On Thursday, ESPN analyst Todd McShay published his latest mock draft — this one for the first two rounds. He predicted multiple first-round trades that would shuffle things quite a bit — and called for the Kansas City Chiefs to take an edge rusher with the 31st pick.
31. Azeez Ojulari • OLB • Georgia
It’s difficult not to force an offensive tackle in here, and maybe the Chiefs reach a little for Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg or Michigan’s Jalen Mayfield. But the class is deep enough that they could find a solid tackle in Round 2, and the signings of Joe Thuney and Kyle Long — along with the return of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif — at least help shore up the interior. Edge rushing is a big concern too. Ojulari is a real specialist there, and a quartet of Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Jarran Reed and Ojulari could be problematic for opposing QBs.
In February, McShay picked Washington defensive end Joe Tryon for the Chiefs. On March 4th, he called for the Chiefs to take Missouri inside linebacker Nick Bolton in the first round.
And after suggesting the Chiefs could find a solid offensive tackle in the second round, he picked one at 63.
63. Walker Little • OT • Stanford
I couldn’t finish off a two-round mock without giving the Chiefs an offensive tackle. The value wasn’t there in Round 1, and Little might even be a stretch here at No. 63, but the Chiefs have to use an early pick on an OT. Little is massive and an effective run blocker, but he missed essentially the entire 2019 season and then opted out in 2020. There’s plenty of risk here.
McShay’s mock also shows Alex Leatherwood going with the 60th pick, so he could also be available when the Chiefs are on the clock. Of course, by the time the draft arrives, the Chiefs might have been able to sign a stopgap tackle in free agency, which would remove a lot of the immediate risk McShay sees in selecting Little.