By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The Kansas City Chiefs moved up in the draft for a second night in a row, moving up one spot on to select BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia with the 63rd pick in the NFL Draft.
The Chiefs swapped second round picks with the San Fransisco 49ers, also trading fifth round No. 173 to San Fransisco in exchange for sixth round No. 211.
Suamataia was an All-Big 12 second team offensive lineman last year at BYU. Since 2022, he has allowed just two sacks and had double digit starts on both the left and right side of the line.
Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said they would look for someone in the draft to provide competition for Wanya Morris, who was picked in the third-round last year, for the starting left tackle position.
Sumataia will help shore up an offensive tackle position that was 31st last year in run block win rate, coming in ahead of just the New York Jets. He will help fill a hole left by veteran tackle Donovan Smith who is a free agent.
The Chiefs had no picks in the third round and will have four picks on the final day of the draft, No. 133 in the fourth, No. 159 in the fifth, No. 211 in the sixth, and No. 248 in the seventh.
Mizzou's Ennis Rakestraw headed to Detroit, Ty'Ron Hopper to Green Bay
The Detroit Lions selected Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr with the No. 61 pick in the second round on Friday.
Rakestraw played in nine games, starting eight, as a junior at Mizzou last season as a redshirt junior, with four pass breakups and 35 total tackles. He was targeted just 28 times in those nine games.
Another Tiger, linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper will join Rakestraw in the NFC North, after he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the No. 91 pick in the third round.
Hopper led Missouri last season with 55 tackles, before an ankle injury sidelined him from the final two games of the season. He earned second team All-SEC honors last year and was also a finalist for the Butkus Award given to the nation's top linebacker
K State's Ben Sinnott to Washington, Cooper Beebe to Dallas
The Washington Commanders selected Kansas State tight End Ben Sinnott with No. 53 in the second round on Friday.
Sinnott was a four-year contributor for the Wildcats, totaling 1,138 yards and 10 touchdowns on 82 catches. He was a Third Team All-American and First Team Big 12 selection.
He'll look to make an impact right away for the Commanders after veteran tight end Logan Thomas retired, helping fill a major hole on the Washington depth chart.
Joining Sinnott in the NFC East will be offensive guard Cooper Beebe who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round at No. 73.
Beebe was a First Team All-Big 12 selection last year. He was also named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year for a second year in a row, becoming the first K State offensive lineman to win the award in back-to-back years since Dalton Risner.
Beebe will once again have the chance to block for running back Deuce Vaughn, who was a Cowboys pick last year in the fifth round.
Kansas offensive tackle Dominick Puni drafted by 49ers
The San Fransisco 49ers selected Kansas offensive tackle Dominick Puni in the third round Friday with pick No. 86.
Puni was a standout at Central Missouri before transferring to Kansas in 2022 where he earned honors across the offensive line, including honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2022 at left guard, and first team All-Big 12 last year at left tackle. He was also named a finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year
The Super Bowl runner ups adding Puni gives versatility across the offensive line. In addition to starting games at both tackle positions and left guard, Puni took snaps at center in the Senior Bowl. The right side of the line has been weak for San Fransisco, providing opportunity for Puni to be named the week one starting right guard, but could also get looks at right tackle.
