The sports podcasting community heaped mostly praise on the Kansas City Chiefs for their draft additions, which included beefing up the defense with three top-40 selections. One particular podcaster stood out: Travis Kelce.
On the latest episode of the "New Heights" , which dropped Wednesday, the Chiefs tight end glowed about the early additions, first-round corner Mansoor Delane, defensive tackle Peter Woods and second-rounder edge R Mason Thomas. Kelce believes the rare chance to take early draft picks will beef up an already stellar core and "help right away."
"A lot of top-10 teams, they're really not too good, but that's not the situation here," Kelce said. "We have a championship team, just had one little down year, but we're right back at it, and that's what I'm talking about, baby. Already coming with the mindset of being a top team. I absolutely love it."
The Chiefs made a move for Delane, trading up to No. 6 to secure him after trading Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson both to the Los Angeles Rams. Woods brings Chris Jones some company in the middle to boost the interior. However, Kelce particularly seemed to like the Thomas pick.
"The guy is a freak of nature in terms of athleticism and explosiveness," Kelce said of the edge rusher. "I can't wait to see how this guy gets after the quarterback. It's been kind of something that the Chiefs have been looking at to get better at, and that's getting after the QB and really putting quarterbacks under duress. Obviously, we've always had Chris Jones there, and George (Karlaftis) is a workhorse.
"I think this is going to be a game-changer at the edge position. I know he had a hamstring last year on an unbelievable fumble recovery. So we'll see him when he gets in the building. I'm sure Spags (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) will have a fun time putting him to work as well."
That's some high-praise analysis from a future Hall of Famer. Thomas certainly fills a need for the Chiefs, who have struggled to get after the passer beyond Jones and Karlaftis over the past several seasons.
K.C. did not draft Kelce's eventual heir, taking zero tight ends in a deep draft at the position, and waited until the fifth round to bolster its wideout room. After last year's struggles, the Chiefs are counting on an improved defense and a better run game to be the difference maker following their first truly disappointing campaign of the Patrick Mahomes era.
