The Kansas City Chiefs have been doing their homework on some top-end wide receiver prospects leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft.
It is a major need for the defending Super Bowl champion after Kansas City lost JuJu Smith-Schuster to the New England Patriots during NFL free agency.
As of right now, Patrick Mahomes‘ top-three targets at wide receiver are Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore. While the two-time NFL MVP has proven to be able to get water from a rock at this position, adding a young talent to the mix makes sense.
As such, Kansas City is working out former Boston College star and likely top-20 pick Zay Flowers ahead of the draft next week. The team requested that the wide receiver work out with Mahomes, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The 5-foot-9 Flowers has been ascending draft boards after a productive career at Boston College. Last season he recorded 78 receptions for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Flowers’ size pretty much limits him to the slot. Kansas City’s interest calls into question whether general manager Brett Veach and Co. are actually sold on 2022 second-round pick Skyy Moore taking on a larger role as a sophomore.
Flowers’ ability to get quick separation at the line and provide big windows in the passing game would be an ideal fit in Kansas City.
Given the talent we’ve seen from Mahomes throughout his career, Flowers would likely be able to make an immediate impact in the passing game.
At issue here is Kansas City picking No. 31 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The team will have to move up of it wants to add Flowers to the mix. The good news? Kansas City boasts a total of 10 picks this year. It is not going to roster 10 rookies, meaning a trade up is a real possibility.
To answer the obvious question. No, adding Flowers to the mix doesn’t preclude Kansas City from acquiring DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals who has been on the trade block all offseason.
He has pretty much listed the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills as ideal landing spots with a deal likely to come to fruition at some point during the NFL Draft.
Considering that Hopkins could likely be had for a mid-round pick, acquiring him wouldn’t stop the Chiefs from going wide receiver in Round 1. In this scenario, Hopkins would start on the outside opposite Valdes-Scantling with Flowers and Moore battling it out in the slot.
