9. Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
The Kansas City Chiefs now have two first-round picks in this year’s draft after trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams. And while the idea of having two first-round picks and a very high second-round pick is exciting for the Chiefs, they actually have a lot more holes to fill than anyone seems to realize.
There are question marks on the offensive line. There are question marks all over the secondary. Leo Chenal could leave in free agency, and would be a huge loss if that’s the case. Travis Kelce hasn’t even re-signed yet at the time of this being written.
The Chiefs are dealing with a lot, so they need to start with the obvious. Get the top cornerback on your board, and someone who could step in and take that CB1 status right away.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State
We’re back to your regularly scheduled programming here with the Cincinnati Bengals adding Caleb Downs with the 10th overall pick.
Even as someone who does these exercises all the time, I’m not 100 percent sold that we’ll see Downs go this high. He does make plenty of sense for a team like the Bengals, especially right now, but the safety position is not a premium position. And even the best safety prospects (look at Malaki Starks last year) seem to fall in the draft further than expected.
I could see the Bengals going with a corner here, maybe an offensive lineman, or even a pass rusher, but frankly, the best player on the board is still probably Downs, positional value aside.