There is only one Mike Mayock mock draft and it's out. The NFL Network analyst doesn't do a dozen NFL mock drafts like some draft folks. Instead he does just one and it comes out the day before the NFL Draft.
Mayock's mock can be seen here. For the Chiefs, he has Houston CB William Jackson III. We've seen him go higher than this in plenty of mocks.
We know all about the positives. Jackson had more than 20 pass breakups last season so he loves getting his hands on the ball like a certain corner for the Chiefs (hi, Marcus Peters). He has the height the Chiefs at corner checking in at 6'. He can press.
"Jackson has very good ball skills, and he can press and play off-coverage," Mayock wrote. "He would form a nice cornerback tandem with last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Marcus Peters."
One downside I see is his thin frame as a scout alluded to here. That is something the Chiefs pay attention to. I imagine the Chiefs would prefer a corner like Peters that has a little bit bigger frame. However, they did draft Phillip Gaines who has a thinner frame too. It's all about the development and how much more weight you can put on.
The Chiefs did send their director of football operations to Houston's pro day last month, presumably to check him out. The same front office exec (Chris Ballard) that traveled to Oakland to vet Marcus Peters before the Chiefs drafted him last year.
Corner doesn't perfectly fit the Dorsey model but the Chiefs do need more competition there, whether it's from the draft or free agency.
Other notes on Mayock's mock:
- Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche is already gone. He's a Rex Ryan pick to the Bills.
- QB Paxton Lynch is off the board at No. 22.
- The run on receivers starts at the Texans 22nd pick. Corey Coleman, Laquon Treadwell and Will Fuller all go in a row there. There was chatter about the Chiefs trading up for a receiver so that's probably the range they would have to get to.
- He has Miami CB Artie Burns going 29th. We've talked about him. Burns is a long corner with really long arms. He's young and would need to be developed by Chiefs DB coaches Emmitt Thomas and Al Harris. I could see him in play.
- West Virginia S Karl Joseph goes 31st. Could also see him being the pick. ESPN's Louis Riddick, whose cousin is the Chiefs director of pro scouting (really) and who previously worked for Andy Reid (hint, hint), thinks he is the best DB in the draft.