By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Kansas City Chiefs addressed another key need in the third round of the NFL Draft Friday night, drafting offensive tackle Wanya Morris out of Oklahoma with the 92nd overall pick.
The Chiefs traded up with Cincinnati to pick at No. 92 overall, trading their 95th pick to the Bengals.
Morris was a five-star recruit and made the SEC All-Freshman Team as a 12-game starter at left tackle for Tennessee in 2019. He started seven of nine games played in 2020 - five at left tackle, two as a blocking tight end.
Morris was a college teammate of Trey Smith - a former Volunteer who's now the Chiefs' starting right guard. Smith was drafted in the sixth round by Kansas City in 2021.
Morris, at 6-5 and 307 pounds, transferred to Oklahoma for the 2021 season, and played in six games as a reserve. He then started eight of nine contests at right tackle in 2022 while missing time with a shoulder injury. He opted out of the team's bowl game to prepare for the draft.
Morris is expected to compete with Lucas Niang for the starting right tackle spot. The Chiefs had a need at offensive tackle with the departure of starters Orlando Brown, Jr. and Andrew Wylie in this offseason.
“I’m going to play wherever they need me to play," Morris said on a Zoom call Friday. "I can’t tell you how excited I am at this moment. Whatever they need me to play, I’m going to play it. I'm glad I'm a Chief."
Analysis on NFL.com says, "Morris is an athletic pass-setter with a strong inside hand but lacks a desired level of core strength to effectively push back against rush bullies."
"He’s very average at getting to positioning for back-side cut-off blocks in the run game and struggles to stay connected to sustain blocks due to inconsistent hand placement and drive strength in his lower half. His physical profile and experience starting at both tackle spots should give him a leg up in a camp battle for a swing tackle role."
The Chiefs have six picks remaining in the 2023 draft. Rounds 4-7 come up Saturday. The final day of the draft gets started at 11 a.m. central.