Kansas City moved up fifteen spots in the fourth round of the…
Kansas City moved up fifteen spots in the fourth round of the 2023 draft for defensive back Chamarri Conner, sending Minnesota pick No. 134 and a 2024 fifth-round choice. The Vikings selected Jay Ward at No. 134 and later moved the future pick. Conner has become the strongest individual contributor, while Minnesota received the larger asset package.
Kansas City Chiefs Received
- pick 2023 4th round pick (119th overall, Chamarri Conner )
Minnesota Vikings Received
- pick 2023 4th round pick (134th overall, Jay Ward )
- pick 2024 5th round pick (167th overall subsequently traded, Keilan Robinson )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On April 29, 2023, Kansas City climbed from No. 134 to No. 119 and selected defensive back Chamarri Conner. Minnesota received the later fourth-round selection, used on safety Jay Ward, plus Kansas City’s 2024 fifth-round pick. That future choice ultimately became No. 167 and was moved again rather than used by Minnesota, so the Vikings’ return included both a player and additional transaction flexibility.
Minnesota Vikings Return
Ward entered as a versatile secondary and special-teams option. His value has primarily come through depth roles rather than an entrenched starting job. The extra fifth-rounder mattered because Minnesota acquired another tradable asset, even though the Vikings did not personally turn No. 167 into a drafted player. The original logic was classic value accumulation: slide fifteen spots and collect a future mid-round choice.
Kansas City Chiefs Return
Conner has developed into the most accomplished individual player from the deal. By the end of the 2025 season, he had appeared in 49 regular-season games and had become a meaningful part of Kansas City’s defensive backfield. That production validates the Chiefs’ decision to identify a player and spend future capital to secure him.
Value in Hindsight
This trade has aged toward Kansas City compared with how it looked immediately after the draft. Minnesota still received two assets and retained flexibility, but Conner’s actual defensive role carries more weight than theoretical pick value. The comparison remains close because Ward has contributed and the future fifth had legitimate market value, yet the Chiefs now own the clearest on-field success.
Final Verdict
The Minnesota B and Kansas City B- grades are defensible only by a narrow margin because of the extra fifth-round asset. Conner’s development makes this nearly even and could eventually flip the judgment. For now, the Vikings’ two-asset return preserves the original slight edge, but this is one of the wave’s closest calls.