Getty Kansas City Chiefs fans.
Mock draft season is an opportunity for analysts to link teams to any number of NFL Draft prospects based on their respective needs. But NBC Sports’ Peter King’s one and only mock draft for 2023 has Kansas City Chiefs fans up in arms.
With the 31st overall pick, King has the defending Super Bowl champions selecting Florida guard, O’Cyrus Torrence.
“Andy Reid always wants to take care of both lines, and with Joe Thuney entering his age-31 season, the best guard in the class makes sense here,” King wrote on April 24. “If you consider Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski a tackle/guard, that’s what Torrence is: the top guard in this class. At 330 pounds, he’s got the reach and wingspan of a tackle, and just ask Jalen Carter his toughest foe this year. I bet he says Torrence.”
Fans React to Peter King’s Selection for Chiefs
Chiefs fans reacted to Peter King’s selection for the Chiefs in his annual mock draft.
“This is just a bad lazy take and will never happen,” one Twitter user wrote.
@DevclemNFL This is just a bad lazy take and will never happen.
“I think we get a couple years out of [Joe] Thuney and [Trey] Smith is just getting started,” another user wrote. “I don’t see any way this happens. We may draft a development/depth G, but not Rd 1. Veach would trade back before drafting G in round 1.”
@RPatrickAllen I think we get a couple years out of Thuney and Smith is just getting started. I don’t see any way this happens. We may draft a development/depth G, but not Rd 1.
Veach would trade back before drafting G in round 1.
“If I have to stay up until 5:30am to see the Chiefs take a guard, I’ll probably have to cry myself to sleep….” another user wrote.
@RPatrickAllen If I have to stay up until 5:30am to see the Chiefs take a guard, I’ll probably have to cry myself to sleep….
“If you take all the ‘national’ reporter’s Chief draft info you realize real quick that none of them have any idea what KC is doing,” another user wrote. “We have been connected with almost every position except QB. The draft is gonna be a wild ride.”
@RPatrickAllen If you take all the “national” reporter’s Chief draft info you realize real quick that none of them have any idea what KC is doing. We have been connected with almost every position except QB. The draft is gonna be a wild ride.
“No. No. No. Low priority position and the team has excellent depth there,” another user wrote.
@RPatrickAllen No. No. No. Low priority position and the team has excellent depth there.
“This guy is an unserious clown if he actually believes we are using premium draft capital on a position we already have 2 quality starters and proven backup (Alegretti),” another user wrote.
@RPatrickAllen This guy is an unserious clown if he actually believes we are using premium draft capital on a position we already have 2 quality starters and proven backup (Alegretti)
Drafting a Guard on Day 1 Doesn’t Make Sense
When Peter King makes a mock draft, it’s worth noting. As an insider that’s as connected as anyone in the NFL community, his annual mock draft typically holds more weight than mocks done by other pundits.
With that being said — mocking O’Cyrus Torrence to the Chiefs in the first round is an odd choice on the surface.
Starting left guard Joe Thuney has three years remaining on his five-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs. And as a two-time All-Pro that has only missed two games during his eight-year NFL career, Thuney has the durability and ability needed to remain a starter into his mid-thirties. So, drafting a player like Torrence, who would sit on the bench for several seasons before taking over Thuney, would be an unusual choice for Kansas City in the first round given the current state of the Chiefs.
With needs at wide receiver, right tackle, defensive line, safety, and running back, Kansas City would be better off drafting based on need at pick 31 to plug up some holes on its roster. A case could be made that drafting a tight end in the first round would even be a better choice than selecting a guard.