The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a Super Bowl loss last season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Patrick Mahomes was the reason for the team making it back to the big game, but the rest of the team had some holes to fill. The wide receivers seemed to have struggled a bit, and the running backs could not get much going.
Additionally, the Chiefs lost a few key players, and their defense needs a little bit of an improvement if they are going to head back to Super Bowl Sunday.
The draft is where they really beefed up the team. They took offensive tackle Josh Simmons in the first round, defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round, three other defensive players, and two skill position players the rest of the draft.
There are a couple rookies that could start right away and take the job of a few veterans.
Chiefs Two Starting Offensive Tackles are Replaceable
The Chiefs re-signed Trey Smith this offseason, which is a huge move for them. However, Kansas City traded Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears, which opened up a spot on the line. The Chiefs needed to sign someone to block the blindside for Mahomes.
That person is Jaylon Moore. Per PFF, Moore had a total grade of 74.9, and he was a little bit better in the passing game than he was in the rushing game. Moore is coming from the San Francisco 49ers, a place where he was not a full-time starter. But, the Western Michigan University product has played well enough in the past to earn a starting job.
For the Chiefs, it looks like Moore will be the starting left tackle, at least for now. However, it is not set in stone at the moment, and he will have to play his best to keep that spot.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor has not been great recently. Last year, Taylor had a PFF grade of 60.1. That was 61st out of 81 total tackles. His pass blocking was better than his run blocking, but neither was up to par with what the Chiefs want.
Taylor will have to really improve if he wants to remain on the field for the Chiefs.
Josh Simmons Has a Path to Starting Right Away
Since getting drafted in the first round, Josh Simmons has turned the heads of the coaching staff in Kansas City. He is a hard worker, and he stays locked in during OTAs. The Chiefs used a first round pick on Simmons, which means they think very highly of him. With that, there is a path to starting in the NFL for Simmons.
The only problem is his injury. Kansas City does not see any long-term issues with the knee, which is a very good sign. It is part of the reason he was drafted in the first round. Still, a torn patellar tendon is never easy to come back from.
When healthy, Simmons is a very good offensive lineman.
“When he’s healthy with the tape he had early on last year before the injury, it puts him up there [as] a future starter and difference maker at left tackle,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach said about Simmons, per ESPN’s Adam Teicher.
He will need to heal fully, so he might not start immediately in the NFL. Once he is fully healed, though, Simmons should see regular playing time.
