We’re just over a week away from the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25.

This marks our fifth full 7-round mock draft for the Kansas City Chiefs, and we’re finally working through one of the more exciting scenarios.

Last time, we explored what could happen if the Chiefs missed on their top two needs in the first round.

This time around, we’re exploring what could happen if Brett Veach trades out of the first round entirely.

It’d mark the first time that he’s traded back and out of the first round in his tenure as GM, though he was part of the staff in 2016 when the Chiefs last traded down from Round 1.

To gauge player availability for this mock draft, multiple simulations were used. If players weren’t available with regularity, they were eliminated from contention at a particular pick. Typically, 8-12 players are on the big board to choose from at a given pick, with more players available in the later rounds based on our custom 350-player big board.

Explaining the trade: The Commanders trade picks Nos. 36 (2nd), 78 (3rd), and 152 (5th) to the Kansas City Chiefs for pick Nos. 32 and 159. Washington snagged their top QB with pick No. 2, but they want to move back into the first round to help replenish their edge-rushing depth with Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson still available. The Chiefs are comfortable moving back a few spots and acquiring an extra pick in the top 100.

Round 2 No. 36 overall: South Carolina WR Xavier Legette
This isn’t the first time we’ve taken Legette in a mock draft, but his stock has shifted a bit since version 3.0 (and in a positive way). Legette is now routinely coming off the board before pick No. 50 and is often the first wide receiver off the board on Day 2.

Legette, at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, is an elite athlete. He ran a 4.39s 40-yard dash, jumping a 40-inch vertical and a 126-inch broad jump at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. A lot of people will point to his physicality and jump-ball skills as a true “X” receiver prospect, but I think there is a lot more to his game.

The 23-year-old has elite speed and YAC ability for his size, which will undoubtedly catch the eye of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. So will his 2% dropped pass rate and his balance through contact.

It’s easy to see the upside to adding a player like this to the receiver room in Kansas City, but there is some risk attached. Legette was a one-year wonder at South Carolina. In 2023, he recorded 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. He recorded 42 receptions for 423 yards and four touchdowns in his previous four seasons combined. He played quarterback as a senior in high school and really had to learn the receiver position from the ground up in college. That rawness shows in his lack of production throughout his college career and in his route tree.

Round 2 No. 64 overall: Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott
The Chiefs need to begin thinking about life after Travis Kelce. On a lesser note, they also need to start thinking about life after Noah Gray, who is part of a large list of free agents as of the 2025 NFL offseason. The team has done a lot of work on this tight end class and I’ve gone on record saying that I’d be surprised if they didn’t come away with one at some point.

Sinnott has visited the team ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, which typically indicates a good deal of interest when it comes to the Chiefs. He’s one of the most exciting young athletes in this entire draft class, chock-full of potential.

At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, the 21-year-old weighed in at just under 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. He proceeded to post exceptional testing with a 4.68s 40-yard dash, a 40-inch vertical, a 126-inch broad jump, a 6.82s three-cone, and a 4.23s short shuttle. All of those numbers had him finish in the 90th percentile of the A to Z Sports Athletic Composite among tight ends dating back to 2000. He posted the best burst score (97.4%) of any tight end in the 2024 class and the second-best agility score (92.6%) to only CSU TE Dallin Holker.

In the past two seasons for the Wildcats, Sinnott has recorded 80 receptions for over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s a bit of a chess piece in terms of where you can align him in the formation, but no matter where he lines up there are three constants. He has strong hands, he’s elusive, and he’s one of the better blocking tight ends in this class. Being from Kansas State is a bonus here because fans from the area will love the guy — unless he doesn’t perform exceedingly well as a rookie.

Round 3 No. 78 overall: TCU OL Brandon Coleman
The Chiefs are going to have a decision to make on Joe Thuney ahead of the 2025 NFL season. They also have a bit of a vacancy in terms of interior depth with Nick Allegretti leaving in free agency.

Coleman is one of the more underrated prospects in this class. At 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds, Coleman has true guard-tackle flex with nearly 1,500 snaps at tackle and over 700 snaps at guard over the last three seasons at TCU. He could probably even play some center at the next level. You can’t exactly count him out at tackle either given the fact he has 34 5/8-inch arms.

He’s a really talented athlete, recording a 34-inch vertical (96th percentile) a 114-inch broad jump (95th percentile), and a 4.98s 40-yard dash (92nd percentile). Fans in Kansas City might be traumatized by former third-round OT prospect out of TCU, Lucas Niang, but Coleman has a lot going for him heading into the NFL.

Round 3 No. 95 overall: Texas Tech S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
This pick might be a little surprising to some folks, but the Chiefs could look ahead to 2025 when Justin Reid’s contract is up, and say that safety is a need. Taylor-Demerson has been available at the end of Round 3 in over 60% of our simulations, which puts him in our draft pool for this particular pick.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 197 pounds, Taylor-Demerson had a highly productive 2023 campaign with 73 tackles, four interceptions, and eight passes defended. He has elite range on the back end and a great trigger to close when playing downhill. He also has the chops to cover some bigger tight ends in coverage 1-on-1.

In the NFL, I think he’d be the perfect type to fill the slot/safety role previously occupied by Tyrann Mathieu in Kansas City. He could help take some of the heat off the cornerback group should he play that role during the 2024 NFL season.

Round 4 No. 131 overall: Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat
The Chiefs are doing their homework here, bringing Sweat into the building for a top-30 visit. The optics of drafting a player arrested for DWI ahead of the 2024 NFL draft wouldn’t be great given what the team has dealt with this offseason with Rashee Rice. It’s bad enough that he’s been described as a “class clown” and “party animal” in Dane Brugler’s annual draft opus, “The Beast.”

If the Chiefs feel comfortable and like they can get a handle on some of his off-field stuff with the veterans they’ve got in the room, this is a player who might make sense. At 6-foot-4 and 367 pounds, Sweat has first-round talent as a true nose tackle. He’s the type to command double teams, which could take a serious amount of heat off of Chris Jones in the trenches.

Round 5 No. 152 overall: UBC OT Giovanni Manu
Another prospect the Chiefs have hosted on a top-30 visit, Manu is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-8 and 350 pounds. He’s also an extremely talented athlete given his size and weight. Some scouts timed him at a sub-five-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, which is basically unheard of for someone of that size. He could wind up being one of the best athletes ever at the offensive tackle position and that’s saying something.

Manu could come in immediately and compete for the left tackle job with Wanya Morris. I’m not sure he could immediately supplant Morris, but he could provide adequate competitive depth. He has nearly 40 career starts in British Columbia to go along with his elite athletic traits. That combination of experience and athleticism could certainly raise the floor of the offensive tackle room.

Round 5 No. 173 overall: (compensatory): Illinois WR Isaiah Williams
A QB-turned-WR, Williams has all the makings of a player who can be a much better professional. After two seasons of playing receiver prior, he became a First-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023 after leading the team in receiving yards with 82 catches for 1,055 yards and five touchdowns. It was his second consecutive season with 82 catches and five touchdowns. It was also a season in which he was voted team captain.

He’s surprisingly adept and efficient as a route runner and being a former quarterback, he knows how to find the open spaces on the field. At 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds, he’s a little undersized. His 4.63-second 40-yard dash time is not representative of his game speed. He has plenty of plays on tape where he’s running away from defensive backs.

Round 7 No. 221 overall: South Carolina CB Marcellas Dial
At this point in the draft, you’re looking for athletes who could fit your system. Dial is 6-foot, 190 pounds, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds. He’s strictly an outside corner prospect at the next level with some ability to contribute on special teams. The 23-year-old forced 11 incompletions in 2023, allowing just 55.8% of passes to be completed in coverage. There was a bit of a drop-off in ball skills with no interceptions after recording three a season ago. A player like this would raise the floor of the cornerback room with more competition among those fighting for depth spots behind Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, and Jaylen Watson.