D+
Kansas City Chiefs
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Chiefs to a D+.
by CalvinylG ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 2 steals
· 12 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Javontae Jean-Baptiste at slot 173. The Chiefs jumped the board by 44 and dared it to prove them wrong. A weekend that fought the value and lost, hence the D+.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. The quarterback hole is the one line item this class does not answer. It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
The Morgan pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
A tidy little value on Brian Thomas Jr. in the 35th overall pick, a step better than break-even. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A quiet steal in the Round 2 slot: Jordan Morgan for less than the market said. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Max Melton this early at Round 2, Pick 26. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Patrick Paul in pick No. 65 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid a round early for Michael Hall Jr. in No. 71, more than the board wanted. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Brenden Rice at pick 90 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Theo Johnson at the 95th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Good price on Christian Mahogany in slot 101, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A conviction pick on Cedric Gray at Round 4, Pick 4 that the board grades a round light. It fills a real need, too.
Johnny Wilson at pick No. 120 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A big swing on Jalyx Hunt at pick 132, well ahead of any board in the building. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kitan Oladapo in the 142nd pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A minor itch, scratched.
Dillon Johnson in the Round 5 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Dwight McGlothern slipping to No. 171 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Kendall Milton at the Round 5 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The roster fit checks out.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste at pick 173 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jared Wiley in pick No. 186, miles early. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They went early on Dominique Hampton in No. 219, and the value did not follow. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Solomon Byrd. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.