Why this NFL Draft should drive Chiefs’ offseason plans — even a L’Jarius Sneed trade

The Chiefs front office is set up in Indianapolis this week, in attendance for the NFL Combine, where two names have driven both public and private conversations.

L’Jarius Sneed and Chris Jones.

To be expected, right? The blueprint of their offseason will be directed by the outcomes of their two most attractive in-house free agents.

But it’s not the only purpose — or even the primary purpose, really — of the week in Indianapolis. There are some 300 NFL Draft prospects rolling through Lucas Oil Stadium who just might have some connection with the Chiefs’ future.

The two themes — internal free agents and future prospects — ought to be intertwined in the Chiefs’ thinking, and not just when the draft arrives but immediately.

Because as the Chiefs deal with the reality that they might be playing without a couple of valuable players next season, there’s a break falling their way this offseason:

The makeup of this year’s draft class.

These things go in waves, but there’s a consensus about the 2024 NFL Draft, best illustrated by the quick-reflex response from Chiefs general manager Brett Veach when I asked him for a big-picture thought on it this week.

“Good wideout class,” he said. “Good O-line class.”

Can’t help but wonder which teams might be interested in wide receivers and offensive tackles this offseason.

Oh, yeah. The one in Kansas City. The team that just won a second consecutive Super Bowl despite below-average play from their offensive tackles and wide receivers.

It’s not their only needs. (Should we even call them needs anymore?) But those two positions should top their list of preferences. They represent the best opportunities for improvement, and they come on the side of the ball in most need of improvement, believe it or not. And they are premium positions. And they just so happen to be plentiful in next month’s draft.

It would probably be a bit too strong to call this a luxury for a team that doesn’t pick until No. 32 is on the clock, but it should be enough to influence other moves.

Which brings me back to Sneed.

The Chiefs have been exploring a trade that would allow Sneed to get paid elsewhere, I’m told. My understanding is some teams, buoyed by an unprecedented increase in the salary cap allotment, are willing to pay him at the top of the cornerback market.

As I wrote earlier this week, the Chiefs not only can’t afford to be that team, but their back-to-back Super Bowl runs have been defined by their willingness to move on from players in similar situations — Tyreek Hill, Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward, Orlando Brown Jr. and others.

That was then. Now? It lines up even more perfectly. Look, you always want to collect as many draft picks as possible, particularly if you’re a team that tends to hit on draft picks like the Chiefs have, tossing aside the disadvantage of their draft position. But this is year, a draft class, in which the Chiefs could really benefit from some extra resources. Trading Sneed — they’ve not yet tagged him as of this writing, per sources, while the two sides explore trade options — would allow them to add to the collection.

Even after we acknowledge the best of the top talent — players like Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze — will be gone by the time the Chiefs step to the lectern, the aftermath will still leave the Chiefs with options. That’s what makes this crop of receivers distinct. Strong at the top and deep.

Or, as NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah put it while talking to NFL teams’ media: “Wide receivers — which we can have this conversation (and) you can record it and air it next year — is loaded. Offensive tackle, one of the better offensive tackle years that we’ve had. I think we could see a record. We could see like eight tackles go in the first round. It wouldn’t shock me.”

Here’s another way to look at it. In Jeremiah’s draft prospect rankings, 12 of the top-50 are wide receivers. Eight are offensive tackles. That’s 40% of the top-50 players falling into the Chiefs’ two biggest positions of attraction.

To show it’s not just Jeremiah, or Veach for that matter, the Pro Football Focus big board has nine receivers and 10 offensive tackles among its top-48 players.

So, yes, even at No. 32, the Chiefs would have options. But just as relevant, if the Chiefs can secure another pick in the second round for Sneed — the most likely draft-pick value, if that’s the route they choose — they might be able to get one of each position without having to stretch from their board to do it.

It’s ideal timing, in other words, to grab an additional pick.

For multiple reasons.

The positions line up with their needs and are premium positions that should always be targeted in the early rounds. And it’s in an era in which the Patrick Mahomes contract will swell, occupying an even greater percentage of the salary cap.

The talent of this year’s class could be a break for a team that, quite frankly, needs to make its own luck on draft weekend. It’s not just that the Chiefs pick at the back end of every round. They tried to move up a year ago, interested in both wide receivers and defensive linemen, but were rejected. There’s a prevailing thought that a lot of other teams aren’t exactly eager to help the Chiefs.

They might not need it. The draft class itself could do the heavy lifting.