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The 2022 NFL draft was a busy time for the Kansas City Chiefs. They ended up taking two players in the first round, two more in the second and 10 in total across the three-day event, addressing some of the key holes on their roster in the process.
It’s been an eventful offseason for Kansas City, which goes into 2022 without some of its key stalwarts from recent years. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill is with the Miami Dolphins, while safety Tyrann Mathieu remains a free agent and is unlikely to return. So the Chiefs will have some new faces on the field this upcoming season.
That’s why it was important for the team to add plenty of talent during the draft, and it was successful in doing so. It wouldn’t be a surprise if some of these players make an immediate impact for the Chiefs in 2022.
With this year’s rookie class now in place, here are some early hot takes and predictions for the upcoming season.
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The Chiefs weren’t going to be on the clock in the first round until No. 29, and that likely was going to be too late to take Trent McDuffie. So Kansas City sent the Nos. 29, 94 and 121 selections to the New England Patriots in exchange for the No. 21 pick, which it then used to draft the cornerback.
That move is likely to pay immediate dividends for the Chiefs in a big way. The 21-year-old should be a Week 1 starter opposite L’Jarius Sneed in the secondary, providing a substantial upgrade to a unit that needed it after Charvarius Ward left via free agency.
McDuffie was a three-year starter for the Washington Huskies and thrives in both man and zone coverages. He should be a perfect fit in Kansas City, where he’ll immediately be on a team capable of playoff success.
“He’s wired the right way, extreme knowledge of the game, and it was a position that we wanted to address,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said, per The Athletic’s Nate Taylor.
How high is the potential for McDuffie for 2022? Well, the prediction here is he becomes such an impact defensive back during his rookie campaign that he ends up representing Kansas City at the Pro Bowl (unless he’s helping them prepare for the Super Bowl at that point).
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Steve Luciano/Associated Press
McDuffie isn’t the only rookie who will likely be an immediate starter on the Chiefs defense. They needed an edge-rusher to play on the opposite side of Frank Clark, and they acquired one when they took George Karlaftis with the No. 30 overall pick.
Although the 21-year-old should be capable of coming around the edge, he’s strong at collapsing the pocket for opposing offenses and could get a decent number of sacks that way. He had 14 sacks over 26 career games with the Boilermakers, and he may only be getting better as he prepares to begin his NFL career.
“He’s really dedicated to his craft,” Veach said, per Taylor. “All the people that we spoke to at Purdue just talked about how his best football is in front of him.”
Don’t expect Karlaftis to immediately become one of the best pass-rushers in the league, but double-digit sacks isn’t out of the question for 2022. He should make Kansas City’s defensive front much better, and he should provide the team with a solid season on the edge.
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Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press
Even after signing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency, the Chiefs needed to draft a wide receiver to help make up for the loss of Hill. Their receiving corps was still lacking depth and big-play potential, and the team addressed that void in the second round.
Skyy Moore was selected by Kansas City with the No. 54 overall pick, and the former Western Michigan playmaker brings a ton of potential with him to the NFL.
The 21-year-old had a solid three-year college career for the Broncos, breaking out in 2021, when he had 95 catches for 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games.
Most importantly, Moore can line up on the outside and use his speed to get open downfield, which should set him up to receive plenty of deep passes from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It’s a combo that Kansas City fans could get used to seeing over the next few years.
As for 2022, Moore should solidify himself as the No. 2 wide receiver in the Chiefs’ offense, behind only Smith-Schuster. He will likely put up impressive numbers and help fill some of the void caused by Hill’s departure.
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