Chiefs meeting virtually with potential first-round offensive tackle

The Kansas City Chiefs have an interest in a player at a position of need that everybody seems to have been talking about since their loss in Super Bowl LV: offensive tackle. The Chiefs are meeting virtually with Oklahoma State tackle Teven Jenkins, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

Jenkins is a wildly popular prospect. He also is meeting with the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers.

At this writing (before the new league year), the Chiefs have 16 offensive linemen on their roster: Eric Fisher, Kelechi Osemele, Austin Reiter, Andrew Wylie, Mitch Schwartz, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Nick Allegretti, Mike Remmers, Lucas Niang, Martinas Rankin, Stefen Wisniewski, Daniel Kilgore, Yasir Durant, Darryl Williams, Prince Tega Wanogho and Bryan Witzmann. Four of them, however — Osemele, Reiter, Kilgore and Remmers — are set to become unrestricted free agents on March 17, while Wylie will become a restricted free agent.

With starting tackles in Fisher and Schwartz having uncertain-but-optimistic statuses for Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, the Chiefs are awfully thin at tackle (for what it is worth, the Chiefs list Rankin as a tackle on their official roster).

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach recently explained that he plans to bolster the “best five” offensive linemen utilizing both free agency and the NFL Draft.

“(Offensive line) coach (Andy) Heck and our staff did an amazing job,” said Veach Monday, as he discussed the offensive line. “We had two opt-outs with LDT and Niang and we certainly missed those two players throughout the course of the season, and we did a lot of shuffling as you know. Then, certainly the final blow was losing Fisher in that Bills game, and that was a daunting task to go up against that front in the Super Bowl. So, we do like some of the young players and their progress and their development. Andrew Wylie has shown that he can play on a consistent level at that guard position, and (Nick) Allegretti took a step forward and we’re anxious to get Niang back.

“We have a nice blend of some young players that have continued to get better and we think we’ll continue to improve, but certainly our focus will be to bring in some new talent. I like the way this draft looks. The draft looks to be really talented on the offensive line, so I think it will be a combination of what we have in-house and blending that in with some new talent, potentially in free agency and potentially in the draft, but I certainly like the way the draft is shaping up, and I think it’s safe to say we’ll be addressing that in any area we can.”

It would be ideal if the Chiefs can add two offensive linemen in the draft, including at least one at the tackle position. The 6-foot-6 Jenkins may qualify as a steal if the Chiefs can get him at No. 31. Our Kent Swanson is excited:

Thoughts from the AP Draft Team (Kent Swanson)

Whew, baby! There’s so much to like about Teven Jenkins. The only question about the former Topeka High School product is if he will actually be available at 31 for the Chiefs to select. He’s one of the nastiest finishers in the entire 2021 offensive line class, with good movement skills. He’s a smart tackle, gives outstanding effort, is physical at the point of attack — and has room to develop. I would give him an opportunity outside to see if he can translate despite some concerns about his length. I believe he will hold up at tackle, but if he doesn’t, his transition to guard should be an immensely successful one. We’re big fans of Jenkins in the KC Draft Guide — he’s garnered a spot in our top 20 as of right now.

Jenkins primarily played right tackle at Oklahoma State, with a couple of games at left. He was named first-team All-Big 12 (2020) for his redshirt senior season.

Film session

The Chiefs are projected for eight picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday, April 29.