Veach echoed sentiments similar to Andy Reid regarding Wanya Morris, also suggesting how Kansas City could address the offensive tackle position in the draft.
As the 2024 NFL Draft nears, the Kansas City Chiefs will have chances to address remaining needs during the rest of the offseason. One position under consideration is left tackle, which could be addressed with one of the team’s three top 100 picks.
At the start of the Kansas City offseason program, head coach Andy Reid commented on the current projected starter, Wanya Morris. Reid praised the 2023 third-round pick for the work he’s done, though he also hinted at the need for improvement. Reid mentioned there “will be competition,” once again bringing the draft scenario into consideration.
During his annual pre-draft call with the media, general manager Brett Veach stuck closely to that path and messaging.
“I think we were really happy with Wanya’s development last year and think he showed some signs early on in OTAs that we were really excited about,” Veach said. “He continued that growth and maturation process during training camp. Middle of the season he got an opportunity there, some good, some bad. I think Wanya would tell you this, I think if you look at his body of work last year, on one end you’re happy that he was able to come in at the pro level and be competitive, it wasn’t perfect but it also was solid play that I think is a good foundation to build and grow on.”
“He has to come in here with the mindset that we’re going to look to bring in competition and he’s got to come in here and win that position, and I think it’s his job to come in and be prepared to win that position. I think it’s our job to go out there and find competition for that left tackle spot. Again, I think that there’s a lot of promise in there and there’s a lot of ability, but certainly I think it’s our job to bring in some competition there and make him earn that and work for it.”
Regarding the draft, Veach mentioned the 35-40 pick range as a cutoff for possibly landing a premier prospect. It’s safe to assume that barring a trade-up, the Chiefs won’t be in play for top-tier tackles such as Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu, Troy Fautanu, or Taliese Fuaga. J.C. Latham is less of a lock, albeit still a highly doubtful candidate to be available at the end of round one.
The previously specified range enters the picture here. Kansas City may be hoping for a slip for a player similar to Georgia’s Amarius Mims if it stays the same. Furthermore, the opportunity for Tyler Guyton, Jordan Morgan, Patrick Paul, or Kingsley Suamataia to be on the board might exist. Although there are other players that have strong arguments to be chosen in the first few rounds of the draft, this is the Chiefs’ best group of players.
The theoretical timing of a hypothetical selection functions as a kind of sliding scale for Morris’s interpretation of possible competition. One should consider a first- or second-round selection to be a serious contender for the starting left tackle position in 2024–25. Anything more paves the way for Morris to resume his play from Weeks 13–16 of the previous season.
Veach concluded by mentioning that Kansas City places “a lot of stock” in positional adaptability. Morris is a prime example; he spent a lot of time at right tackle in college before switching to the Chiefs. Following a hit-or-miss rookie season in the NFL, the Oklahoma product must fend off opponents and secure the starting position during OTAs, training camp, and the preseason.
But what kind of obstacle will he have to overcome? That will shortly be ascertained.