Mock Draft Round-Up 1.0: Who do the Experts Have the Chiefs Taking in the First Round?

Here’s a look at who is projected to the Chiefs in the latest mock drafts

Mar 09, 2020 at 12:55 PM

Matt McMullen

Chiefs Reporter

The 2020 NFL Draft is right around the corner as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to defend their Super Bowl championship, and as always, the web is chock full of mock drafts, analysis and projections.

Here's the latest look at who the experts have the Chiefs selecting in the first round next month.

Todd McShay of ESPN has the Chiefs taking Texas A&M defensive tackle Justin Madubuike with their first selection, citing Madubuike's dynamic combination of size and athleticism.

"…[Madubuike is an] athletic interior guy who had 11.5 tackles for loss last season and then ran a smoking 4.83 in the 40-yard dash at 293 pounds at the combine."

Texas A&M defensive lineman Justin Madubuike runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Yahoo! Sports' Eric Edholm also went defense for the Chiefs, locking in Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell. Here's a portion of Edholm’s breakdown:

"Terrell might not possess elite ball skills, but the Chiefs have plenty of playmakers in their secondary. What they lack is a good, long press corner who can help combat the Courtland Sutton/Tyrell Williams/Mike Williams types in the division."

Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com, who utilizes an analytics-based method to project her selections, also stuck in the secondary for the Chiefs with Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. In addition to his value on defense, Frelund saw Igbinoghene as a potential playmaker on special teams, too.

"His value on special teams -- 44 kick returns for 1,199 yards and two TDs in three seasons at Auburn -- only adds to the resume."

Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, meanwhile, projects Georgia tailback D'Andre Swift at pick No. 32 in his three-round mock. Here's what Wilson had to say about the selection:

"We don't think the Chiefs will end up taking a RB in Round 1, but we love the idea of the league's best offense getting even better. Swift can do it all and he'd give Andy Reid one more playmaker to make life difficult for the rest of the AFC."

Check out the rest of Wilson's draft by clicking here.

NFL.com's Chad Reuter also has the Chiefs taking Swift in his latest three-round mock, which can be found here. Reuter's analysis was simple enough.

"I don't even want to think about how good the Chiefs' offense will be with Swift in the fold."

Georgia running back D'Andre Swift runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

USA Today Sports chose to bolster Kansas City’s offense as well with Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet, suggesting that the selection could strengthen what's already an elite group.

"…The already-potent offense would be out of control."

Flipping back over to the defense, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine projects Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray to Kansas City at No. 32 while NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah slotted in TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock.

There is still a ways to go in the evaluation process and projections are likely to change often as the weeks go on, but there's little doubt that draft season is alive and well.