Getty Incoming rookie WR Quentin Johnston with TCU in 2022.
The Kansas City Chiefs could use some more help at wide receiver and it’s becoming more and more likely that general manager Brett Veach finds Patrick Mahomes’ next weapon in the NFL Draft.
After all, there are only a couple of days left before April 1, and then it’s draft season around the NFL community.
As the attention shifts to this year’s rookie class at the WR position, fans will likely hear that this is a weaker group of wideouts — which may end up being true. However, Chiefs media member Charles Goldman of USA Today’s Chiefs Wire believes that this general opinion — plus a bold rumor — could cause the draft to play out in a way that “benefits” Kansas City.
Here was the “prediction” from Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Draft Wire. He voiced: “The general consensus amongst draft analysts is that it’s not a high-end wide receiver class. That opinion will be validated when just one wideout comes off the board on the draft’s first night. Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be the only first-round wide receiver [in 2023].”
Weak WR Draft Class Could Help Chiefs at Pick No. 31
When it comes to the NFL Draft, perception is not typically reality. Prospects are ranked and scouted incorrectly on a yearly basis and just because a player doesn’t get drafted round one or two, doesn’t mean they cannot make it in the league.
Just look at all the undrafted talent that ends up earning a second contract years later. Or how about Tyreek Hill? A fifth-round selection that became a superstar with the Chiefs.
Time and time again, this statement rings true: It’s not when you draft someone, it’s who you draft and how you develop them after the fact.
So, having said all of that, a plethora of talented pass-catchers falling to KC at No. 31 because of a general belief that this is a weak WR class can only benefit the Chiefs, who do in fact need to retool at the position. That’s Goldman’s theory anyway.
He wrote: “In the long run, this could turn out to be a good thing for Kansas City. Obviously, they’d probably prefer it were a strong draft class at the position, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to find a solid contributor. If the draft class is perceived to be weaker at the top, perhaps they won’t feel pressed into reaching for a player in the first round. Remember, the goal is always to be able to invest in the best player available at a given pick.”
Behind Smith-Njigba, Goldman named Quentin Johnston (TCU), Zay Flowers (Boston College) and Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee) as strong options for the Chiefs at No. 31 overall — assuming they fall as low as this draft rumor suggests.
Could 6-Foot-3 WR Quentin Johnston Drop to Chiefs?
If Veach is looking for a bigger-bodied receiver to pick up where JuJu Smith-Schuster left off, perhaps they target the 6-foot-3 Quentin Johnston out of TCU.
Goldman admitted that he personally disagrees with Risdon, and thinks Johnston should go around the same time as Smith-Njigba — or potentially sooner because of his NFL size — but TCU WRs haven’t always hit in years past and Johnston is no sure thing so there is a chance he drops to KC’s range in the order.
“Height-weight-speed prospect with the physical traits and upside that might have teams willing to overlook some of his inconsistencies on tape,” scouted NFL Network expert Lance Zierlein on the TCU product. “Johnston is a long-striding vertical threat who can open up and separate when allowed to keep his feet moving in space. His elevation and catch radius create an expansive target area down the field, but his overall success rate on contested catches is way lower than it should be for a receiver of his size. Johnston needs a specific route tree, but will improve in that area at the next level. He will benefit from a more accurate deep-ball quarterback, but still feels more like a good WR2 than a high-volume WR1.”
Hyatt and Flowers could be intriguing deep threats too. The latter even sounds a bit like Tyreek Hill on paper.
NFL Draft Buzz detailed his game, relaying: “Flowers is a super exciting deep-threat jitter-bug kind of player. He has an elite combination of speed, acceleration, and overall quickness and despite being undersized has (at least at the college level) been able to hold up as an outside threat and handle press coverage. He’s been super productive, especially considering he’s played on a poor offense and has put up elite numbers in 2022.”
Whether the Chiefs defy Risdon’s prediction and draft the second wide receiver (or third or fourth) of round one or not, Veach won’t complain if pass-catchers fall to them at No. 31. If Risdon’s right, Kansas City could even wait until the second round to land a player that they like, as they did with Skyy Moore in 2022.