It’s a good year for the Chiefs to have an extra second-round draft choice
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
W hen a team is coming off three straight losing seasons, there’s never a bad year to have three picks among the top 50 in the NFL draft.
But not all drafts are created equal, and this year’s group of available players allows the Chiefs the chance to get better in a hurry if they choose wisely.
“This could be one of the best draft classes in the last 15 or 20 years,” said Shawn Zobel, who runs a draft Web site at
www.draftheadquarters.com. “The number of underclassmen is about the same as it’s been, but the quality of the underclassmen is a lot higher. There are at least 30 players that have first- or second-round grades that came out this year. You wouldn’t have seen that as much in years past.”
The fear of a rookie wage scale in the next collective bargaining flushed a large number of the top underclassmen out of college, creating a possible bounty for teams with extra selections.
“What that means is that the top of the draft is going to be unbelievable as far as value,” Zobel said. “There are going to be players that get drafted in the middle of the second round that would have been first-round picks in other years. Look back to last year. (Safety) Louis Delmas was the first pick of the second round. He had a great rookie year for Detroit. But a player like that is going to last into the third or fourth round this year because there are so many good players at the top of the draft.”
The Chiefs have an extra second-round pick this year because of the trade that sent tight end Tony Gonzalez to Atlanta. That gives the Chiefs a first-round pick, the fifth overall, plus the 36th and 50th selections, both in the second round.
They also have the good fortune to have needs at some of the draft’s deepest positions.
“If you look at safety, wide receiver and offensive tackle, there are a lot of players who normally we would have as first-round players but they keep getting pushed down,” said Matt Miller, who runs the draft Web site
www.newerascouting.com. “I think this will be one of the most talented second rounds that we’ve had in years.
“With the picks the Chiefs have this year, they’ll be able to get three players who potentially can be high-quality starters. To get three of them in one draft, that’s a pretty big deal.”
This year’s draft takes on extra importance for the Chiefs. The free-agent market will be thinned greatly as the players and owners head into the final season of the collective-bargaining agreement.
Unless the sides agree to a new agreement by the start of the league year on March 5, players will need six years to qualify for unrestricted free agency instead of the current four.
That will limit the movement of many of the top potential free agents and intensify the bidding on those who are available. If the Chiefs are to get involved in that bidding, it would represent a radical change for the organization.
Chairman Clark Hunt has said the Chiefs will build mostly through the draft. Last year, his team showed little interest in signing high-dollar free agents, acquiring several instead at lower prices.
The Chiefs have needs at many positions, including safety, wide receiver, offensive line and linebacker. So the top of their draft could go in many directions.
The safest choice might be Tennessee safety Eric Berry, if he hasn’t been selected by any of the four teams choosing ahead of them.
“It’s pretty simple if Eric Berry is still available to them,” Zobel said. “Kansas City hasn’t had a play-making safety for quite a few years now. That’s an easy position to see where they need an upgrade. Berry might be the best safety in the draft in the past 10 years.
“Eric Berry is the type of guy the Chiefs absolutely can’t pass on.”
If Berry is selected ahead of their pick, the Chiefs could help the offensive line by choosing Russell Okung of Oklahoma State. Okung’s presence would allow the Chiefs to move Branden Albert to guard or right tackle.
They could also go wide receiver and choose Okung’s college teammate Dez Bryant. Whatever they do, a high-quality player at a different position should be available in the second round.
“Even if the Chiefs don’t get Eric Berry, they’ll still be able to get a good player in the second round because safety this year is a very deep position,” Zobel said. “Chad Jones of LSU would be a great fit for the Chiefs in terms of adding a play-making safety. He’s one of those players who has first-round talent but will probably be drafted in the second round.”
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