The Chiefs saw wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster leave the team as a free agent this offseason and General Manager Brett Veach said on Monday that he sees one of the team’s draft picks as part of the way to fill the spot he vacated in their offense.
Veach traded up to take former SMU wideout Rashee Rice with the 55th overall selection. Rice racked up 96 catches for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns during his final college season and Veach said the team believes he brings a lot of the same things to the table that Smith-Schuster did in his lone season with the team.
“Certainly excited to add Rashee to this mix here,” Veach said, via Charles Goldman of USAToday.com. “He was a guy that the contested catch and the run after the catch really stood out. And we did lose JuJu, so I do think it makes sense to find a guy who can do some of the same things on the inside game. He’s almost like a running back after the catch.”
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Richie James, Justyn Ross, Cornell Powell, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and John Ross are among the other wideouts who will be competing for playing time in Kansas City this season.