Field Yates sends a cornerback to the Chiefs in his new mock draft

The ESPN analyst makes an unusual choice for a Kansas City team that is already deep at the position.

On Wednesday, ESPN writer Field Yates published his second mock draft of the 2024 offseason — and in this one, he covered the first two rounds of the draft.

Like most 2024 mocks, three quarterbacks disappear right away. Another is taken when the Los Angeles Chargers trade the fifth selection to the Minnesota Vikings, allowing them to grab Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.

By the time the Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock with the 32nd pick, eight offensive tackles have come off the board — along with six wide receivers. So Yates figures Kansas City will make a move to replace a recently departed star.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri

I’m not sure any other team has a better recent track record of drafting cornerbacks than the Chiefs, but after the trade of L’Jarius Sneed, there’s a bit of a gap in the overall depth of the unit on the perimeter. Rakestraw is a tailor-made fit for this roster, as he plays with an edge, similar to Sneed. Few corners can impose their will on a game like Rakestraw did at the collegiate level; that will travel to the pros. Alternatively, Kansas City could look at receivers or offensive tackles, but with six and eight, respectively, already drafted, it might be best to wait until Day 2 there.

As noted on Wednesday’s edition of Arrowhead Pride’s “Editors’ Show” podcast, the Chiefs may have chosen to make Sneed available for a trade because cornerback is one of the team’s deepest position groups — something that Yates seems to be acknowledging. But if that’s true, why use the team’s first-round pick for his replacement? Maybe Yates would have projected a tackle or wideout to Kansas City if so many hadn’t already been selected. But instead, a Mizzou cornerback makes a position of strength even stronger.

Still… Yates notes that under the circumstances, the team would then have the option to address those positions later — and when the 64th pick rolls around, he sends Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin to the Chiefs. Interestingly, up through the NFL Scouting Combine — when Texas wideout Xavier Worthy became a media darling — Franklin was the player most frequently sent to Kansas City at the end of the first round. Since then, he’s fallen from No. 1 — but still remains in the top group.