Day two is huge for the Chiefs future

As I’ve said before, the Chiefs had several options in the first round and almost couldn’t go bad on any of them and they didn’t last night.  While taking a safety as high as the number five overall pick is a rarity in the draft, Kansas City took one of the highest rated athletes and players in the draft when they plucked Tennessee’s Eric Berry in the first round.

It fills a position of desperate need on the defensive side of the ball, gives them a player that everyone feels should come in and start from the beginning and gives them a player who has been universally described as a leader on and off the field.  Those are all things the Chiefs needed.

Now come the bigger questions.  With three picks coming up in the next 36 selections, KC has the opportunity to make a deal if they want, or to just grab three quality players who should be able to help them this coming season.  But round one has thrown a possible wrench into the engine of the direction the Chiefs were looking.

The biggest needs that still remain are help at the linebacker spot, depth along the defensive line and wide receiver, but with quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy still available, there’s a decent chance Clausen could be sitting there when the Chiefs pick at number 36.  Is Charlie Weis beating the drum to draft Clausen despite having Matt Cassll?  No one knows for sure, but we’ll find out tonight.  

A better option for the Chiefs might be Texas’ Sergio Kindle, who would fit the 3-4 defense and give them a speed rusher, but reports are out that he has a medical issue with a knee and teams are dropping him off their board.  So, do you pass on a QB if you believe he could be the one, whether it’s Clausen or McCoy?  Personally, I like McCoy better, but the Chiefs need a lot of help across the board and they have a quarterback, or at least they think they do.

Kansas City needs to get multiple starters from this draft and taking a QB doesn’t fit that mold, but picking up an extra pick for sliding down a few spots so someone else can pick either Clausen or McCoy could be a possibility.  Then KC could look at receivers such as Golden Tate or Marty Gilyard with their 2nd or 3rd round picks while still adding a offensive lineman and a linebacker.

This second and third round may be more important to the future of the Chiefs than their number one choice.  Kansas City is in a numbers game and they need more quality players who can contribute this season.  

Winners and losers in round one

Round one of the NFL draft has concluded and now it’s time to cast judgement on the winners and losers, before any of the players have even taken the field for their respective teams, but hey, isn’t that why it’s called Monday morning quarterbacking?

Who’s the biggest first round winner?  I really like what the Detroit Lions did.  First they bolstered their defensive line with the player I think was the best in the draft, Ndamakong Suh.  Then they made a deal to move up and get a second first rounder and choose Jahvid Best, giving young QB Matt Stafford some offensive help.

The top six teams really did what was expected and all should benefit from their choices.  The Big 12 has to be puffing out it’s chest.  The first four picks were out of their league and five of the first six.  The lone exception was Eric Berry of Tennessee going to the Chiefs.  He should start immediately.

Other winners are Buffalo with C. J. Spiller, San Diego trading up to get running back Ryan Matthews to replace Ladainian Tomlinson, the Seahawks moving up to get Safety Earl Thomas and Dallas trading up to get Dez Bryant after he slid down the board.  I also like Indy’s pick up of speed rusher Jerry Hughes from TCU at the bottom of the round.

The losers?  Well, you have to wonder what the Jaguars were thinking when they took D-tackle Tyson Alualu with the 10th pick when there were several other higher ranked linemen on the board.

Denver had one of the most interesting first days, skipping over Bryant for Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas.  Coach Josh McDaniels said Thomas reminded him of Brandon Marshall.  You mean the guy you just traded away?  Then the Broncos took the biggest gamble of the first round by selecting Tim Tebow with a second pick acquired from Baltimore.  Tebow could turn out to be the biggest bust or biggest steal of the draft.  who knows at this point, but McDaniels is putting his job on the line with the pick.

This means both Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy are still available, but it’s doubtful for long.  The early question in the second round will be whether the Chiefs jump at Clausen with Charlie Weis now on board as offensive coordinator, despite having paid big money to Matt Cassell last year.

Expect a lot of wheeling and dealing in the second and third round tonight, but until these players hit the field, it’s all a crap shoot.

Options abound for the Chiefs

We’re just a little over two days away from the NFL draft and no one is really quite sure what the Chiefs will do with the fifth overall pick.  They actually have several options and all of them appear to be good.

While General Manager Scott Pioli professes to have a conservative nature when it comes to first round picks, he certainly reached a little when he took Tyson Jackson last year with the 3rd pick overall.  Jackson wasn’t a bust, but his impact was limited at the defensive tackle position.

This year, the Chiefs could go in one of several directions.  The best likely player available according to many observers is Tennessee safety Eric Berry.  But most GM’s don’t like spending that kind of draft money on a safety and Pioli has indicated he leans to that thinking.  

So the safe pick for the Chiefs is an offensive tackle, of which there are several good ones to choose from.  KC appears to like Ryan Bulaga of Iowa.  But what if Detroit decides to take offensive tackle Russell Okung with the second pick, Tampa chooses defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the 3rd pick and Washington takes offensive tackle Trent Williams with the fourth pick, leaving one Ndamakong Suh available to the Chiefs?

Would they pass on the possible game changing defensive lineman?  I wouldn’t.  

If that scenario doesn’t occur and Detroit takes Suh, would the Chiefs pass on taking Bulaga or Berry and trade down?  I think yes, given the correct circumstances and offer.  The Browns are said to covet Berry and sitting just two spots back at the 7th slot, they could be willing to swap number one’s and add in a third rounder. KC would like extra picks because they have none in the 6th and 7th round, even though they have eight picks overall.

KC, like a lot of other teams, also appear to like safety Earl Thomas of Texas nearly as much as Berry.  If that’s the case and they can trade down and still get a safety they covet, I’d say go for it.  If, on the other hand, Suh is available for the taking and they Chiefs want to live up to their statement of building with high character, team players, you can do no better than Suh and the defense needs A LOT of help.

At their spring game Saturday, Nebraska announced Suh will be making 2.6 million dollars in donations to the school and he hasn’t even signed his pro contract yet!   It’s the largest gift ever from a Husker football player.  If he’s somehow available, that’s the guy I want.