With 12 selections in the 2022 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs are loaded with the draft capital needed to reload at key positions to try to get back to a fifth-straight AFC title game.
General manager Brett Veach hit home runs in the 2021 NFL draft when he selected Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith to rebuild the offensive line. He'll need similar hits in the 2022 class as Kansas City faces depth problems at wide receiver, defensive end, cornerback and safety. And that doesn't include future needs at right tackle and tight end.
The Chiefs have been the standard in the AFC since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018, but to remain in that lofty position the roster must be turned over after the losses of stars Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu. They're also going to face salary-cap issues Mahomes' contract value goes up as part of his extension signed in 2020.
With 12 picks -- including six in the first three rounds -- now is the time to do a roster renovation. Here's one look at how Veach and Co. can add key pieces to fuel another deep playoff run.
First, some rules:
There are no trades projected in this mock draft, even though the Chiefs are in a great position to maneuver in Round 1. I wanted to show just how many needs Kansas City has and how effectively those needs can be filled via the draft.
We're keeping this realistic with each selection by drafting players who are ranked near the selection number on my overall Big Board.
Scroll to the bottom to see how ESPN Chiefs reporter Adam Teicher evaluates this haul. We'll start with the two picks at Nos. 29 and 30:
