Realistic Draft Trade Possibilities for the Kansas City Chiefs

Trades are part of every NFL draft, and since the implementation of the rookie wage scale as part of the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, it seems that teams are even more willing to pull the trigger on them. 

For a team knocking on the door of championship contention like the Kansas City Chiefs, this trade-friendly era provides a prime opportunity to get the exact pieces needed.

Since arriving in 2013, general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid have made a couple of bold moves. Examples include the 2013 trade for then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith and this year's trade for New Orleans Saints guard Ben Grubbs. 

Some additional deft maneuvering in the midst of this week's NFL draft could land the Chiefs with another key player or with a bevy of picks to use for building the future. However, not every potential trade is a truly realistic one.

With this latter point in mind, let's take a look at some draft-day trades that the Chiefs could realistically execute and why they would make sense for the franchise. 

Package the 18th Overall Pick and a Future Pick to Move Up and Secure a Receiver

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We have probably heard it about a hundred times since the end of the season, but it is still hard to believe that no Chiefs receiver caught a touchdown pass in 2014.

There is obviously a need at the wideout position, even after the offseason addition of Jeremy Maclin. If Kansas City wants to ensure it can snag an elite No. 1 receiver prospect, trading up from No. 18 may be the only way to do it. 

Landing either Alabama's Amari Cooper or West Virginia's Kevin White would likely require a trade into the top 10 and would be incredibly expensive. However, trading up to secure a guy like Louisville's DeVante Parker or UCF's Breshad Perriman is a little more realistic. 

This is a scenario that ESPN Insider Mark Dominik recently pitched:

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Kansas City needed to totally revamp the WR position this offseason, and if Parker joins free-agent addition Jeremy Maclin, the Chiefs will have really upgraded their offense, In order to land Parker, they would need to move ahead of the Vikings at No. 11, who could take the former Louisville receiver because of his familiarity with the Vikings second-year QB Teddy Bridgewater, who played at Louisville.

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Parker is generally considered the third-best wideout in this draft class, though Perriman is currently on the rise. If it looks like either player will fall to No. 18, then a trade clearly wouldn't be necessary. However, if it appears there could be a first-round run on pass-catchers, a trade may be the only way to land a top prospect, if that's the Chiefs' priority. 

Going above the St. Louis Rams at No. 10 wouldn't make a whole lot of sense, but trading anywhere from there to No. 17 in order to secure the wideout the Chiefs love certainly does. 

Trade Up from 49th Overall for a Second-Round Receiver

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If the Chiefs decide to look in another direction in Round 1, it doesn't mean that they can't land a top-notch receiving prospect.

Guys like Jaelen Strong of Arizona State, Devin Funchess of Michigan, Nelson Agholor of USC and Phillip Dorsett of Miami have the talent and the skill sets to be immediate NFL starters. Former Missouri wideout Dorial Green-Beckham had top-10 talent but won't go that high because of numerous off-field concerns.

While a handful of these guys may end up going in the first round, at least a few are sure to fall to the top section of the second. It is here that it might make sense for Kansas City to move up and grab its guy. 

This could especially be the case if Green-Beckham falls to the top of Round 2. As NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported, the Chiefs visited with the talented but questionable receiver, who could even be a target with their first-round selection:

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Ex-#Mizzou WR Dorial Green-Beckham is visiting the #Chiefs today, source said. Could be an ideal landing spot at No. 18

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 21, 2015"

If guys like Strong, Agholor and Dorsett start coming off the board in the middle of Round 1, however, Green-Beckham may slide past No. 32. Trading up to the top of the second round would clearly be less costly than a similar move in the first, so this could present an opportunity to steal a guy like Green-Beckham without mortgaging the future.

Even if Green-Beckham isn't a realistic target, it makes sense to go after another of the second-tier prospects in order to find a complement to Maclin in the Kansas City passing game.  

Trade Up on the First or Second Day for an Offensive Lineman

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Kansas City was rated just 19th overall in run-blocking for the 2014 season, according to Pro Football Focus. For a team that so often turns to Jamaal Charles and the running game (100 more rushing plays than pass plays in 2014), this clearly should be unacceptable.

The trade for Grubbs should help things at left guard, but the other guard and the tackle positions are cause for concern.

If Iowa guard/tackle Brandon Scherff falls past No. 10, it would make plenty of sense for the Chiefs to move up and grab him. Moving up to grab a guard prospect like Florida State's Tre' Jackson or Duke's Laken Tomlinson on the second day of the draft would also make sense, as the team could use an upgrade at the right guard position.

Pro Football Focus ranked current right guard Zach Fulton 64th overall at his position and 72nd in run-blocking in 2014. 

Trade Down from No. 18 If Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon Is Still on the Board

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Though a running back hasn't been selected in the first round in either of the past two drafts, there are two backs worthy of a Day 1 selection this year.

Georgia's Todd Gurley and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon both have the potential to be legitimate game-changers at the next level and should be highly coveted by teams without an established franchise back.

With Jamaal Charles on the roster, the Chiefs are not one of those teams and can certainly afford to look at another position in the first round. However, if Gurley and Gordon make it past the San Diego Chargers at No. 17 or even the Miami Dolphins at No. 14, Kansas City may be in prime position to trade away its pick so that a team can leap ahead of the Cleveland Browns at No. 19.

If the Dolphins or Chargers select either Gurley or Gordon and the other remains, the 18th overall pick may become even more valuable.

The Browns, of course, are in need of offensive firepower, while the Detroit Lions (23rd overall), Arizona Cardinals (24th) and Dallas Cowboys (27th) are playoff teams with a need for a workhorse runner.

Trade Down on Day 2 to Allow a Team to Grab a Quarterback

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The Chiefs have Alex Smith under contract for another four seasons, so there definitely isn't a real need at the quarterback position.

However, there are a number of teams who are not quite so lucky and who may be interested in moving up to strengthen that position in this year's draft.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they likely don't sit high enough at No. 18 to ransom another team for the rights to Florida State's Jameis Winston or Oregon's Marcus Mariota.

However, they sit right in the middle of the second and third rounds (49th and 80th, respectively), where guys like UCLA's Brett Hundley, Baylor's Bryce Petty and Colorado State's Garrett Grayson may still be sitting and drawing interest.

Unless the Chiefs are really interested in picking up another developmental prospect to back up Smith (they already have Chase Daniel and Aaron Murray), they should be in prime position to move down and gain an extra selection or two so that a quarterback-needy team can grab one of the second-tier signal-callers.

The Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles all draft after the Chiefs in the second and third round, and none have a clear-cut, long-term answer at quarterback.