2023 NFL mock draft: Kansas City Chiefs select DT Calijah Kancey

We have come to the end of the first round of our 2023 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft. If this is your jumping in point, this is our site-wide mock where regular commenters get to act as NFL general managers to create their own mock.

If you have missed any of the picks from this mock, head over to our 2023 Community Mock Tracker, which has all of the picks, links to each article and grades as handed out by you.

The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock, and commenter Kudos is acting as the Chiefs’ general manager.

With the 31st pick in the POD Community Mock Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Calijah Kancey, defensive tackle out of Pitt. Here is Kudos with the explanation for the pick:

“Coming off a free agency period that saw the team lose more players than they brought in, the Chiefs enter the draft with a few holes to fill. Fortunately for Kansas City, one of the best players available matches one of the team’s top needs. That player is former Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

“Kancey has turned heads throughout the pre draft process, posting elite testing numbers.

“The former Panther is more than a workout warrior however. Kancey turned these athletic traits into production while in college, recording seven sacks in each of the past two seasons. The explosiveness and twitchiness that made him a productive college player should set him up for success in the NFL.

“After losing Khalen Saunders in free agency, the Chiefs current defensive tackles are Chris Jones, Byron Cowart, Phil Hoskins, and Tershawn Wharton. Kancey would enter training camp with a good shot at winning the starting job next to Jones. The team did not re-sign Frank Clark or Carlos Dunlap and has yet to address the position in free agency. Kancey’s pass rushing ability would help fill the void left by these players and take some attention off of Jones. He’d also provide a contingency plan for Kansas City if future contract negotiations with Jones don’t work out.

“Adding a true pass rushing threat will improve Kansas City’s defense as a whole and allow the team to address other its needs with their remaining draft picks.”

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