Kansas City Chiefs mock draft: Best and worst-case scenarios for Patrick Mahomes in 2024 NFL Draft

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs can officially be considered a dynasty. They achieved the rare feat of winning back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 2023 and 2024 and will be amongst the favorites to battle for the Vince Lombardi trophy again next year.

With their roster as it stands before the draft, the Chiefs are one of the best teams in the league. But the 2024 NFL Draft gives them the opportunity to add depth and talent at certain positions to both improve in the short-term and prepare for departures in the future.

Mahomes is entering his prime, if he’s not already there. He's going to be a stud in the league for a long time, so the Chiefs need to continue providing him with adequate offensive weapons.

The 2023 regular season was a bit of a mixed bag for the team, with young receivers almost consistently letting Mahomes down. Dropped passes were a regular occurrence and it wasn’t until the postseason that they found their feet in the NFL and began to perform consistently.

Kansas City’s front office and Andy Reid will be keen to avoid a repeat of those slow settlers in 2024 and may elect to take a receiver higher up than they would normally do, simply to ensure that they get a more pro-ready player.

However, the biggest need of this draft is to add quality to the offensive line at the tackle position. Wanya Morris isn’t fully secure in his slot at LT, but with Donovan Smith signed for another year they are comfortable in 2024.

Preparing for the future is vital in this key position, though. The worst thing that can happen to a team is to have issues on the O-Line, as we saw with the Chiefs’ Super Bowl defeat to Tampa Bay. Andy Reid will be keen to ensure that they aren’t in such a spot again.

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Kansas City Chiefs 2024 NFL mock draft scenarios

Chiefs mock draft: Best-case scenario

Chiefs' best-case draft class

Using Sportskeeda’s 7-round Mock Draft simulator tool, the best-case scenario for the Kansas City Chiefs sees the team secure a long-term OT prospect in JC Latham, as well as adding one of the upper-tier wide receiving prospects in Roman Wilson.

Latham arrives as a player who's ready to play out of the box. You find a spot for him somewhere on the O-Line, and he will develop as a rookie, allowing him to fully take over from Donovan Smith by 2025.

Latham is one of the better blockers in the draft class and would be a real addition to the Chiefs. Wilson is an archetypal productive receiver. He is tall, long and able to utilize his frame to bring the football down and under his control with ease.

Mahomes would like a reliable option to throw to when Kelce is unavailable, and Wilson has the potential to work into a WR2 spot in the future. This is a smart pick.

There's something of a need in the pass rushing department, but perhaps not for starters. Tyler Davis out of Clemson is a potential stud who could develop into a game-wrecking playmaker in future seasons.

While predominantly a defensive tackle with big size, he could work slightly wider on some plays and come inside off the edge. That's especially useful if you’re trying to pack the box and stop any sort of run. He could also get to the QB with his power.

Javon Solomon is a more traditional player off the EDGE who has explosive feet off the line. While he's not yet ready to dislodge Karlaftis, he's nonetheless a valuable roster player for the Chiefs.

Preparing for the future remains a key theme throughout this Kansas City Chiefs draft class, and there's perhaps no position where this is more important than at tight end. Travis Kelce will not go on indefinitely, despite his incredible enthusiasm and lust for life in the NFL.

He could, realistically, be playing his final season in 2024, so the Chiefs need to be ready for that. The connection between Mahomes and Kelce is almost telepathic. It has overtaken the lauded one shared between Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, and the Chiefs can’t afford to let their offense collapse once Kelce is out.

Jared Wiley is a big-bodied player who has the softest hands imaginable. He cradles the ball in a catch, and you’d back him to catch anything. He will be in a great spot to get reps and learn from Kelce in 2024 and be ready to eventually take his place.

Kansas City’s best-case draft class is as follows:

· JC Latham, OT, Alabama

· Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan

· Tyler Davis, DT, Clemson

· Javon Solomon, EDGE, Troy

· Tarheeb Still, CB, Maryland

· David Ugwoegbu, LB, Houston

· Jared Wiley, TE, TCU

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Chiefs mock draft: Worst-case scenario

Chiefs full list of worst-case picks

The worst-case scenario for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs sees them panic and take players in the backfield with their early selections.

Kamari Lassiter out of Georgia and Beau Brade out of Maryland don’t necessarily get into the team as starters, which leaves the offensive line and WR positions ignored.

Worryingly, this scenario doesn’t even have the Chiefs taking a receiver for Mahomes to throw to. They use a high pick on Bucky Irving at running back despite having Isiah Pacheco as the clear RB1 and Clyde Edwards-Helaire whom they just signed to a contract extension.

There's no room for another running back at this point, and taking one before an O-Line pick is criminal. Trevor Keegan eventually gets selected at guard out of Michigan, but he isn’t ready enough to develop and learn in 2024 for a team as good as the Chiefs are.

Not only does this worst-case scenario class miss on key positions of need, it also doesn’t really prepare the Chiefs for the future. It's a swing-and-a-miss on all counts and would leave fans desperately disappointed heading into the pursuit of a third successive Super Bowl.

Kansas City’s worst-case draft class is as follows:

· Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia

· Beau Brade, S, Maryland

· Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon

· Sataoa Laumea, OT, Utah

· Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame

· Trevor Keegan, OG, Michigan

· Jaden Crumedy, DT, Mississippi State