10 Biggest Questions: What will Felix Anudike-Uzomah show us in Year 2?

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In 2024, what can Kansas City expect to see from 2023’s first-round pick?

Heading into the Kansas City Chiefs’ season, I’m continuing my “10 Biggest Questions” series. This time, we’ll consider what to expect from 2023’s first-round draft pick: Felix Anudike-Uzomah.



There are many challenges to overcome while becoming one of the NFL’s perennial contenders. Building an outstanding roster is difficult enough — but sustaining it is even harder. Many teams are in the mix for a championship for a season or two, but cannot maintain that standard. Injuries (and advancing age), coaching staff departures and the salary cap are major factors that close these Super Bowl windows.


So how can teams keep their windows open?


It’s certainly true that having a franchise quarterback is important. Still, teams must continue to churn their rosters through free agency, trades and the NFL Draft. But only the draft keeps a team young. Franchises like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots have built long-term success almost entirely through their ability to draft and develop young talent.


After the 2021 season, the Chiefs were at a crossroads. While the offense had been successful with wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, it needed more weapons. The defense was getting older — and although it had improved throughout the season, it still had weaknesses that kept it from being as effective as it had been in 2019. The team had acquired linebacker Nick Bolton and offensive linemen Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith in the 2021 draft, but the Chiefs still didn’t have enough depth from emerging young talent to meet their needs. And with contract extensions coming for Hill, defensive tackle Chris Jones (and others), resources were limited.


So instead of pushing all their salary-cap chips into the middle of the table, Kansas City traded Hill to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks. These (and the cap flexibility opened by removing Hill’s contract from its obligations) allowed the team to rebuild the defense with inexpensive young talent. Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson — along with defensive end George Karlaftis, linebacker Leo Chenal and safeties Bryan Cook and Nazeeh Johnson — all came to the team through the 2022 draft Every one of them played roles in two consecutive championship seasons.








The team had gambled on its ability to find and develop young talent, threading the tiniest of needles to remain a contender.


A year later, the team continued addressing its defense by investing another first-round pick in Anudike-Uzomah. While his production for Kansas State had been good (and he possessed elite balance and flexibility), his lack of playing strength and consistent snap timing were real problems. He would need a lot of work to be a successful NFL pass rusher. But since he was only 21, projecting him to improve in those areas was reasonable.


Even better, the team didn’t need him to play at a high level as a rookie. With players like Karlaftis, Mike Danna and newly acquired free agent Charles Omenihu on the roster, there weren’t many snaps available to the first-round rookie. The playing time he did get was mostly during Omenihu’s six-game suspension as the season began.


But in 2024, the Chiefs will need more from Anudike-Uzomah. Even for a first-round pick, having a rookie stay on the bench isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But if he spends a second season on the bench, that’s when the alarms start sounding.


The other problem is that after tearing an ACL in the AFC Championship, Omenihu is likely out for most of the season. Someone has to take his snaps and be a productive pass rusher. Just as he was a year ago, Anudike-Uzomah is the clear option.


But is he ready for more playing time? Can he be a meaningful pass rusher in Year 2? Where is he physically? Has he worked on refining his pass-rushing game?


After nailing the 2022 draft, the Chiefs have had some margin for error. But to keep their championship window open, they must keep hitting on their picks — especially at premium positions like defensive end. It’s simple: in 2024, Anudike-Uzomah needs to show more than he did as a rookie.


I’m excited to see what a redshirt year did for his development.


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