Kansas City Chiefs: B Grade
Goals Entering the 2017 NFL Draft: The Chiefs need to find a new quarterback because Alex Smith clearly isn't the answer. He'll continue to come up short in the playoffs. A signal-caller could be obtained at the bottom of the first round. A new running back and a No. 2 receiver are needed as well. Fortunately for the Chiefs, their defense is in pretty good shape and doesn't need very much beyond a linebacker and a second cornerback.
2017 NFL Draft Accomplishments: Some former NFL players do a good job on TV, but the danger with having them as analysts is that they're too close to other players and will be biased as a result. That is why it seemed like everyone went out of their way to defend Alex Smith in the wake of the Patrick Mahomes selection. The argument is that the Chiefs are so close that they need only a couple more pieces to win the Super Bowl. That's true, but one of the needed pieces happens to be a quarterback. Smith has proven that he's incapable of winning more than one playoff game per run because of his limitations, and Andy Reid finally recognized that.
Mahomes is the complete opposite of Smith. He has a low floor because of the system he played in at Texas Tech, but he also has Brett Favre-type upside. If he takes to Reid's coaching - and I'm sure he will, given that he's hard-working and smart - he could develop into a Pro Bowl quarterback. It'll take some time, but it definitely can happen, and that's why Mahomes was the only quarterback in this entire class I would've spent a first-round pick on.
That said, the Chiefs gave up a lot to get him, so it could backfire if they sustain many injuries in 2017 and drop from a playoff contender to a bottom-10 team, much like the Bengals did last season. However, I commend Kansas City for realizing that something had to be done to move the team forward, since it was just spinning its wheels and not really going anywhere with Smith at the helm.
Moving on, Kansas City did well elsewhere. Tanoh Kpassagnon was a solid choice in the second round, and he has the athleticism and potential to be a force on the defensive line. Kareem Hunt is a perfect fit in Reid's system, and he could be the starting running back by the end of the year. Jehu Chesson was a bit of a reach, but the Chiefs moved down for him to acquire extra resources, and he could end up starting down the road anyway.
I'd say the Chiefs had a solid draft overall. I'll give it a "B," as I think the trade was risky, but it could really pay off. Aside from that, I gave the Chiefs just one grade worse than a "B" (Ukeme Eligwe - "D") so they did a quality job with the 2017 NFL Draft.
Read more at
http://www.walterfootball.com/nfldra...gl1710o0dVl.99