young quarterbacks in the draft whenever possible.

At just 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, Barriere (pronounced Bear-EE-AYE) lacks the size the NFL is looking for but possesses just about everything else — including eye-popping production. He was a four-time All-American and the Walter Payton Award recipient (the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy) this past season after producing 50 touchdowns (46 passing) against just eight interceptions.

Barriere should have been invited to one of this year’s prominent senior All-Star games, but he was not, nor was he invited to the combine. Some team is going to gamble a late-round pick on this talented dual-threat quarterback. With the draft picks to use as lottery tickets and with only 36-year-old veteran Chad Henne and 2020 UDFA Shane Buechele joining Mahomes in the QB room, it would make a lot of sense for Kansas City to be that club.

Seventh round, No. 252 overall: Kekaula Kaniho, S/Nickel, Boise State

Trading for former Houston Texans starter Justin Reid might push Tyrann Mathieu out the door in Kansas City, but even if the unrestricted free agent re-signs, the Chiefs will be looking for young talent and speed to develop on defense and special teams.

Like Mathieu, Kaniho is significantly undersized for the NFL at just 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds. In fact, he might very well wind up sliding over to nickel cornerback, rather than back to safety at the next level, after lining up virtually all over the field for the Broncos during an illustrious career built on instincts, tenacity and big plays.

Seventh round, No. 260 overall: Armani Rogers, TE, Ohio

The Chiefs boast one of the elite talents in the entire league in Travis Kelce, but the tight-end depth behind him is lacking.

While Kansas City could look to add more of a run-blocking presence to the roster in this draft, adding a speedy seam threat such as Rogers could be an even better way to complement Kelce. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Rogers is expected to run in the 4.5-second range or faster, and he offers similar special-teams value and positional versatility as current Kansas City free agent Blake Bell.

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others.