When most people think of the Kansas City Chiefs, they naturally gravitate toward players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce or Chris Jones. Veterans with plenty of experience are more established in their careers, leading to plenty of recognition and props.
Don’t forget about the bevy of young talent general manager Brett Veach has added and maintained, though. ESPN sure isn’t, as it recently tipped its cap to Kansas City in that regard.
Despite a drop in standing from a year ago, the Chiefs remain in the upper half of the outlet’s ranking of NFL clubs’ under-25 talent. In this year’s edition, Aaron Schatz takes into account a multitude of factors and came away with Kansas City occupying the No. 14 spot. Thanks to cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis being defined as “blue-chip players,” the reigning champs fall just five spots even after multiple graduations due to age.
“You might expect a two-time Super Bowl champion to be lower down here, but the Chiefs have done a good job of building a young talent base with later draft picks — along with Miami’s picks acquired via the Tyreek Hill trade,” Schatz wrote. “They’ve invested in a lot of draft capital, particularly in their secondary and wide receiver corps. The star of the secondary is All-Pro nickelback McDuffie, who turns 24 right after the start of this season. McDuffie had five forced fumbles and three sacks in his second NFL season. Starting safety Bryan Cook is 24. So is Chamarri Conner, who might be a third safety or a nickelback, and Joshua Williams, who could be a starting outside cornerback. Linebacker Nick Bolton, the anchor of the defense, is 24, and top edge rusher Karlaftis is 23.
“On offense, 24-year-old Rashee Rice has solidified himself as the No. 1 receiver. He caught 79 passes for 938 yards in 2023. First-round wideout Xavier Worthy is 21. And while the great Chiefs interior linemen have aged off this list, this year’s starting left tackle will be under 24: either Wanya Morris (23) or Kingsley Suamataia (21).”
Don’t get it twisted: Kansas City’s older players also deserve a ton of credit. However, it’s oftentimes difficult for Super Bowl-caliber franchises to field so much youth while also staying competitive at the highest level. The Hill trade, as Schatz mentioned, was instrumental in shifting from a bit of an older roster to a new-look but not a new-feel one.
The past few Veach draft hauls are great examples. After hitting on most of his 2022 offerings, the championship-winning executive got contributions from Rice, Morris and Conner at various points last season. Defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, the No. 31 overall pick in 2023, has considerable upside and wasn’t even mentioned by Schatz. Neither were 2024 draftees like tight end Jared Wiley and safety Jaden Hicks, who were dubbed good value gets in April’s NFL Draft.
Simply put, the Chiefs have done a masterful job of walking the tightrope. On one hand, it’s important for veterans and proven commodities to lead the way for a team eyeing deep playoff runs. On the other, adding cost-controlled talents with potential is critical to constructing and maintaining a dynasty. Now that Veach and Co. have reached that point, they’re getting their due flowers.
The Chiefs may not have the NFL’s most exciting young core, but it complements the roster in a near-perfect way. They’ll take the trade-off of being ranked 14th in exchange for a well-oiled machine that keeps on producing results.