Kansas City Chiefs NFL Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

The best move for Kansas City would be to trade down and acquire more picks. In this scenario, they stick and add another pass rusher.

A sneaky need for the Chiefs is at receiver, where they have only two players under contract beyond 2026 (Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals). This draft fell in a positive way, then, with Tate the first receiver off the board. He's a good team fit, as well. The Chiefs typically target run-after-catch guys, but too often last year, they were in need of an outside receiver who could create route separation and be a contested-catch option. Tate — he most often draws George Pickens comps from draft analysts — would be a welcome addition for new receivers coach Chad O'Shea, while also giving Patrick Mahomes a QB-friendly option for years to come.

Carnell Tate was always overshadowed by Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, but that's more about Smith than Tate. After all, Chris Olave and Emeka Egbuka were often overshadowed by other Buckeyes receivers, and they've turned out pretty well. Tate is smooth in everything he does. He's not a burner and isn't overly special after the catch, but he gets open routinely.

Patrick Mahomes finally gets an elite back. If defenses continue to play a conservative shell defense against the Chiefs, Love can make them pay.

While I don't know if Love will fall to this pick in April, I would be surprised if he makes it past the Chiefs. Simply put, Love is the biggest non-QB difference-maker in the class. As a runner, he has terrific explosiveness and vision. As a receiver, his routes from the slot look no different from a wideout. The Chiefs need a major boost to their backfield after ranking 25th in rushing yards per game (106.6). And I'd imagine general manager Brett Veach would be tempted to sprint the card in himself to make this pick.

The Chiefs could use another impact defensive player. But Kansas City needs speed, and not just timed speed but real game speed, at its skill player positions. Love is one of the best overall players in this draft class who can take any touch to the house. He would raise the ceiling on Andy Reid's screen plays and be a real weapon behind the Chiefs' burly offensive line in the run game, easing some of the burden on Patrick Mahomes to constantly create big plays for this offense. I'm sure new/returning offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy would be thrilled to work with such a talented back.

This guy's phenomenal. I actually got to meet him at the Doak Walker Award Show and he told me about his Hall of Fame aspirations. Well, getting paired with Patrick Mahomes would help that. I think about what the Chiefs' offense could be if they had someone with Love's ability to run and catch the ball. The Chiefs also need some running back help with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt hitting free agency. But I really love the idea of giving Mahomes his Jahmyr Gibbs or Christian McCaffrey.