Tankathon’s latest 2027 NFL mock draft has Indiana wide receiver Nick Marsh coming off the board at No. 31 overall, a late first-round projection that puts another size-and-speed target in range of teams looking for help around an established quarterback.
The Kansas City Chiefs fit that profile.
Patrick Mahomes is 3-0 after a 24-10 win at Miami. Rashee Rice led the receivers Sunday with seven catches for 88 yards on nine targets. Xavier Worthy has been quieter. Travis Kelce remains the safety valve. The room works. It is not finished.
Marsh is listed at 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds. Tankathon ranks him among the top five receivers in the class.
Through the first month at Indiana he has 16 receptions for 221 yards and three touchdowns, a 13.8-yard average. He scored in each of his first two games as a Hoosier after transferring from Michigan State, including a one-handed touchdown grab against North Texas and a 51-yard score against Howard.
Those flashes follow two seasons in East Lansing. Marsh had 41 catches for 649 yards as a true freshman, a school freshman record. As a sophomore he led the Spartans with 59 receptions, 662 yards and six touchdowns.
Career totals: more than 100 catches, nearly 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns in 25 games.
“His ability after the catch from a physical standpoint is really impressive,” a Big Ten general manager told ESPN. “He just plays so dang hard. He’s tough to bring down and can make things happen, and he’s got great hands.”
ESPN Research credited Marsh with 36 missed tackles forced on receptions last fall, second nationally. That is the trait Andy Reid has always paid for: a receiver who turns short throws into first downs.
Rice is the No. 1 and is in a contract year. Worthy, the 2024 first-round pick, has not found a consistent niche. Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen fill out the depth. Kelce is 37. A 6-3 outside target who can win contested balls and run after the catch would give Mahomes a different look than speed on the boundary.
Kansas City did not add a high-end receiver last offseason. The bet was internal growth. Tankathon still treats the position as a live need and has Marsh available at the end of Round 1.
Indiana teammate Charlie Becker is the higher-ranked Hoosier receiver, projected earlier in the first round. Marsh is the transfer who produced in a bad offense and has already scored in a high-functioning one.
Drops and contested-catch consistency were notes at Michigan State. Operating opposite Becker in Bloomington is the test. If it holds, Mahomes will keep hearing the name.
Tankathon updates after every game and factors team needs. The Chiefs are not locked at pick 31. A 3-0 start could push them later. Receiver will not disappear as a topic if Worthy stays quiet and Rice hits free agency.
The last time the Kansas City Chiefs added a physical playmaker for Mahomes, the offense found another gear. The mock has them taking that swing again.
