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Kansas City, Mo. • The Kansas City Chiefs traded the 28th overall pick to San Francisco on Thursday night in exchange for the 49ers' second-round pick along with choices in the fourth and sixth rounds of this year's NFL draft.
The 49ers used the first-round pick on Stanford guard Joshua Garnett. Kansas City will have the No. 37 overall pick when the draft resumes with the second and third rounds Friday night. They will also have their original second-round choice at No. 59.
The Chiefs had their third-round pick stripped as part of the penalties handed down for a tampering case last offseason. So when runs on cornerback and wide receiver took several top players off the board at their biggest positions of the need, the Chiefs made the decision to trade down.
It's the sixth time that Kansas City has traded out of the first round and the first time the club hasn't made a first-round selection since 2004. That year, they traded from No. 30 into the second round and grabbed forgettable defensive tackle Junior Siavii with the 36th overall selection.
The Chiefs were hoping that one of the top cornerbacks or wide receivers would drop to them late in the first round. But after Florida State cover ace Jalen Ramsey went to Jacksonville with the fifth choice, four other cornerbacks were chosen before Kansas City made its pick. And the choice of Baylor's Corey Coleman by Cleveland at No. 15 began a run of four wide receivers in a span of eight picks.
Kansas City could also use help along the defensive line and at linebacker, but decided trading back in the draft was a better move than picking one of the players still available.
Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, a massive talent with a series of character concerns, was picked by Arizona moments later. Louisiana Tech run-stuffer Vernon Butler, who had also been linked to the Chiefs, was taken with the No. 31 overall pick by Seattle.
There are still plenty of talented players available in what is considered a deep draft.
UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, considered a top-10 talent before a serious knee injury, was not chosen on the draft's first day. Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland and his teammate, defensive tackle Jarran Reed, could be fits for Kansas City. If the Chiefs want to shore up their secondary, Ohio State safety Vonn Bell slid from the first round, while Virginia Tech's Kendall Fuller and Alabama's Cyrus Jones were among the cornerbacks still available.
The draft was considered weak at wide receiver, but Ohio State's Michael Thomas and Braxton Miller are intriguing talents, while Tyler Boyd of Pittsburgh and Sterling Shepard of Oklahoma were also available.
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