Now that the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is in the rear-view mirror, the Kansas City Chiefs can concentrate on who they will be selecting with the No. 32 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Chiefs are coming off of consecutive Super Bowl victories, most recently over the San Francisco 49ers. They’ll return their key pieces like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, but one NFL insider expects them to add a dynamic playmaker to Andy Reid’s explosive offense.
NFL Insider Adam Caplan Has Chiefs Drafting WR Brian Thomas Jr.
With the No. 32 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, NFL insider Adam Caplan mocked LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to the Chiefs.
The 6’4″ Thomas gives Mahomes a legitimate receiving threat. Despite winning the Super Bowl, the Chiefs consistently showed a need to add reliable weapons other than Kelce.
Thomas is just 21 years old and led the FBS with 17 receiving touchdowns in 2023. In his final season, he put up 1,177 yards on 68 receptions for an explosive 17.3 yards per catch. This productivity fits exactly with how Mahomes and Reid have operated with the Chiefs over these last seven years.
Thomas ran an official 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, giving Reid’s offense some needed speed since losing Tyreek Hill via trade to the Miami Dolphins in 2022. Since then, the Chiefs have tried matching the speed with Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdez-Scantling, but neither of those options has completely filled the void left by Hill.
With receiver-needy playoff teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills drafting ahead of the Chiefs, they will need a little bit of luck to land Thomas’ services with the last pick of the first round.
Both Valdez-Scantling and Hardman are free agents, as well as Richie James Jr., who caught 10 passes for 114 yards this season. It’s evident that the Chiefs will need to throw their hat in the ring of teams that need to upgrade at receiver this offseason.
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Last season, the Chiefs drafted wide receiver Rashee Rice out of SMU in the second round. Rice had an extremely productive rookie year, putting up 938 receiving yards and scoring seven touchdowns. The Chiefs can start a youth movement in their receiver room by drafting Thomas.
Caplan noted that Xavier Worthy, who broke the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Combine, could be in play with this pick. But in this mock draft, the higher-rated Thomas is the prospect that gets paired up with Mahomes.
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