The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books. After a flurry of selections from Thursday to Saturday, 259 players were selected to join the NFL.
With that, we give you our full recap of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ draft, with analysis on every selection the team made during the weekend and an in-depth look at their top pick.
For more information on the players your favorite team drafted, it’s not too late to get the 2023 NFL Draft Guide, which includes expanded scouting reports, draft grades, offseason reports, unique advanced data, PFF grades and much more.
More PFF draft content:
LIVE Draft Tracker | Mock Draft Simulator | 2023 NFL Draft Guide
Top 200 Big Board | PFF Mock Drafts | Measureables & Workout Data
NCAA Premium Stats | Draft Rankings By Position | Prospect Superlatives
2023 NFL Draft Picks
R1 (31): EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
R2 (55): WR Rashee Rice, SMU
R3 (92): T Wanya Morris, Oklahoma
R4 (119): S Chamarri Conner, Virginia Tech
R5 (166): EDGE BJ Thompson, Stephen F. Austin
R6 (194): DI Keondre Coburn, Texas
R7 (250): CB Nic Jones, Ball State
Day 1: Anudike-Uzomah produced PFF grades of 74.0 or better in each of the past two seasons and is one of the best edge benders in this draft class. He was one of the most successful players in college football at converting pressures into sacks, with 21 of his 89 pressures over the past two seasons resulting in a sack.
Day 2: The Chiefs add another wide receiver to their committee with a target magnet in Rice, who was asked to do everything at SMU. Rice was top 10 in the country in both deep catches and screen catches in 2022, earning an 85.9 receiving grade on the season with his 16 contested catches, another top-10 mark in the nation. Rice’s 41-inch vertical was 97th percentile and his 10-foot-8 broad jump was 89th.
This may be a bit early to draft Morris, who has a concerning track record due to injuries and a lack of starting experience (never played more than 643 snaps in a season), but the Chiefs are betting on his tools. The former five-star recruit has long arms and uses that length to his advantage.
Day 3: Connor is a strong safety/slot hybrid who was a four-year starter at Virginia Tech. He has the size and length to cover tight ends but misses too many tackles in the pass and run game. More than anything, this pick represents Steve Spagnuolo’s preference for versatile safeties as he tries to find a replacement for Juan Thornhill.
Thompson is a former Baylor recruit who was dominant at Stephen F. Austin this past season. His 92.5 true pass-rush grade in 2022 is near the top of the class. He is lacking in the run game, and level of competition is a concern. Kansas City is banking on his pass-rush ability at 6-foot-6 to contribute to its suddenly loaded edge group.
The 336-pound Coburn joins a group that will compete for snaps in the run-stuffing DT role alongside Chris Jones in Kansas City's defensive line. Coburn produced a decent grading profile as a run defender throughout his Texas career but comfortably had his best season as a pass-rusher in 2022 with 31 pressures and a 79.3 PFF pass-rush grade.
Jones was solid in 2022, producing a 68.7 PFF coverage grade. On the field for 390 coverage snaps, he allowed just 44.1% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be caught this past season.
DRAFT GRADE: B-
Prospect Spotlight: EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Anudike-Uzomah is one of the best edge benders in the draft class. He's the type of edge rusher that's going to convert a lot of pressures to sacks because of that. Of his 89 pressures the past two seasons, 21 ended up as sacks.
Strengths, weaknesses and NFL role
Where he wins: Bend
Bend is one of the most coveted traits for an edge rusher for a reason. Being able to consistently get underneath offensive tackles the way Anudike-Uzomah can make life a lot easier.
What's his role? Every-down EDGE
Anudike-Uzomah's tape this past fall proved you don't want him kicked inside over tackles, but that was already evident with his skill set. He's an edge rusher who you can give an every-down workload if you so choose.
What he can improve: Setting the edge
While Anudike-Uzomah is never going to be a true hard edge setter, stacking and shedding is a necessary part of the position. Right now he's much more worried about finding ball carriers instead of stopping tackles in their tracks.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.