2023 NFL Draft grades: Kansas City Chiefs add key pieces to keep championship window wide open

Overall Kansas City Chiefs grade: A

The draft feels less important when Mahomes is your quarterback, but the Chiefs made great use of their picks. Pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah was a perfect use of their first-round selection and now the Chiefs have two young, talented edge rushers with Anudike-Uzomah joining George Karlaftis. Rice gives the Chiefs a type of receiver they needed to add to the offense and Wanya Morris is a sleeper pick to potentially be their long-term right tackle. This was the exact type of draft the Chiefs needed in order to keep their championship window open (which will never close as long as Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes).

Favorite pick: Rashee Rice, WR, SMU (55th overall)

Rice is the type of do-it-all receiver the Chiefs needed to add to their group. Rice isn’t quite the burner the rest of the Chiefs’ receivers are, but he’s a strong technician, a quality route runner and made a lot of plays for SMU. Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney can raise the ceiling of an offense with their ability to make big plays, but guys like Rice raise the floor. He’s the perfect complement to the players they already have on the roster and with Patrick Mahomes he might be able to make a big impact as a rookie.

Least favorite pick: Chamarri Conner, S, Virginia Tech (119th overall)

Choosing Conner as a bad pick here is nitpicking, but he wasn’t really projected to go this high. Maybe they could have grabbed him later in the draft.

Full Chiefs draft

Kansas State edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah (R1, 31st overall)

SMU WR Rashee Rice (R2, 55th)

Oklahoma OT Wanya Morris (R3, 92nd)

Virginia Tech DB Chamarri Conner (R4, 119th)

Stephen F. Austin edge BJ Thompson (R4, 166th)

Texas DT Keondre Coburn (R6, 194th)

Ball State CB Nic Jones (R7, 250th)