The sports podcast community largely praised the Kansas City Chiefs for their draft, which included bolstering the defense with three top-40 picks. One particular podcaster stood out: Travis Kelce.
On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, which aired Wednesday, the Chiefs tight end glowed about the early additions, first-round corner Mansoor Delane, defensive tackle Peter Woods and second-round cornerback R Mason Thomas. Kelce believes the rare opportunity to take an early draft pick will bolster an already stellar core and “help right away.”
“A lot of top 10 teams, they’re not really too good, but that’s not the situation here,” Kelce said. “We’ve got a championship team, just had a little year but we’re back, and that’s what I’m talking about, baby. Already have the mentality to be a top team. I absolutely love it.”
The Chiefs made a move for Delane, trading up to the 6th pick to secure him after trading Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson both to the LA Rams. Woods brings Chris Jones company in the middle to expand the interior. However, Kelce seemed particularly impressed with the Thomas pick.
“The kid is a natural in terms of athleticism and explosiveness,” Kelce said of the edge rusher. “I can’t wait to see how this guy does after the quarterback. That’s been something the Chiefs have been looking at getting better at, and that’s getting after the QB and really deploying the quarterback. Obviously, we’ve always had Chris Jones in there, and George (Karlaftis) is a workhorse. I think it’s going to be a big improvement over last year. Amazing improvement, so we’ll see him when he gets in the building.
That’s commendable analysis from a future Hall of Famer. Thomas certainly fills a need for the Chiefs, who have struggled to get the pass beyond Jones and Karlaftis in recent seasons.
KC didn’t draft Kelce’s eventual heir, taking zero tight ends in deep draft picks at the position, and waited until the fifth round to bolster their wide receiver. After last year’s struggles, the Chiefs are counting on an improved defense and a better running game to make the difference after their first truly disappointing campaign in the Patrick Mahomes era.