NFL mock draft: Kansas City Chiefs select David Ojabo

The Kansas City Chiefs are back on the clock in our 2022 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft again with back-to-back picks near the tail end of the first round thanks to their trade of Tyreek Hill late this offseason.

Temporary Chiefs general manager Workdontstop fixed the Tyreek-sized hole on the roster with his first pick, adding North Dakota State’s Christian Watson with pick 29. But Kansas City is going to need much, much more to contend in a rising AFC West.

Here’s a look at who has already been taken with the first 29 picks of the community mock.

POD Community Mock Draft picks so far:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
2. Detroit Lions: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
3. Houston Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
4. New York Jets: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
5. New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
6. Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
7. New York Giants: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
8. Atlanta Falcons: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
9. Seattle Seahawks: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
10. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
11. Washington Commanders: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
12. Minnesota Vikings: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
13. Houston Texans: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
14. Baltimore Ravens: Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
16. Philadelphia Eagles: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
18. New Orleans Saints: Drake London, WR, USC
19. Philadelphia Eagles: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
21. New England Patriots: Zion Johnson, iOL, Boston College
22. Green Bay Packers: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
23. Arizona Cardinals: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
24. Dallas Cowboys: Kenyon Green, iOL, Texas A&M
25. Buffalo Bills: Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson
26. Tennessee Titans: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
28. Green Bay Packers: Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State

With the 30th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Kansas City Chiefs have selected David Ojabo, edge defender from Michigan.

Here’s Workontstop with the explanation:

Back so soon???

After my previous pick of WR Christian Watson, I decided to go on the other side of the ball. I debated back and forth on what position to address, but I had to address our biggest need, and that’s the edge position. Kansas City didn’t address getting an edge rusher at all during free agency. They moved Chris Jones from defensive tackle to help the pass rush, but the results didn’t end well. DC Steve Spagnuolo moved Jones back to inside then traded for Melvin Ingram. This defense had a total of 31 sacks (just three more sacks than the Lions) with Jones having nine of them. So here’s my pick.

Once considered a possible top pick in the 2022 NFL draft, David Ojabo's projections began to drop following the torn Achilles he suffered at Michigan’s pro day. Rams’ RB Cam Akers tore his Achilles last summer and was back in about six months. Also, Lorenzo Carter (also a DE) played a full season in 2021 after his injury. I have no doubt that Ojabo’s timeline to be the same. He’s expected to return approximately between Weeks 4-6 of the 2022 season. The Chiefs can either give him a redshirt year or wait until he’s giving the thumbs up to return. He will have the fifth-year option, so that helps.

Since becoming a full-time starter at Michigan last season he had 35 tackles (12 for loss), 11 sacks, three pass breakups, eight QB hurries and a Michigan-record five forced fumbles. At the NFL Combine, he posted a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash and ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.45 seconds. He had a pretty good combine, so he really didn’t need to do the pro day. But I understand that he wanted to do linebacker drills to show his versatility.

Erik’s thoughts:

After the Chiefs picked up Watson, I noted that edge would be a smart alternative choice, so while I am on board with the concept here, I don’t share Workdontstop’s optimism for Ojabo’s recovery timetable.

After Jeff Okudah and Romeo Okwara injured their Achilles I did a deep dive into medical studies focused on recovery time from this injury. The final conclusion was basically, while it’s possible to return to the field in short order, there is no guarantee the player returns to form quickly.

So as long as the Chiefs are willing to wait, possibly up to a full year or longer, Ojabo could be worth the gamble. But, if they need a player to get on the field and produce early on in the season, then Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie or Minnesota’s Boye Mafe might be better choices.

You can follow along with every pick + grades in our Community Mock Draft tracker.