Getty Kansas City Chiefs fans were somewhat unimpressed by the 2022 draft class according to an NFL study.
The Kansas City Chiefs had a top-ranked draft class in 2022 according to most analysts but a recent NFL study showed that the selections didn’t impress the fanbase as much as one might expect.
This social media examination was performed by Pickswise, and determined “fan sentiment” and approval by compiling every positive and negative tweet directed at each franchise and the NFL draft from April 25 to May 2. The Chiefs did not rank as high in this study.
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Fans Appear Hesitant on Draft Results
It’s hard to say whether there is still some bitterness after the Tyreek Hill trade and the Tyrann Mathieu departure — or if the actual draft picks upset fans — but Kansas City only finished 16th in this study despite an overwhelmingly positive reception from the media.
That amounted to 69.2% positivity from Chiefs Kingdom (1,748 tweets) and 30.8% negativity (778 tweets).
Not terrible by any means, but not great either considering the widespread applause from the NFL community. General manager Brett Veach did attack areas of need — hitting on cornerback, edge rusher, wide receiver and safety with his first four picks.
He even landed a quality right tackle in round five after Darian Kinnard fell to KC. So, what gives?
The hesitance to fawn over this draft class could be a byproduct of Kansas City’s championship mentality. When you’ve spent the past four years in the AFC championship game or the Super Bowl, it’s hard to get too caught up on a group of rookies in April.
Chiefs fans are more patient than that and have no problem waiting for these youngsters to prove themselves, not the other way around. No rookie has done that more than George Karlaftis in the early stages of camp. The defensive end has been lauded by the media at open practices and will be a big name to watch during OTAs.
The other two rookie spotlights will follow cornerback Trent McDuffie and wide receiver Skyy Moore, who might even line up against one another from time to time. Hard-hitters Leo Chenal and Bryan Cook could also turn heads in camp, but their skill set might impress more when the pads go on.
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More Draft Results From Pickswise
No percentage of fans was more pleased with their draft than the Detroit Lions, while the Minnesota Vikings pulled up the rear with a league-low 57.76 approval rate.
In terms of the AFC West, the Chiefs finished middle of the pack. Las Vegas Raiders supporters ranked in the top five for the entire NFL. Keep in mind that their draft results included a blockbuster trade for Davante Adams, so the positivity probably stemmed from that move.
The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers were just behind KC at Nos. 18 and 20. Like the Raiders, the Broncos and Chargers traded draft capital for a superstar when they acquired quarterback Russell Wilson and edge rusher Khalil Mack. For whatever reason, that factor didn’t impact the results as much for either of these two franchises.
The Chiefs may not have been an NFL draft “Twitter winner,” but the live results will be more important. If rookies like McDuffie, Karlaftis and Moore turn into immediate starters in 2022, that fan approval rating will spike in no time.