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The countdown to the 2023 NFL draft in Kansas City is on.
With the biggest moves to be made in free agency now behind us, Chiefs GM Brett Veach and his staff will turn their attention to improving the team during the 2023 NFL draft. The roster is far from complete with over 25 spaces on the 90-man offseason roster up for grabs. The biggest roster need among those 25-plus additions is up for debate.
After losing Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency, many believe that making an addition at the wide receiver position is paramount. Those two players combined for over 100 receptions for 1,230 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns during the course of the 2022 NFL season. They’ll need to make some sort of addition in order to help offset that loss in production.
On the other hand, with the Chiefs also lost a ton of pass-rushing production in free agency. They released Frank Clark, lost Khalen Saunders to the Saints and have yet to re-sign Carlos Dunlap. Those three players combined accounted for 115 pressures last season. Sure, the team added Charles Omenihu in free agency, who had 54 pressures on the year per PFF, but Kansas City clearly still has some work to do there.
Offensive tackle is another option to consider. The Chiefs seem comfortable moving Jawaan Taylor from right tackle to left tackle, but their situation on the opposite side of the line is hardly a good one. While it seems that Lucas Niang will get his chance to earn the job, he’s not been able to stay healthy during his college or NFL career. He missed five games as a senior at TCU due to a hip injury. He missed the latter portion of the 2021 NFL season and postseason after suffering a patellar tendon injury, which also cost him a portion of the 2022 NFL season that he spent on the Reserve/PUP list. In total, he’s appeared just 19 games in the NFL.
What do you think, Chiefs Kingdom? Is wide receiver, edge rusher or offensive tackle the biggest need for the team? Is there another position group that is being overlooked? Be sure to vote in the poll at the top of the page and let us know your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.
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