The Kansas City Chiefs don't have a lot of holes on their 53-man roster. That's because GM Brett Veach has done an exceptional job at drafting and always has an eye toward future problems.
Our Ryan Roberts took a crack at a way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft with college football season underway. His choice for the Chiefs has Brett Veach addressing a future problem. Roberts adds a little-known cornerback out of East Carolina named Shavon Revel. The third-year starter for the Pirates is already moving up the draft boards with some terrific play to kick off the 2024 college football season.
"Losing L’Jarius Sneed was a tough blow for the Chiefs this offseason. They still have Trent McDuffie, who is awesome. Getting him a counterpart on the other side would be big. Revel feels like the archetype that Kansas City tends to gravitate toward. His ball skills, length and overall authorizing is a sight to see." - A to Z Sports' Ryan Roberts
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, Revel is your prototypical outside cornerback in Steve Spagnuolo's scheme. He's physical in press coverage and tackles well, which are both musts for Kansas City. Through three games in 2024, Revel already has a tackle for loss, two passes defended, and two interceptions, including a 50-yard pick-six. In 2023, he recorded 54 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 13 passes defended, an interception, and a fumble recovered and returned for a touchdown.
Admittedly, the first round feels a little bit rich for Revel as things currently stand. I don't doubt he'll be taken in the first two days of the 2025 NFL draft so long as he stays on the current track and has good pre-draft interviews and testing.
L'Jarius Sneed's departure points to exactly why the Chiefs need to add a cornerback in 2025
The two reasons that L'Jarius Sneed is no longer a member of the Chiefs are because of finances and the large draft investment the team made in the cornerback position in the 2022 NFL draft.
Sneed earned a four-year deal with Tennessee worth $76.4 million . There is no doubt that he's proven worth that investment, but it's hard to shell that out when you've got so many other contracts coming due. The team has already signed Harrison Butker , Creed Humphrey , and Noah Gray to extensions ahead of the 2024 NFL season. They've also got Trey Smith, Justin Reid, and Nick Bolton seeking extensions before the 2025 league year.
Considering that the team's entire cornerback room for the 2024 NFL season was selected in the 2022 NFL draft, the writing was on the wall that Sneed was the player they could afford to move on from. The Chiefs also have a similar future dilemma on their hands. They won't be able to pay each of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, and Nazeeh Johnson in 2026, especially when they'll have contracts for George Karlaftis, Bryan Cook, Isiah Pacheco and Joe Thuney to worry about as well.
Adding a player like Revel in 2025 gets you out ahead of the problem before it even arises. If you re-sign a top-tier corner like McDuffie, but can't afford to keep your depth around him intact, you'll already have a starting-quality player waiting in the wings. Who knows, Revel could even jump up the depth chart in 2025 as a rookie and make the unit that much better.
Related: Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt provides Chiefs' rookie sensation with his first NFL bulletin board material
Local News
Comments / 0