A year ago it would have been easy to name the three best players on the Kansas City Chiefs roster.
Pro Football Focus recently picked every team’s top three players heading into 2022. Last season, PFF could name the trio of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill without blinking. This time around, Mahomes and Kelce make the list, but with Hill traded to the Miami Dolphins, they opted to go a different route. The player that completes the trio for Kansas City comes on the defensive side of the ball, with PFF choosing Chris Jones and for good reason.
Here is a look at what they had to say about their choices:
“No player has converted more first downs or touchdowns as a receiver than Kelce since 2018 (274), and 263 of those have come from Mahomes. One would imagine that Mahomes would lean even heavier on Kelce in 2022 with Hill’s departure.
On defense, Jones is the player Kansas City needs to wreck offensive gameplans week in and week out. Frank Clark hasn’t lived up to expectations coming over from Seattle, leaving the Chiefs thin on impact pass-rushers beyond Jones. His 257 pressures over the last four years rank second among all interior defensive linemen.”
It’s tough to argue against Mahomes, Kelce and Jones being the trio for the time being. Clark hasn’t been productive outside of his performances in the playoffs. PFF noted that Joe Thuney and Creed Humphrey were also considered, but offensive linemen rarely get the credit they deserve unless they’re truly exceptional. Some other defenders like L’Jarius Sneed, Juan Thornhill and Nick Bolton are simply too young and unproven to make this list.
That said, I wouldn’t be shocked to see this change during the 2022 NFL season. The Chiefs lost a lot of star power in Hill and Tyrann Mathieu this offseason, but they also added a ton of new blood through free agency, trade and the 2022 NFL draft. It’s entirely possible that a rookie could make a push for this top three, especially if a receiver, cornerback or pass-rusher sees a breakout year.
It’s going to be tough for anyone to top any of Mahomes, Kelce and Jones, but the opportunity is there for a young star to arise in Kansas City.