The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t trade up or out of the first round. Instead, they made a selection with the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They selected Kansas State defensive end, Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
Chiefs fans had mixed feelings about the draft choice for the defending Super Bowl champions.
“FAU is a bad MOFO!! Grand Slam pick by Veach!!!!!!!” one Twitter user wrote.
“Don’t hate him but Veach reached with this one,” another user wrote. “[Joey] Porter Jr or [Michael Mayer] would have been a better choice.”
“The worst possible scenario for the Chiefs on their first and now last draft that they’ll ever host. Disappointing @Chiefs,” another user wrote.
“Let’s gooooo as a Kstate and Chiefs this is an absolute dream. King Felix is in the building,” another user wrote.
@Chiefs @KStateRecruits @fanudike Let’s gooooo as a Kstate and Chiefs this is an absolute dream. King Felix is in the building 😤 💜🤍❤️💛
“This makes me happy as a Kstate fan and a chiefs fan with the same amount of love for both teams and for them to choose someone from K state than any other team they could have chosen from,” another user wrote.
What to Know About Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, 21, played his high school football in Missouri and went to college at Kansas State. He stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 255 pounds.
NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein detailed what Anudike-Uzomah is as a football player in his draft profile of FAU.
“A hard-charging edge prospect, Anudike-Uzomah has good strength and a long frame that should continue to fill out,” Zierlein wrote. “His run defense is unrefined and in need of better fundamentals, but he’s clearly gone to school on his pass-rush approach, adding several new wrinkles to his attack in 2022. His urgency leads to playmaking opportunities, but he will need to harness that energy and play with better control to become a more efficient defender. There is more polish needed, but Anudike-Uzomah’s NFL rush potential should eventually make him an NFL starter.”
Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Anudike-Uzomah is Dante Fowler Jr.
Complete Results of First Round
Here’s a look at all of the picks and trades made during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft:
1. Carolina Panthers (from CHI): Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
2. Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
3. Houston Texans (from AZ): Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama
4. Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
5. Seattle Seahawks (from DEN): Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
6. Arizona Cardinals (from LAR through DET): Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
7. Las Vegas Raiders: Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech
8. Atlanta Falcons: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
9. Philadelphia Eagles (from CAR through CHI): Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
10. Chicago Bears (from NO through PHI): Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
11. Tennessee Titans: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
12. Detroit Lions (from CLE through HOU and AZ): Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
13. Green Bay Packers (from NYJ): Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (from NE): Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
15. New York Jets (from GB): Will McDonald IV, LB, Iowa State
16. Washington Commanders: Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
17. New England Patriots (from PIT): Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
18. Detroit Lions: Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh
20. Seattle Seahawks: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
21. Los Angeles Chargers: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
22. Baltimore Ravens: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
23. Minnesota Vikings: Jordan Addison, WR, USC
24. New York Giants (from JAX): Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
25. Buffalo Bills (from JAX through NYG): Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
26. Dallas Cowboys: Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (from BUF): Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
28. Cincinnati Bengals: Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson
29. New Orleans Saints (from SF through MIA and DEN): Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
30. Philadelphia Eagles: Nolan Smith, LB, Georgia
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State
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Fans Erupt Over Chiefs’ First-Round Pick: ‘Grand Slam Pick by Veach!’