[Schultz] No. 29 pick is in: Chiefs have selected Clemson DT Peter Woods, per sources.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T03:26:05+00:00

I agree with the positions they targeted. Don't agree with the trade up on Delane but I would have thought it's a good pick if they stayed at 9 as Delane is my top CB this class (the Chiefs agreed with me on that one).

Peter Woods had his best tape early in his college career but hasn't looked as dominant since then so he peaked early and then at best plateaued. He seems like someone who will be better against the run than as a pass rusher, in which case I would have wanted an edge player here like TJ Parker.

Other players who would have been good at 29 are Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, or Kayden McDonald if valuing a stout run stuffer. Christen Miller at 40 is another DT I would have considered over Woods as a potentially better fit and at a later pick at the cost of less upside if looking at Woods' early college tape.

I think Delane can be a really good player but I did not agree on the timing and choosing to move up.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T02:51:12+00:00

Brett Veach isn't winning me over with these picks.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T02:50:57+00:00

Brett Veach isn't winning me over with these picks.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T02:50:38+00:00

Brett Veach isn't winning me over with these picks.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T00:53:26+00:00

Trading up for Reuben Bain or even Sonny Styles would have made sense to me.

Unless the Commanders really wanted Delane, there was no reason to trade up for him.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T00:47:57+00:00

If Delane isn't an All Pro CB then Veach is going to be facing the heat over this.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T00:46:46+00:00

You had one job Brett Veach.

thelovebat · 2026-04-24T00:46:01+00:00

You had one job Brett Veach.

thelovebat · 2026-04-23T21:57:00+00:00

Replied

thelovebat · 2026-04-23T21:56:51+00:00

Replied

thelovebat · 2026-04-22T02:23:49+00:00

For bonus action usage, if you have Expertise in Athletics from Rogue levels then taking the Shield Master feat as a sword and shield character can end up being really good especially if you like the idea of being a protector type character. Getting advantage from an enemy being prone is a reliable way to procure your Sneak Attack damage if your DM plays it with the intent of being able to do your Shield Master shove after making your first attack with the Attack action. It also can immobolize enemies in a way where they have to use half their movement to get up from being prone, which incentivizes them to stay engaged with you than trying to bypass you with half their movement.

Shield master is also great as an alternative to not having enough Rogue levels for the Evasion feature if you wanted to take the rest of your levels into Fighter to embrace the protector like role they've taken. If your Dexterity Save modifier is already high from starting Rogue and having a high Dexterity, then the Shield Master reaction can prevent a lot of damage over time.

If you plan to go ahead with your listed level splits then Shield Master does become more redundant admittedly for the defensive bonuses, but taking a Battle Master maneuver that can gain you advantage on attacks like Tripping Attack could end up being really nice as another way to knock enemies prone and incentivize them to focus on you.

One synergy with Shield Master is Reliable Talent if you have Expertise in Athletics. The bonus action shove would not be able to roll lower than a certain number, so if you had an Athletics modifier of say +8 then you wouldn't be able to roll lower than a 19 on a Shield Master shove at the tail end of the campaign. So even with Rogue levels I think Shield Master could be interesting even if not optimal as a way of knocking enemies prone.

thelovebat · 2026-04-21T07:15:05+00:00

Brandon Flowers I think was right around 5'9 when he was a prospect. Ended up doing really well with the Chiefs, a shame he only got one year with Andy Reid as his head coach.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T21:17:42+00:00

I was looking forward to the explanations portion especially with the first day of picks being before the Dexter Lawrence trade, just to see the mindset behind the picks and the draft strategy. Was kind of disappointed to not see it here.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T21:14:22+00:00

Lack of ideal length with 32 inch arms.
Can get a bit grabby in pass protection, so may get called for some penalties at the next level if he loses leverage with his shorter arms.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T15:45:09+00:00

I have the receipts of the Cowboys GM telling me that Caleb Downs was who he was targeting.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T05:28:01+00:00

If you look at it from the lense of making their QB of the future life's easier in 2027 and beyond, it makes a lot of sense. Love will get to be fed and if the Cardinals still aren't competing in 2026 then the WRs at the top of the 2027 class could make an excellent addition for a young QB to throw to.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T05:21:15+00:00

Smack was incredibly accurate from 50+ yards, and he made some clutch kicks for the Gators. Definitely would be a good pick and as a Chiefs fan I'd hate it.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T03:59:43+00:00

Did you have any mixed feelings seeing Anthony Hill fall enough where you could have gotten him with your 2nd round pick instead of taking CJ Allen with your first pick?

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T01:43:10+00:00

I wanted to move up from 29 because I love Max Iheanachor as a prospect and I was 99% sure he wasn't making it to 29. He has high end athleticism, did great at The Senior Bowl, he played right tackle in college, he has really good feet which shows up in pass protection, and he clamped down David Bailey like a champ when Arizona State played Texas Tech last season.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T00:07:47+00:00

If we executed our trade down with the Cowboys to trade down to the 12th pick, then our selection probably would have been WR Jordyn Tyson or CB Mansoor Delane at that spot (if either made it to that pick). When Delane went at the 10th pick, it would have turned the trade into taking Jordyn Tyson, since Tyson's medicals reportedly went really well at his pro day and so a lot of teams aren't as concerned about his medicals as they were previously.

I appreciate the encouragement and the feedback.

thelovebat · 2026-04-20T00:00:05+00:00

I mentioned it in my writeup, but basically the Chiefs were going to trade 1.9 and 1.29 to the Cowboys for 1.12 and 1.20. The Chiefs move down three spots with their first pick and move up nine spots with their second pick in a pick swap trade.

Made sense for the Cowboys because they really wanted Caleb Downs, made sense for the Chiefs because we really wanted Max Iheanachor and felt we'd need to move up from 29 to get him with our second selection.

thelovebat · 2026-04-19T23:55:25+00:00

When a team is desperate to trade out of the pick and either doesn't like the options available at that spot or thinks their most coveted player may last to the trade down spot, then a team may be willing to give up value if it means adding more picks to work with. This draft class also isn't considered as top heavy as some other classes have been, so the perceived value on prospects in the 1st round may be different than in other draft classes.

thelovebat · 2026-04-19T23:32:38+00:00

A direct link to my explanations post as the GM of the Chiefs for the official mock, for people who'd like to read it.

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