Chiefs' Team Needs to Fill in 2022 NFL Draft

The Kansas City Chiefs made a blockbuster move last week when they traded star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. With the deal, the Chiefs parted ways with one of the top playmakers in the NFL and quarterback Patrick Mahomes' former No. 1 option at wide receiver in their offense.

However, Kansas City acquired a lot of draft capital with the move. Among the return was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, which means the Chiefs will now have back-to-back selections late in the opening round, as they already owned the No. 30 selection.

So far this offseason, Kansas City has made some notable moves during free agency, too. It has signed wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and it replaced Tyrann Mathieu at strong safety with the signing of Justin Reid.

But the Chiefs still have plenty of work to do to fill the holes on their roster. And they may be able to accomplish a good bit of that during the draft, which is set for April 28-30.

Here's a closer look at Kansas City's top needs it may have to address during the draft.

Wide Receiver

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Sure, the Chiefs have brought in Smith-Schuster and Valdes-Scantling this offseason. But they still need to strengthen their receiving corps following the loss of Hill, especially because neither Smith-Schuster nor Valdes-Scantling are a sure thing to make a big impact in 2022.

Now that Kansas City owns a pair of first-round selections, it wouldn't be surprising if it used one of the picks on a wide receiver who could become one of Mahomes' top targets in the years to come. Especially because there are a lot of talented playmakers in this year's draft class.

Arkansas' Treylon Burks, Penn State's Jahan Dotson and Georgia's George Pickens could all be potential targets for the Chiefs at either No. 29 or No. 30. They're all solid options who may develop into top wide receivers in the NFL down the line.

Will any rookie receiver immediately take over Hill's role? That's highly unlikely. But the Chiefs need to surround Mahomes with as many talented playmakers as possible so that their offensive production doesn't take a huge hit now that Hill is in Miami.

Perhaps Kansas City will even take more than one receiver in the draft, as it may also try to find a late-round gem who could at least provide more depth.

Defensive End

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Although the Chiefs restructured defensive end Frank Clark's deal this offseason, they haven't done much to bolster their pass rush, which was among its top weaknesses in 2021. Kansas City had only 31 sacks last season, which ranked 29th in the NFL.

The Chiefs need to add an edge rusher or two in the draft, ideally landing somebody who can start on the opposite side of Clark and allow Chris Jones to move back to defensive tackle. It seems quite likely that they'll use one of their first-round picks to address this need.

There are several strong defensive ends who could be available when Kansas City is on the clock late in the first round. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has the Chiefs taking Purdue's George Karlaftis at No. 30, and that could be a move that greatly improves their defensive line in numerous ways.

"Karlaftis is an all-around defensive end who has some pass-rushing traits and can anchor down in the run game," Kiper wrote. "He had only 4.5 sacks last season, but the tools are there."

If Kansas City can add a starting defensive end and potentially another edge rusher for depth, the unit could be much improved from its disappointing showing in 2021.

Cornerback

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The Chiefs lost one of their starting cornerbacks earlier this month when Charvarius Ward signed a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. They still have L'Jarius Sneed to start on one side, but they haven't made any moves to help offset the loss of Ward for 2022.

Not only that, but Mike Hughes signed with the Detroit Lions last week after spending only one season in Kansas City. So the Chiefs have lost a good bit of depth in the secondary without making any signings to help make up for it.

That means it's highly likely that Kansas City will be taking a cornerback within the first few rounds of the draft, potentially even in the first round. If it opts to wait until the second day, then Houston's Marcus Jones could be a top target who could bring playmaking ability to the Chiefs' secondary.

There are a lot of different ways that Kansas City could find a new starting cornerback, but some of the top options in this year's draft class may be ready to immediately fill that role. So if the Chiefs don't plan on signing a replacement for Ward, they're going to want to take a corner early in the draft.