Mock Draft Monday 4/24/23 – Draft week is finally here

Mock draft season is fully upon us, and every Monday leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft our Brendan Dzwierzynski will round up NFL mock drafts from around the internet and let you know who the experts, analysts and fans think the Kansas City Chiefs will select this year.

After weeks, maybe months, of pent up and building anticipation, the 2023 NFL draft begins this week in Kansas City. That means it’s time for the final mock draft round up of the year before we get to the real thing.

The needs for the Kansas City Chiefs are pretty obvious, but who they actually take (and where they take them) is still up in the air. Let’s dive right into this week’s mock selections for the Chiefs’ first-round pick and more:

Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star

Round 1, Pick 31: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
Round 2, Pick 63: Siaki Ika, IDL, Baylor
Round 3, Pick 95: Isaiah McGuire, EDGE, Missouri
Round 4, Pick 122: Jaylon Jones, CB, Texas A&M
Round 4, Pick 134: Carter Warren, OT, Pitt
Round 5, Pick 166: Anthony Johnson, S, Iowa State
Round 6, Pick 178: Keaton Mitchell, RB, East Carolina
Round 6, Pick 217: Jeremy Banks, LB, Tennessee
Round 7, Pick 249: Desjuan Johnson, EDGE, Toledo
Round 7, Pick 250: Hunter Luepke, FB, North Dakota State

Make sure you go read Jesse’s full mock draft, because he put a massive amount of work into these picks and the reasoning. The first thing that stands out is going with Qunetin Johnston with the first-round pick. I like Johnston and I think he YAC ability will be tantalizing to the Chiefs, but a sizable portion of the draft community is down on him for one reason or another. Also, while Carter Warren isn’t a bad pick at the end of the fourth round, waiting that long to get a right tackle is a risky proposition.

Nate Davis, USA Today

Round 1, Pick 31: Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma

This mock draft has the Chiefs addressing their biggest need, right tackle, as opposed to taking wide receiver Zay Flowers, who’s already worked out with Patrick Mahomes and is still on this hypothetical board. Harrison isn’t a flashy prospect and doesn’t completely “wow” you like some of the best tackles in this class might, but he’s a stable, steady pick and should be able to take the reigns at right tackle pretty quickly.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com

Round 1, Pick 24 (trade): Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Round 2, Pick 63: Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama
Round 4, Pick 122: Garrett Williams, CB, Syracuse
Pick 4, Round 134: Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma
Round 5, Pick 166: Dylan Horton, EDGE, TCU
Round 6, Pick 178: Trey Palmer, WR, Nebraska
Round 6, Pick 217: Derek Parish, FB, Houston
Round 7, Pick 249: Jarrick Bernard Converse, CB, LSU
Round 7, Pick 250: Atonio Mafi, IOL, UCLA

There’s the Zay Flowers pick. Frankly, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Chiefs jumped up a few spots to make sure they get him if he really is their guy, although I don’t know how inclined Jacksonville would be to make that move out of No. 24. Snagging Trey Palmer in the sixth round is probably the best value in this entire mock draft, while the downside is I have a hard time seeing two cornerbacks go to Kansas City, especially one on Day 2.

Walter Football

Round 1, Pick 31: Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland
Round 2, Pick 63: B.J. Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
Round 3, Pick 95: Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina
Round 4, Pick 122: Amari Burnley, LB, Florida
Round 4, Pick 134: Jaren Hall, QB, BYU
Round 5, Pick 166: Josh Proctor, S, Ohio State
Round 6, Pick 178: Chris Rodriguez, RB, Kentucky
Round 6, Pick 217: Jadon Haselwood, WR, Arkansas
Round 7, Pick 249: Desjuan Johnson, EDGE, Toledo
Round 7, Pick 250: Truman Jones, EDGE, Harvard

Flowers, Quentin Johnson and the two best tight ends are all off the board by No. 31 in this mock draft, but I’d be less enthused by taking Duncan than I would be by taking the aforementioned Harrison, who’s still available here. I’m also puzzled by the reasoning for taking Burnley in the fourth round, which is that “It seems as though the Chiefs are always searching for linebacker help, and this offseason is no exception.” Word? My favorite part of this mock is taking fliers on a pair of EDGEs back to back in the seventh.

NFL Mock Draft Database consensus

Round 1, Pick 31: Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
Round 2, Pick 63: Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma

This mock draft from the wonderful NFLMockDraftDatabse.com aggregates picks from the massive amount of big boards and mocks it hosts, then spits out the consensus pick for each team at each spot. We’ve already covered Harrison, while Mims remains my favorite Day 2 option of any player at any position for the Chiefs. He feels like a nearly perfect complementary piece for this offense, yet for some reason he’s gone largely under the radar throughout the draft process. I guess it’s an all-Oklahoma draft year for Kansas City.

Nick Jacobs, KSHB-41

Round 1, Pick 31: Mazi Smith, IDL, Michigan
Round 2, Pick 63: Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss
Round 3, Pick 95: Blake Freeland, OT, BYU
Round 4, Pick 122: Yaya Diaby, EDGE, Louisville
Round 4, Pick 134: DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas
Round 5, Pick 166: Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama
Round 6, Pick 178: Travis Dye, RB, USC
Round 6, Pick 217: Jalen Graham, LB, Purdue
Round 7, Pick 249: Xavier Smith, WR, Florida A&M
Round 7, Pick 250: Jake Witt, OT, Northern Michigan

We’ll round out the final Mock Draft Monday of the year with a fun one. I’m not entirely sold on Mazi Smith either as a first rounder or as a fit for the Chiefs. There’s plenty of potential, but he didn’t do much at Michigan that really jumped off the screen at you. Day 2 is the money maker here, including one of the best athletes in the wide receivers class in Mingo and one of the best secondary offensive tackle options in Freeland. We know Andy Reid loves BYU guys. Travis Dye interests me as Kansas City’s Day 3 running back option. He was a stud at both Oregon and USC before his college career-ending injury last fall.