NFL Draft Prospects Chiefs Must Target After 2022 Shrine, Senior Bowls

The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten used to picking late in the first round of the NFL draft. And after they reached the AFC Championship Game for the fourth straight season, they'll have to wait before they're on the clock again this year.

Kansas City owns the No. 30 overall pick in the draft, which is scheduled for April 28-30. But there will still be talented players on the board when the Chiefs make their selection, plus they have eight total picks and could assemble a strong class.

Although the talent grab is still more than two months away, NFL teams are mapping out who they may want to target from this year's pool of players. Last week, the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl both took place, and those college football All-Star Games give NFL teams an opportunity to watch and meet with some prospects.

Here's a look at three players who participated in one of those games and should be targets for the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL draft.

Charvarius Ward could be leaving the Chiefs via free agency, so the team may be looking for a young cornerback to develop on the opposite side of L'Jarius Sneed.

One corner who had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and could be on Kansas City's radar is former Missouri standout Akayleb Evans.

After spending his first four college seasons at Tulsa, he transferred to Mizzou in 2021 and recorded 28 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles in 11 games for the Tigers. He started for the American team in the Senior Bowl on Saturday, but not many passes came his way in coverage.

Still, Evans may have boosted his draft stock with his performances in practices throughout the week. 
Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reported that he was named as one of the top cornerbacks at the Senior Bowl by the scouts he spoke with in Mobile, Alabama.

"For some reason, Evans flew under the radar all week despite having three good practices," Pauline wrote. "He showed terrific mechanics, ball skills, and every time you watched Evans, he was making positive plays and breaking up passes."

As the Chiefs look to improve their secondary for 2022, Evans could be a player who could make a quick impact, given his five years of college experience. And he may only get better as he gets more playing time at the NFL level.

In recent years, Kansas City has lacked a clear No. 3 receiving option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw the ball to. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce are the top two playmakers, but the Chiefs still lack some depth in the receiving corps.

Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle have flashed potential but not enough for Kansas City not to take a wide receiver during the 2022 NFL draft. One playmaker the Chiefs may decide to target is former Rutgers standout Bo Melton, a 5'11" receiver who may break out at the next level.

Melton, who played five seasons for the Scarlet Knights, had only two catches for 18 yards for the National team during the Senior Bowl. But he also had a solid showing on three punt returns and seemed to fare well in practices leading up to the game.

Damian Parson of The Draft Network noted he showed "his quickness and ability to win in space." Those are skills that could make him a fit for the Chiefs' passing attack as a secondary receiver behind Hill.

So, if Kansas City decides to draft a wide receiver on the second day of the draft, Melton may be someone who can take its offense to another level.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be back as the Chiefs' starting running back in 2022, but they could be losing some depth in the backfield this offseason.

Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon are both set to become free agents, and it seems unlikely that Kansas City will bring both back. And it may even end up losing both.

So, the Chiefs could look to add another young running back they can pair with Edwards-Helaire to lead their rushing attack. If that's the case, Pierre Strong Jr. may be somebody they'd want to target, after he raised his stock with an impressive performance at last week's East-West Shrine Bowl.

He may have only touched the ball twice for the East team, but one of those times resulted in a 65-yard touchdown reception. That's the type of big-play potential he could display in the NFL, which makes him an exciting prospect.

Not only that, but Strong is a versatile player. NFL.com's Bill Smith noted that he "impressed all week in practice as both a running back and receiver," so he could fill various roles for an offense.

The Chiefs could benefit from having a playmaker like Strong on their offense, especially if he builds off his strong career at South Dakota State and can contribute to both the running game and passing attack.