Meet the 7 new Chiefs players as part of their 2023 draft class

The Kansas City Chiefs made seven picks this weekend as part of the 2022 NFL Draft. Let’s get to know your eight new Chiefs:

First-round pick (No. 31): Kansas State EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah

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Felix Anudike-Uzomah is a 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive end out of Kansas State.

Chiefs’ take: “The motor, the relentless effort — and a guy that had a ton of production at Kansas State. A majority of his production was coming in a big-time conference at 19 and 20 years old. I think every year he’s been there, you could see the growth and development in being so young. I still think there’s a huge window for him to continue to grow and develop. We’re excited that we get him at this stage of his career and being so young. Got a lot of years to work with and continue to grow and develop him.” - general manager Brett Veach

How he fits with the Chiefs (Ron Kopp): “Right away, Anudike-Uzomah should come in and compete for a starting position on the edge of the defensive front. He may have to play on the weak side, opposite of defensive end George Karlaftis — who can play in the strong-side spot. He can play on all downs right away but has a very high ceiling to be the team’s best edge rusher if he fills into his physical profile.”

Second-round pick (No. 55): SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice

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Rashee Rice is a 6-foot-1, 204-pound wide receiver out of SMU.

Chiefs’ take: “He’s a big kid. He’s explosive. The one thing he really does — he’s got a 41-inch vertical leap. This kid is explosive. He’ll go up and get the football, and then once he catches the ball, you could see, he’s violent. He turns into a running back after the catch — and so that’s a big part of our offense here. We felt really comfortable with him.” - assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi

How he fits with the Chiefs (Ron Kopp): “Rice fills a slot in the Chiefs’ receiving room that they needed to fill. They have smaller, quicker receivers that can win on quick passes — but Rice can play on the perimeter, win through physical coverage and make plays in contested areas. He’ll need to be more consistent at the NFL level to live up to this pick, but he has the ceiling of a legitimate weapon on the outside.”

Third-round pick (No. 92): Oklahoma offensive lineman Wanya Morris

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Wanya Morris is a 6-foot-5, 307-pound offensive tackle out of Oklahoma.

Chiefs’ take: “He’s a big, long athletic tackle who played right tackle at Oklahoma — and he played left tackle at Tennessee when he was there playing next to Trey... He’s got a ton of tools... He’s long, he’s athletic, he’s got the feet. Now he’s just got to put everything together — and we feel comfortable with our room here that he’ll learn from some of these guys here.” - assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi

How he fits with the Chiefs (Ron Kopp): “Morris can come in and compete for the right tackle position — but that doesn’t mean he will win. He has some development to go through, and the existing players at that position could be more immediately ready. However, I wouldn’t rule out Morris seeing a spot in the starting lineup; he’ll firmly be in the mix.”

Fourth-round pick (No. 119): Virginia Tech defensive back Chamarri Conner

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Chamarri Conner is a 6-foot, 206-pound defensive back out of Virginia Tech.

Chiefs’ take: “He was asked to do a lot of things — play a lot of positions at Virginia Tech — so [we like] his versatility. He will play any position that you need to in the back end. And he just brings size, speed, burst — everything. I just love the way he plays — and [he’s] a guy that will want to do anything and everything for the team.” - Kansas City scout Anthony McGee

How he fits with the Chiefs (Ron Kopp): “Conner projects to be a special-teams contributor right away, as Chiefs’ area scout defensive back Chamarri Conner. He joins a crowded defensive backfield, but has the disruption ability and play-making around the line of scrimmage to be used in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unique blitz schemes.”

Fifth-round pick (No. 166): Stephen F. Austin EDGE BJ Thompson

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BJ Thompson is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound edge rusher out of Stephen F. Austin.

Chiefs’ take: “This guy’s a freaky athlete... he’s almost 6’6” and he’s got 35-inch arms. His bend, his flexibility, his ability to just come off the edge is pretty impressive. You kind of saw that throughout his time at SFA and also the East-West Shrine Game that he played at. That’s where he kind of just really jumped off the page. You got a long, athletic defensive end, arrow up on this kid. His ability to rush the passer, you get excited about that for sure.” - Southwest area scout Jason Lamb

How he fits with the Chiefs (Ron Kopp): “Thompson joins players like defensive ends Joshua Kaindoh and Malik Herring as pass rushers at the fringes of the roster. He may have more juice than either of those players right off the snap, but it may take some further development for him to be able to play legitimate snaps with the Chiefs. He’s a fun swing at getting more speed off the edge.”

Sixth-round pick (No. 194): Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn

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Keondre Coburn is a 6-foot-2, 332-pound defensive tackle out of Texas.

Chiefs’ take: “Keondre, he’s a big dude up front. Strong, powerful, explosive, and the thing about him though — for being as big as he is, the dude could move. He’ll go out there. He’ll chase quarterbacks. He can run around, make the quarterback scramble outside the pocket. He’s going to bring a big presence up front. A lot of explosiveness, a lot of power, a lot of strength in his game.” - Southwest area scout Jason Lamb

How he fits with the Chiefs (Ron Kopp): “Coburn comes into a defensive tackle room that needs more bodies that can contribute — and Coburn can immediately. He’ll compete with guys like Derrick Nnadi for the nose tackle position and has the tools to win it. He may not be able to play on the later, pass downs, but he can be an asset in run defense right away.”

Seventh-round pick (No. 250): Ball State cornerback Nic Jones

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Nic Jones is a 6-foot, 189-pound cornerback out of Ball State.

Scout’s take: “Jones is a long cornerback with average speed but a natural feel for making plays on the football. He’s more confident and consistent at maintaining his feel for the route from press than from off-man. Jones plays with a lane-jumping mentality in off coverage when flat-footed but could succumb to double moves in the pros. Shoddy tackling will work against him, but teams will appreciate his ability to challenge punts and kicks off the edge. Jones might find work as a backup in a press-heavy scheme if he tests well.” - NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein

How he fits with the Chiefs (Ron Kopp): “Jones should come in and be a good fit for the Chiefs’ cornerback room, slotting in specifically on the perimeter towards the sideline. He should compete with Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, and Nazeeh Johnson at the fringes of the depth chart for an active roster spot. He would need to be very impressive to earn a spot, especially because his athletic profile does not suggest him being a contributor on special teams..”