Why Not Albert?
I have come to the realization that my main man Jake Long might not make it to the 5th pick when the Chiefs‘ turn rolls about April 26. I know many of you have been saying that for a long time now, I still believe that there is a chance he will…you never know, you just never know.
So now my thoughts are focusing on what players would best serve the Chiefs if Long is “long gone” (sorry, had to do it).
My first thought is Matt Ryan will not be the choice. Now I don’t just say this because he is not that good of a quarterback, certainly not worthy of a pick this high. The Chiefs could have had Brady Quinn last year in the draft had they decided to move up one or two spots. Personally, I would say Brady was a much better college prospect than Matt Ryan, not just from a statistical standpoint, but from a chance to watch both of them play the game. Brady just seemed more like a quarterback, Matt just looks like he is playing the position.
The bottom line is the Chiefs could have had a first round caliber quarterback last year, they chose not to, so why in the world would they spend a much more expensive draft pick on a quarterback not even half as good? I don’t think they will, to do so would mean the Chiefs are rebuilding…again. They already started the process and are well on their way to being successful, to draft a QB in the first round now is to admit that the steps they have made so far have not been good ones. Remember, Herm drafted Brodie Croyle-to play quarterback.
So who does that leave?
Obviously, and I’ve stated it time and time again-teams that fall within the first 10 picks in the draft have needs at more than one position. The only exceptions to this rule are the teams that have worked out trades in previous drafts that now have them in a premier position, and those teams that lost a superstar on their team, due to injury or suspension, that cost them many games, otherwise the team was expected to be in contention for a playoff spot. Think if Tom Brady got hurt in game one and was out for the entire year.
But I subscribe to the theory that the Chiefs’ biggest need lies on the offensive line. IF Jake Long is gone, then I say the Chiefs should take OG/OT Branden Albert from Virginia.
WHAT!?
That’s right. Branden Albert, 6′ 7” 310lbs, played offensive guard in college but word is he can and will play tackle in the NFL. Then why did he play guard in college you might ask. Injuries by other teammates I believe is the correct answer. Albert was moved inside to compensate for an injured line, D’Brickashaw Ferguson was the LT, and played rather well. Once Ferguson was drafted, Albert stayed inside to maintain the consistency of the line, to help the football team, not try and help himself. You see, already, he is a team player.
Coming out of college Mike Mayock from the NFL Network had him rated as the # 1 guard, and had him going somewhere in the top 20-25. Now, in Mayock’s latest mock draft, Albert is slated to go to the Patriots with their 1st pick (7th overall). The reason? Versatility-he can play the guard and tackle position, athleticism and a firm work ethic (apparently something Mr. Clady doesn’t believe in) which goes a long way with NFL exec’s.
Branden Albert might be the best offensive tackle prospect in the draft this year-and he’s only played two games at the position.
The only reason the Chiefs should consider going after Albert if Jake Long is off the board is if Glenn Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis and Chris Long are also off the board. Eliis and Dorsey also fit an important need for the Chiefs and aren’t a reach at the number 5 position and Chris Long’s availability would allow us to trade either the pick or one of our two good defensive ends (which we should be able to get top value for) should we select him.
If all four of those players are off the board I still think we should look at taking McFadden first or try and trade the pick to Dallas (who covet McFadden and have two first rounders).
April 7th, 2008 at 6:19 amSteven:
I have been hearing this rumor for the last week or so. Clady seems to have slipped due to an alleged lack of drive (attitude). The other one I keep hearing is that the Chiefs love Otah. I am starting to wonder of taking Albert at #5 is a realistic possibility if Jake is not there. If Albert projects as the stud LT we need, I could accept this.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:48 amI can’t see the Chiefs spending 5th overall money on a reach like Albert. Wouldn’t you rather have a talent like McKelvin, Ellis, or even Rivers and draft offensive lineman later in the first day? Croyle looks awful to me. I’d be shocked if the Chiefs didn’t draft a QB this year. That said, I’d rather have Andre Woodson or Chad Henne than Matt Ryan, all draft-pick considerations aside.
ESPN wrote the following today:
I guess the Chiefs are just an afterthought? As a Broncos fan, you can imagine I don’t buy into this idiocy. To me, even with all the money they’ve spent this year in free agency, the Raiders are the worst team in the division.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:00 amAlbert is a stud. Even if we dont use him as a tackle he would be one of the best guards in the league immediatly. Dont forget the Chiefs need a guard as well as tackles and a center
April 7th, 2008 at 10:24 amAlbert is a stud. Even if we dont use him as a tackle he would be one of the best guards in the league immediatly. Dont forget the Chiefs need a guard as well as tackles and a center
April 7th, 2008 at 10:24 amI do think we need to pick up 2 O-lineman in the first 2-4 rounds of the draft. This draft is deep in Tackles and we could use 2 of them and slide Dmac to guard.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:24 amNice thought, but I don’t see it happening. Chiefs will take one of the top seven, C Long, Jake Long, Glen Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis, Matt Ryan, V Ghoulston, D Mcfadden. They will not reach, all they hype/rhetoric coming from the Chief’s web site indicates such (The Chief’s web site writers claim they are independent, but really? This is the official web site of the Chiefs!). They even had an article indicating they would take Mcfadden if he was high rated than any other player at the time of their pick.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:29 amMy feeling is that if we can’t trade down we take the BPA. If it’s Ryan or DMC, we would still have a shot at trading either one of those guys away to one of the teams badly need a QB or RB and then gain extra picks – kind of like what happened with the Manning – Rivers swapparoo back in ‘04. The Colts made out like bandits on that deal.
And maybe Albert is top 5 caliber? If so, I say we grab him.
My biggest fear is that the Chiefs use their 1st pick on something other than OL and then take Sam Baker (or worse) with their 2nd pick thinking that they’ve addressed the need for OT. Baker will never start as a tackle for the Chiefs unless Cherm opts for the full-blown ZBS which I doubt will happen.
As far as QB goes, Dennis Dixon seems to have had a pretty good pro day, apparently dispelled concerns about his recupe and is starting to move up the charts as a result. He could be a nice 4th or 5th round pick up that might be both a back-up QB and potential #4 WR. Some seem to think he may go even higher (i.e., 2nd or 3rd round)
April 7th, 2008 at 11:36 amMeant to say “Bolts” not “Colts.”
April 7th, 2008 at 11:38 amOK, first off, looking at the comments, no on Chris Long as well. Can’t use him at all. McKelvin–too high. Rivers, again, can’t use him.
The thought that Henne or, gulp, Woodsen are better than Ryan is just laughable. Sorry, man, I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you
Double D, you are absolutely going to eat your words Bellagio-buffet style on that Sam Baker comment. He is going to be a stud. Guaranteed. You know I love the OT in round two theory. I’ll start reading up on Dixon, though.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:27 pmOh, can’t use Vernon either. I mean, unless we plan on trading Jared Allen for sure we absolutely don’t need defensive end. It is our best and deepest position. Jared, Tamba, Turk…what more do we really need? Geez…outside linebacker is pretty much the same deal.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pmSo, now the post itself.
As for the idea and Branden Albert–great idea. Kiper actually had us taking him in his latest mock, and the kid is enjoying a Levi Brownesque ascent up draft boards right now. I like him a hellua lot more than I like Clady. I actually think he’s one of coach Prince’s old kids, too, and we’re seeing how good D’Brick is turning out.
As for Matt Ryan, you were way in the deep end on that one. Almost stopped reading. It’s obvious that you just don’t like the guy and don’t want the Chiefs to pick him. Anyone who says he’s not even half as good as Brady Quinn needs to splash some ice-cold H20 in their face and wake their ass up. Right here, right now I guarantee that Matt Ryan will be as good as Brady Quinn by the time it’s all said and done. That’s already two guarantees today. I’m on a roll.
Otherwise I enjoyed it, and somewhat agree on Albert. I still think No. 5 is a little high, but we’ll see. He’s going to come up in “The Blueprint 4.”
April 7th, 2008 at 12:34 pmUnless he grows arms or is put into a ZBS, I can pretty much guarantee that Baker will end up as an OG in the NFL. Not saying he won’t get a shot @ OT, just saying it won’t stick for long. 6-5, 300 lbs, 32″ reach – nuff said.
Adam, here’s how I see it – all your scenarios so far involve some sexy 1st round pick and then banking on Baker being available to us in the 2nd round. As a result, my gut tells me that you’re probably so self-jazzed about your awesome 1st pick that you’re not capable of acknowledging whatever OT falls to us 2nd round pick might be equally unawesome or worse.
Could it be that you’ve convinced yourself that Baker (or “somebody just as good”)will be good enough because if that guy’s not then all your scenarios kind of blow up, don’t they? Well, I think there’s a better than even chance that he is not the second coming of W Roaf. Any team with as many starting holes to fill on OL as the Chiefs have that also believes its 1st overall pick can be a luxury pick because it can wait until the 2nd round to start addressing major needs is a team that is flirting with disaster.
Given that we will likely need to start at least 2 rookies on the OL next season, then I say that no less than 2 of the first 3 picks will have to be used to address that need. Regardless of whether others think it’s a reach, I just don’t see any way we can afford to leave the 1st round without selecting an OT.
Now, all that said, if you believe the Chiefs can afford to wait another year to be competitive then that’s totally different matter. As far as I can tell, you’ve never suggested that so I have to assume that’s not where you’re coming from.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:09 pmwell if Baker turns out to be a guard and Albert turns out he can play Tackle…..? we really didn’t reach Albert can play either position Baker evidently won’t be a good tackle…..Ill bet money you are wrong Double D…… Baker will play right tackle for his whole career and will start for someone….and if he doesn’t then he will paly guard and start for someone……So heres how your looking at things if you draft those two in the first two rounds…. LT D-mac LG Waters C Niswanger RG according to double D Sam Baker and RT Brandon Albert…..yeah i think i am happy with that scenario
April 7th, 2008 at 2:25 pmNobody is saying anyone will replace Willie Roaf…..in fact D-mac will probably stay there casue when he played there he actually looked good when he wasn’t hurt and he is horrible at RT…..go back to Miami and San Diego….HE stays at Lefti guarantee it….so you really only need to draft RG and RT, and then depth later in the draft
April 7th, 2008 at 2:28 pmNo objection to Albert.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:38 pmBaker has small hands too btw: 9.2″ Not Chief’s OT material – he’s a finesse guy. Cherm likes big-winged bulldozers up front.
I’m buying the whole “Ryan will be better than Quinn” argument only because I think that Quinn is a bust. Ryan is probably the better of the two, but neither are starters in 3 years.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:14 pmSomeone in one of the above posts said that they would play it safe and pick one of the top name talents and not take a reach. I agree, If the stay at 5 and reach for a player projected to go in the teens and they flop, that could get Carl & Herm fired . I Think they play it safe and pick one of the big names…
April 7th, 2008 at 3:15 pmI like your thinking BUT these last few weeks a lot of rumors get spread to make teams think that someone is better or worse than he is. With that said if you can go with Albert in round 1 then a corner and back to a tackle in round 3 that would be a good draft I think we can get one of the top 3 centers in round 5.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:49 pmYou can look at a center in rounds 5 or 6, but the more I think about it, I am hoping that we get two OT’s in the first 2 rounds, move Dmac to guard, leave Waters at guard and start Niswanger at center. The one thing you want to avoid, if you can, is having two young players next to each other on the O-Line. This way, you have Waters and/or DMac next to each younger player. That helps the younger player assimilate. I would be happier if we could have gotten a vet center. 3 unproven players on the O-Line makes me very nervous.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:03 pmThat’s interesting that so many people are labelling Albert as a reach.
#1 – he’s going to be a starter and a very good one at a very important position. If Albert ends up becoming a pro bowl guard, he’s a steal, not a reach. #2 – given the insane amount of money teams are forking over to starting guards like Faneca and Steinbach, Albert will actually be very cheap (at the #5 pick) compared to the fair market value at guard. Those are really compelling arguments for the guard position.
But the versatility makes this pick an absolute no-brainer. Unlike Clady, he has the upside to be a solid left tackle, whereas I believe Clady will never develop beyond his rawness, simply because of his immaturity and attitude.
So, if Albert becomes a stud guard, which I think he will become, then this is a good pick. If Albert becomes a pro bowl guard, this pick is a steal. If Albert becomes a star left tackle, this pick becomes highway robbery. So at worst, we’re probably left with a good pick; at best, we come out with an unbelievable pick.
I think it’ll be a tough decision if it’s Albert vs. Long, Ellis, or Dorsey. Personally, I think Albert has upside to be better than Long.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:06 pmMatt Ryan will be a starter three years from now, r8rh8r. My God, you guys know other people read these comments, right?
April 7th, 2008 at 4:25 pmAnd I’m sticking by my Baker guns as well. Besides, it’s not just him. It’s Chris Williams. It’s Cherilus. It’s Collins. The draft dictates what you do, not the other way around. That is when you reach and get in trouble. No reason to fight the draft and swim against the current. Not with all of our holes.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:28 pmAdam:
I’ll bet you said the same thing about Tim Couch and Alex Smith. Ryan is bustville.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:28 pmAlex Smith was a totally different situation than Ryan. He was a system QB, a younger one, and one who played a much weaker schedule. Couch was overrated. I wasn’t big on either of those guys, or Harrington, or Carr even…
Matt Ryan is a winner. He went something like 26-6 at B.C., in a tough-as-nails conference. He has the physical tools, great intelligence and all the intangibles. I see him ending up closer to getting his own HOF bust than Bustville. He’s going to be an excellent QB.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:06 pmI have to say that the ACC is an overrated conference. For God’s sake their champion got beat by Kansas. I think Matt Ryan will be a good quarterback, but I would rather stick with Croyle and see what he can do.(especially if we can get him a decent line and running game) If he is not the answer then we have another great chance to pick up a franchise QB because we will be right back in the top 5.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:33 amYa I’m not impressed with many players from the ACC outside of Pressley. Balmer, Ryan, Phillips, Royal, etc. are all suspect in my book.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:19 pmIm far to lazy to look it up but, I just wonder how many guards were picked in the top five picks in a given year. I would guess not many.
April 9th, 2008 at 5:05 pm