F
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs reached for Cupp and never recovered. Grade: F.
by CalvinylG ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 3 steals
· 8 reaches
The tape said wait; the Chiefs did not. Baylor Cupp went at pick 252, a good 94 picks before the board was ready. The board sounded every alarm, and the F is the fallout.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Spending an early pick on cornerback with quarterback open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
On value alone, Paul makes the weekend a net positive.
Bottom line, it will take a lot of luck to make this look better later.
Pick-by-Pick
Value with a capital V on Tyler Guyton in the 37th pick, a genuine coup. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Xavier Legette at the 38th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Ruke Orhorhoro in pick No. 59 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The roster fit checks out.
They took Bralen Trice at par in the Round 2 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
By-the-book stuff, Max Melton at No. 69 squarely in line with his ranking. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Nice patience on Patrick Paul, who had no business lasting to pick 86. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson slid further than he should have, and No. 95 is lovely value for the safety. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Khyree Jackson at cornerback with quarterback open.
They reached into another round for Johnny Wilson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cedric Gray. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
McKinnley Jackson at Round 4, Pick 14 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Justin Eboigbe at slot 116 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A conviction pick on Trevor Keegan at the 132nd pick that the board grades a round light. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kitan Oladapo in the Round 5 slot. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A real head-scratcher, Kendall Milton in pick No. 173 is miles ahead of his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Javontae Jean-Baptiste in slot 188, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They talked themselves into Baylor Cupp at the 252nd pick, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.