The finale: Know your Chiefs WR draft crush and if I were Veach...

Ranking and tiering the WR's we've looked at over the last few weeks, giving out awards, and "if I were Brett Veach..."

This final edition of “know your WR draft crush” is unlocked for all, because happy draft! If you want to have access to the rest of the series, the film reviews that will follow the draft, and of course the hundreds of other articles in the archives going beyond the box score, you can do so for $12 a year by clicking the button below.

We did it! Sort of. Mostly.

Weeks ago, I set out to review as many wide receivers as possible for this season’s “know your Chiefs draft crush” series. I put together a list of names based on the prospects that were most often requested and churned through their film, trying to get an idea as to what they bring to the table and how they fit with the Chiefs. Here’s everyone I got through (with a link to their article):

Adonai Mitchell (UNLOCKED and contains methodology), Ladd McConkey, Xavier Worthy, Keon Coleman, Brian Thomas Jr., Troy Franklin, Xavier Legette, Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, and then a speed run through Malik Washington, Ricky Pearsall, Roman Wilson, Devontez Walker, Jalen McMillan, Malachi Corley, and Jermaine Burton (if the Chiefs draft any of those guys I’ll circle back for a more thorough review).

We’ve looked at pretty much all of the top prospects at wide receiver, and we know the Chiefs have a need there given the lack of depth, Hollywood Brown being on a one-year deal, and Rashee Rice’s unknown availability (my guess is he’s suspended for 4-6 games or so). But what should Veach do with that information? How do the receivers stack up? Who are the best fits? What is the difference between the best wide receiver and the 6th best wide receiver? All of these things need to be taken into account when deciding how to proceed in one of the (in theory) best WR drafts ever.

So here’s the basic idea… I’ll be placing the receivers into tiers, explaining what is meant by each tier and why each receiver ended up where (and ordering the players within said tiers). Then I’ll give out a few awards for the players reviewed (most dominant, most underrated, etc). Then I’ll talk about what I’d do if I were Brett Veach.

Before we start, here are a few things worth noting in this process that may save you a comment or two!

• It’s worth noting that all the guys we’ve looked at are highly touted prospects. So being in a lower tier of this group is not an insult.

• I’m generally going to stay away from analyzing who is projected to go where, and base the tiers solely on their film (obviously, it’s a different analysis for Veach and in the “if I were Veach” portion). So if you see a guy rated in a spot that doesn’t make sense in terms of a mock draft, that’s why. Because it’s not for mock drafting!

• Within the tiers I’ll list the players in order from most favorite to least favorite. In other words, the first player listed in Tier 2 is viewed a little differently than the 4th. That’s right, tiers within tiers!

Again, the reviews for all of these players can be found by clicking their names in the list above, if you want more detailed analysis on each. Let’s get into it!

Tier 1: The “go and get ‘em” group

What this Tier means: This is the group I would be happy with the Chiefs trading up to get (late teens, early 20’s).

1a - Brian Thomas Jr. stands alone

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the sole WR beyond the “big 3” that I’d want the Chiefs to be aggressive about acquiring is Thomas. And if you recall the review I wrote of him, you know why.

Not only does Thomas possess legitimately elite deep speed and acceleration to match, but he’s got terrific ball skills down the field and the ability make his QB look more accurate by running under the ball without slowing. Remember these two screenshots? This is while Thomas is tracking a ball in the air that’s already been thrown, meaning he’s looking back over his shoulder. And he’s GAINING separation while doing it!

There are two things here you shouldn’t take for granted. The first is that Thomas maintains a high level of speed while running with his head turned. The second is that he drifts towards the trajectory of the ball rather than inside (the direction his head is turned). Both of those things are wildly difficult and not talked about enough in terms of being a legitimate deep threat.

Thomas is also a better route runner than he gets credit for, can get good releases at the line of scrimmage, and shows the ability to deal with contact on routes.

In other words, Thomas’s ceiling and floor are higher than pretty much anyone else in the draft, and he doesn’t carry any real “buts” to his game the way some of my other favorites do. If he drops to the late teens or early 20’s I hope the Chiefs are burning up the phone lines, because not only could he walk onto the field and contribute tomorrow, he has legitimate WR1 skills.

He also happens to fit perfectly into what they need lined up next to Brown, Rice, and Kelce, with a guy who can be your X and downfield threat while he works himself into the rest of Reid’s offense (which he has the physical skillset to be a part of). Thomas walking into the room would give them a shot at one of the better weapon groups in the league, quite the turnaround from last season.

Tier 2: The “I’d take that dude” group

What this Tier means: These are the players I’d be perfectly happy with the Chiefs taking in the first round if they fell to 32 (or, like, 30 or something).

2a- Xavier Worthy

2b- Adonai Mitchell

2c- Ja’Lynn Polk

2d- Troy Franklin

If my view of this group were the Moneyball scene where Beane is asking his scouts about different players, it’d go something like this…

Me: All right, Troy Franklin is too skinny and can’t really deal with contested catch situations at a high level. He had a rough combine. But what does he do?

Scouts mumbling together: He gets open.

Me: He gets open.

This group gets open. Consistently, and against all sorts of coverage. And that’s a valuable trait. Worthy isn’t just a burner, but runs legitimately good routes in a way that weaponizes his speed and tracks the ball well. Mitchell has terrific explosion and deep speed coupled with nuanced routes and ideal size.

Ja’Lynn Polk is one of my favorite players in the draft who manages to separate constantly despite not being a dynamic athlete (while catching absolutely everything in sight). And Franklin just gets open at all 3 levels, constantly.

All four of these guys are players I could see playing 700+ snaps next year for the Chiefs. All of them have the ability to play on the boundary. All of them have a certain dynamic trait (Worthy’s speed, Mitchell’s explosion, Polk’s adjustments and ball skills, Franklin’s quick twitch movement) that should allow them to punish teams for playing man coverage and/or cheating towards Kelce.

They also all have a pretty major “yeah, but…” that comes up against them. Worthy is extremely undersized. Mitchell’s production has never matched his physical talent and route running. Polk doesn’t have high-level downfield speed. And Franklin is too skinny and can get pushed around. So for each of these guys, there’s a fly in the ointment that could lead to them being a “meh” pro or, worse, a bust. That’s what separates this group from Thomas, who doesn’t have that visible “yeah, but…” to his game. BUT that doesn’t take away from what this group does well and what each could add to the offense.

In terms of their ranking within this tier, I can tell you very honestly that I switched around Mitchell/Worthy/Polk multiple times, but ultimately Worthy having the most dominant trait won the day. Even as I type this I want to put Mitchell back above him. And maybe Polk too. I need to move on before I tinker more.

Tier 3: The “grab him earlier in the 2nd before it’s too late” group

What this Tier means: Players that I’d be more hesitant about for a 1st rounder, but who are good enough that I’d be happy for Kansas City to trade up before that 64th pick.

3a- Ricky Pearsall

3b- Ladd McConkey

I swear these two aren’t grouped together on purpose. I know there are a bunch of jokes we could make… but don’t! This is really where each of these guys land for me.

Both are really good route runners who have a lot of quickness to go along with high-level deep speed as well. That’s a tough combination to find anywhere, and both of these guys looked like separators against man coverage at a rate I think could help the offense a lot. They’re both good players. I like Pearsall a bit more because he’s got a tad more size to him and looks more comfortable in adjusting to the ball down the field.

Both of them have to answer questions about how they’ll deal with physicality at the next level, but I think both of them showed off a release package sufficient enough to deal with it at the line and the fluidity to deal with it on their routes. However, for that reason I’m not quite as sold on these two having the same ability to win 1x1 at the next level as they had in college, despite both being impressive.

That said, if the Chiefs go elsewhere with their 1st round pick, and one or both of these guys are available as the picks get to the late 40’s or mid-50’s… I’d be highly tempted to try and grab them. I think both have a higher floor than the next tier, where (while still talented) we’re getting to guys whose floor spooks me (as much as you can get spooked when talking about a historically deep draft).

(HEY… if you’re enjoying this, you should really click the button below to become a full-fledged subscriber for 12 bucks a year, and get all the coverage throughout the season and beyond, from reviewing every Patrick Mahomes snap every week to discussing the struggles of the deep ball in 2023 to diving deep into Hollywood Brown’s film. Click that button. You know you want to.

Tier 4: The 64’s

What this Tier means: These are the players I’d be fine with the Chiefs taking if they fell to their second round pick as it currently stands, but wouldn’t be aggressive pursuing before that.

4a- Jermaine Burton

4b- Xavier Legette

4c- Javon Baker

Jermaine Burton could actually fall into that Tier 2 group of “he gets open.” Because Burton gets open a TON. Like, constantly, at all three levels. He’s got really exceptional fluidity coupled with a solid speed/acceleration/quickness combination, and he runs solid routes. His film alone is up there with some of the top guys. The SOLE reason he’s not a tier higher is I just can’t bring myself to advocate for the Chiefs to trade up for a dude who smacked a fan rushing the field (as much as I’m fine giving people a second chance, it just feels off). But make no mistake, his film is terrific.

Legette and Baker are a bit different (not that both don’t have good film. They often do). Legette’s ceiling is sky-high and he may be someone who can walk onto the field immediately as a deep threat, but his floor is also “can’t get on the field” when you take into consideration his lack of agility and nuance in route running at this point. And while Baker is tough as nails and does a lot of things I like, he (even more so than Polk) lacks dynamic athleticism and it’s easy to see a future where he just can’t quite separate as a pro. At the same time, both have the tools to be an excellent WR2.

Tier 5: Sure, if they’re available a bit later

What this Tier means: Players I would not want to see the Chiefs taking in the first 2 rounds but would be fine with a flyer in rounds 3-4.

5a- Devontez Walker

5b- Jalen McMillan

5c- Roman Wilson

5d- Keon Coleman

This entire group could be summed up as “if they hit, it’ll be awesome… but I’m not sure they will.”

Walker is a really terrific deep threat, maybe better than Legette is at this point to be perfectly honest. But he doesn’t look like he has a ton of potential on shorter routes in terms of movement skills, and he doesn’t have the freaky athlete thing to fall back on as a YAC guy. McMillan runs nice routes and has some good burst to him, but I’m not sure he can be a boundary guy based on how little I saw him work against non-free releases in college and the way contact bothered him. Either has a very high ceiling, though, and one that can’t be ignored.

Wilson has some unknown because of his role in college, despite being a terrific all-around athlete who stepped up more than a couple times when it mattered most. He’s also a little undersized and is an unknown on the boundary. And Coleman… well, he feels like he’ll either be a WR1 or scraping the depth chart, and for the life of me I can’t figure out which. But he just doesn’t separate well, and that’s a big deal for me.

Tier 6: The flyers

What this Tier means: Players I wouldn’t take earlier than the 5th round, if at all.

6a- Malik Washington

6b- Malachi Corley

Washington is dynamic and has terrific hands. Corley runs with mean intentions. Both are terrific with the ball in their hands. But neither of them really played like a WR in college, and I just don’t see the need for their skillset given what the Chiefs already have on the roster in terms of niche, gadget-type guys.

Awards Season

Best route runner- Ladd McConkey

“That ball mine” award- Ja’Lynn Polk

Best downfield threat- Brian Thomas Jr.

Highest Ceiling- Adonai Mitchell

Most Fun to Watch- Xavier Worthy

Most Overrated- Malik Washington, Keon Coleman

Most Underrated- Ja’Lynn Polk

If I were Brett Veach…

I came into this draft crush series hoping to be impressed by the WR group, and that’s exactly what happened. Beyond just the first few guys, there’s a whole lot to like in basically every tier here. Even as I focused a bit on the negatives in this piece for purposes of explaining why guys aren’t in a higher tier, it’s worth noting that virtually all of them have certain traits that could lead to a nice ceiling.

What that means is that there are a number of directions Veach could go and I wouldn’t be unhappy. But for me, the favorite scenario in this draft is if Brian Thomas Jr. falls to, say, 19 or so (the Rams pick). If I were Brett Veach, I’d be willing to pay the price at that point to go up and get him. As I said above, he’s a great fit for what the Chiefs need now AND has a very high ceiling as a pro. It can be tough to get receivers like that in the mid-to-late first round.

One thing that’s worth noting is that all it takes for Thomas to fall is one or two teams falling in love with the traits that Worthy, Mitchell, McConkey, Franklin etc (guys who have been discussed as first rounders more frequently) have shown. Let’s say a team is enamored with Worthy’s speed and another with McConkey’s route running. That’s five receivers already in the 1st round (counting the Big Three). That would allow Thomas to get within striking range realistically.

If Thomas doesn’t fall low enough, if I were Veach I would not trade up for any of the other guys on my 1st rounder list. The reason for this is that if you combine Tiers 1-3, you end up with a total of 7 players. That’s in ADDITION to the Big Three at WR, meaning there are 10 players I wouldn’t be upset with at 32 (McConkey and Pearsall wouldn’t have me thrilled, but I’d be able to live with it). In a situation where there are that many options, I don’t believe it makes sense to give up assets to move up more than a pick or two to get “your guy.”

In fact, the scenario that could make the most sense if Thomas isn’t in striking range, as much as I really like the guys in Tier 2, could be to trade back into the early 2nd round and then double up on WR in a draft with incredible depth. When you consider where guys like Polk, Pearsall, Burton, McMillan, and Walker (all guys who I think have a shot to contribute in year 1) could well fall, perhaps it makes sense to to do something like trade back, draft your favorite of the bunch (Polk for me) in the 2nd round and then grabbing whoever falls to the 4th.

That “doubling up” idea is something I’d like to see Veach do even if he doesn’t trade back. For example, let’s say they decide to go tackle in the 1st round. Then it makes sense to grab your favorite of the Tier 2 or Tier 3 guys who are left in the early 2nd by trading up a bit, then waiting to see what Tier 3 or Tiers 4-5 guys are available in the 3rd or 4th round. By doubling up, you acknowledge the randomness of the draft (with 2 shots at the dartboard instead of one) and try to set yourself up at WR for years to come (if you somehow manage to hit on both).

In short, I’m a “go get Thomas” guy, but if that doesn’t work out I’m a “double up at the position” guy… with a caveat that I’d be perfectly happy with the Chiefs just sticking to 32 and grabbing whatever Tier 2 guy falls to them.

So like I said… the options feel almost limitless in a draft so filled with talent at WR. Here’s hoping we’re celebrating some of these guys wearing red and gold after this weekend.