ESPN Draft Expert Raves About Five of KC Chiefs' 2024 NFL Draft Picks

The Kansas City Chiefs have earned rave reviews regarding their haul from the 2024 NFL Draft, with five of their seven selections earning special praise from NFL draft analyst Matt Miller of ESPN. Miller ranked the 100 best picks from the 257-player draft, and members of the Chiefs' class appear early and often.

Miller's first mention of Kansas City comes with his fourth-favorite pick of the draft: KC landing speedy Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy at No. 28 overall.

"The NFL seriously let the fastest person ever timed at the combine (4.21 seconds) go to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs?," Miller asked. "After two years of desperately trying to add a speedy target to replace Tyreek Hill, GM Brett Veach moved up four spots in the first round to get his guy. Worthy is a dangerous deep threat but also has a diverse set of route skills and can change the game as a punt returner."

Miller's second-favorite Chiefs selection hasn't received quite as much buzz as Worthy, but he is another pass-catcher for Mahomes. At No. 18 on his list, Miller highlights TCU tight end Jared Wiley, who the Chiefs selected with pick No. 131. Wiley was the No. 83 overall player on Miller's pre-draft big board.

"In the 2013 draft, the Chiefs selected a quarterback-turned-tight-end with great traits named Travis Kelce," Miller wrote. "In the 2024 draft, they drafted a quarterback-turned-tight-end with great traits in Wiley. No, I'm not saying he'll be the next Kelce, but Veach and coach Andy Reid know former QBs make great tight ends because they understand the entire offense and are great at finding space on the fly. His 6-foot-6 size and potential are intriguing enough to make this one of the more fun developmental picks in the class."

Miller doesn't rank another Chiefs pick until No. 61 on his list, where he slots in sixth-round pick Kamal Hadden, cornerback from Tennessee, who Miller had as his No. 126 overall player. The Chiefs selected him at No. 211.

"The Chiefs are one of the NFL's best teams at finding defensive backs on Day 3, and Hadden might be the next in that line" Miller wrote. "He has excellent size at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, and he showed the ball skills to be a key NFL player in college (three interceptions in 2023). With L'Jarius Sneed traded to Tennessee, Hadden has a path to early playing time."

Next, Miller highlights KC's No. 133 overall pick for a player who was No. 57 overall on his final big board: Washington State safety Jaden Hicks.

"Hicks had buzz as the top safety in the class, making this a great get for the Chiefs," Miller wrote. "He has experience at safety, inside linebacker and slot corner, and he could be a Drue Tranquill-like player in Steve Spagnuolo's defense."

The last Chiefs selection on Miller's list was KC's second-round selection, BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia.

"The connections between Suamataia and Kansas City were red-hot before the draft, so it's not a shock that the team selected him in Round 2," Miller wrote. "The question will be where he plays. The Chiefs have a need at left tackle, but Wanya Morris played well when thrust into action late last season as a rookie. Could Suamataia be a future replacement for pricey right tackle Jawaan Taylor, given his struggles in 2023? I think so."

Miller's takeaway here is a unique one, suggesting that Suamataia could be a right tackle, replacing Taylor. Taylor is essentially uncuttable until after the 2025 season, which would leave Suamataia on the bench for the first two years of his career.

1 (28): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
2 (63): Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
4 (131): Jared Wiley, TE, TCU
4 (133): Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
5 (159): Hunter Nourzad, C, Penn State
6 (211): Kamal Hadden, CB, Tennessee
7 (248): C.J. Hanson, G, Holy Cross