Anazlying the Chiefs' Draft

Hey, better late than never, right? Since I was indisposed this year during the draft, I was unable to conduct what I was hoping would be an annual tradition - drinking beer and saying "WTF?" every time the Chiefs made a draft pick. It worked well last year, but unfortunately I wasn't able to follow up in 2009. That's sad, actually, because this was the first year of Scott Pioli's reign of terror...er...general management. I think it would have been interesting to berate him on the spot rather than two months later. However, we'll berate him (or praise him) as we see fit now. Seeing how this is the absolute Bermuda Triangle for NFL news, we have to takes what we's can gets right now. Without further ado... 1st Round - #3 overall - Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU - I guess if at first you don't succeed, take another LSU defensive lineman in the top five and hope he has a greater impact as a rookie, right? (In fairness, I think Glen Dorsey did okay in his first year and was cursed with unreasonable expecatations. While DT is a tough position to make an immediate impact at, I think Dorsey steadily improved as 2008 went on. Consider this, Chiefs fans - he could be Ryan Sims. I'll wait until everyone has stopped punching their monitors.) The Chiefs were in a tough spot at #3 overall - somewhere that Pioli absolutely did not want to be. From all accounts (and from who I've talked to), he offered everything short of his bodily organs to get out of the spot, but there were no serious offers. Once Stafford went to the Lions (and he wasn't someone the team was considering anyway) and Jason Smith went to St. Louis, the Chiefs were left with basically two options - Jackson or LB Aaron Curry. Michael Crabtree was also a possibility, especially after the departure of Tony Gonzalez. While I think Curry would've been an excellent addition to the team, that's not how Pioli rolls. The Patriots were built around the defensive line - Vinnie Wolfork, Richard Seymour and Ty Warren), and then had the rest filled in. The Chiefs are being molded in similar fashion - think about it. Two of the last three years, the Chiefs have spent their first round picks on defensive linemen (Dorsey and Tamba Hali), and now Jackson. That's a LOT of investment in the front seven, especially when you consider that LB Derrick Johnson was another first-round pick the year before Hali. So with Dorsey, Hali, Jackson and Johnson on the front lines, Pioli has a young nucleus that needs to start playing up to expectations. Jackson should bring a fierceness that was missing from the Chiefs last season - as I used a vulgar slang word usually reserved for felines or female reproductive parts to describe how our defense played for most of the year more times than was probably appropriate. Grade - B+ 2nd Round - #34 overall - no pick, traded to New England for QB Matt Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel - honestly, this trade alone would warrant the Chiefs an B+ or A- for me in the draft, and I think this move gets overlooked more times than not by the Chiefs' fan base. Trust me - it's easy to do. I'm just as guilty as the next guy. While it's easy to question how successful Cassel will be (I know he had Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to), the added bonus of Vrabel in this trade makes it a terric trade - in terms of value to the team, and one bonus feature that I'm hoping happens. Vrabel brings experience - which is a polite way of saying "he's old". But he also brings some leadership with him, and I'm hoping that he passes that onto Derrick Johnson and helps transform him into the All-Pro LB we've all been waiting to see for the past four years. Toss in the addition of LB Zack Thomas via free agency, and DJ has a wealth of knowledge to tap into. Now I just hope he takes advantage of it. Back to the draft pick - the Chiefs picked up their starting QB (for a hefty $14.5 million pricetag) and a starting LB that is basically another coach on the field. Not bad at all, especially considering the Pats took SS Eugene Chung from Oregon with the pick we gave them. Following Chung, linebackers James Laurinaitis and Rey Maualuga were picked, along with wide receiver Brian Robiskie. Here's how the team shapes up with and without the trade: Without the trade: QB - Tyler Thigpen LB - Derrick Johnson LB - Laurinaitis/Maualuga (thank God I don't have to type those names very often) With the trade: QB - Matt Cassel (with Thigpen as a very capable backup) LB - Derrick Johnson LB - Mike Vrabel Are we better off? I'm not 100% sure, but I will say yes. I think Johnson is physically talented, but lacks the makeup of a good leader - so that gives trading for Vrabel the nod. Grade - B+ 3rd Round - #67 overall - Alex Magee, DT, Purdue - A big dude (6'2, 300 pounds) who has some versatility to play almost anywhere on the line. With the Chiefs going to a 3-4 defense (or whatever scheme they're calling it - I'm not sure why the team is so adverse to say they are a strict 3-4 defense), the Chiefs will need space-eaters in the middle. With the rumored move of Dorsey to DE for some downs, this will free up Magee to play the middle along with Ron Edwards and Tank Tyler. There has been some talk about Magee moving to the outside on some downs, too. There's only one reason I don't like this pick - and it's the guy who was taken immediately after Magee, DE Jarron Gilbert out of San Jose State. I think he could have made a HUGE difference for the team, someone who could register 6-7 sacks his rookie year. So for that reason, I say... Grade - B- 4th Round - #102 overall - Donald Washington, CB, Ohio State - I'm not sure what to think of this pick, honestly. While you can never have enough depth at cornerback, I didn't think it was necessarily a need at this point. Washington was someone the team wanted in the third round and was (by their standards) lucky to get him in the fourth. A lot of scouting reports thought that Washington needed more polish on his game, but certainly possessed the physical tools to compete in the NFL. There were also some off-the-field red flags that are a little scary, too. As a fourth CB who will most likely be covering the slot, I think he can be a solid contributer right away. The only minor gripe I have is that the Chiefs could've had Jonathan Luigs, a mountain of a center (6'2, 305 pounds) instead, but that's pulling at straws, especially in the fourth round. Grade - C+ Rounds 5-7 - #139 overall - Colin Brown, OT, University of Missouri, #175 overall - Quinten Lawrence, WR, McNeese State, #212 overall - Javarris Williams, RB, Tennessee State - #139 overall - Jake O'Connell, WR, Miami (OH) University, #256 overall - Ryan Succop, K, South Carolina - With five picks in the final two rounds, the Chiefs have to find a diamond in the rough - and they may have done so with Brown. Now, I'm biased in Brown's favor for two reasons: 1.) He's from Mizzou - so that makes him cool by default. 2.) He finally gives me a chance to buy a jersey with my last name on it - which, when you think about it, is amazing. Colin and I have the fourth-most common last name in the United States - and the best we can get is Dee Brown? Sigh. Brown is a monster (6'7, 335) and is an automatic upgrade to our tackle rotation because his name is not Damion McIntosh. Provided he plays slightly better than a corpse, he should provide more protection than D-Mac. Lawrence, Williams and O'Connell provide depth and tackling dummies for the team in July and August. Lawrence has some wheels and may be tried out in the return game (why not? I think everyone else has had a shot at it), and O'Connell has some size, so they may stick around on the practice squad. Finally, Mr. Irrelevant (Succop - pronounced "Suck up") may finally be the guy that the Chiefs need to stabilize the kicking game. While I might have chosen Missouri kicker Jeff Woffert (you know - the best kicker in the country last year), I will take ANYONE who can trot out for a 43-yarder in November and not make it a circus act half the time. If we can get that from the absolute last pick in the draft - well, then that gives this draft a B+ all by itself Rounds 5-7 Grade - C, with the potential to be a high B if Brown and Succop pan out. It wasn't a sexy draft by any means - and it had Pioli's fingerprints ALL over it. Instead of the flashy Crabtree or the high-profile USC linebackers, Pioli picked guys HE wanted. Make no mistake about it, fans - this is HIS team. We just get to watch. Overall grade - B-, with a good chance to make it an A if Cassel, Jackson, Magee and one of the late round picks play like they should.