Merlin's 2008 Chiefs Draft Review

Yo! Adam here, wanting to give Merlin a warm welcome as he joins the Arrowhead Addict staff as a part-time featured contributor. He’ll be chiming in every now and then with his vast football knowledge and representing Chiefs fans and A.A. commenters to the max! Enjoy his first official post…

Before I get into the draft, I want to cover the Jared Allen situation. I love Jared as a player. Building a restaurant in the area made me think he wanted to be a Chief for life. Apparently, that was not the case. We may never know the full story, however, it became clear that he wanted to move on. You do not trade a top tier young player at a premium position lightly. This was not part of the rebuilding, in my opinion. This was a case of getting the best deal you can for a player that didn’t want to be on your team. I don’t blame Carl Peterson. He did get a good deal from Minnesota. Jared got an amazing contract. He had a chance to own the town here and he gave that up. I wish him the best of luck. Money can not buy what the KC fans gave him. I hope he is happy.

Going into the draft, I was looking for 2 O-lineman, A pass rushing DE and at least 1 CB as my upper tier of needs. After that, I was looking for a WR, FB, blocking TE another O-lineman, a return man and a kicker. With pick #5, My strategy was simple. Jake being gone was a pain. However, you have to adapt and adjust. I looked at Glenn Dorsey and Chris Long as my keepers. Ryan, DMC and Gholston were trade bait. I didn’t really want to take any of those three. I figured Chris Long was our best shot. Now, onto to the picks and my reactions/reviews.

1A] Glenn Dorsey (DT) I was surprised he was sitting there at #5. Baring an overwhelming trade offer, this was a no-brainer pick. Even though he does not fill a position of big need, you can’t pass on his talent. He is strong against the run with good explosion. He is a leader.

1B] Brandon Albert (OT/G) Nice to see the trade up to get the guy the Chief’s felt was the next best LT prospect after Jake. Brandon is mobile and versatile. I think he will end up, in time, at LT. Initially, he could start at RG.

2] Brandon Flowers (CB) I was hoping to trade up to get Merling or take Campbell. I like the pick, but I was hoping to fill the DE need here. I have trust in Herm looking at DB’s, but I was a bit surprised. Flowers is a bit undersized and good in run support. He is a classic cover 2 corner. He is not suited for man coverage.

End of day one. My grade for day one: A. It would have been an A+ if we found a pass rushing DE instead of Flowers. I do like Flowers though. I am expecting all three picks to start right away.

Day two strategy…

We still had work to do on the O-line and pass rushing DE. Now, the WR, FB, kicker, blocking TE and returner needs start to come into play, especially in rounds 5, 6 and 7. I am looking for O-line, CB and WR needs in rounds 3 and 4.

3A] Jamaal Charles (RB) What???????????????????? We take a speed back, returner type when we still have so much work to do on both lines? What does this say about LJ and the offensive playbook? I will get back to this. This kid has talent, but I was shocked we went RB this high. I was looking for someone like Anthony Collins or Jeremy Zuttah here.

3B] Brad Cottam (TE) OK, this one at least makes more sense. I would rather wait to get a blocking TE, but at least I can see him getting some PT this year. Good pickup.

3C] DaJuan Morgan (S) Huh????????????????????????? I am not taking issue with his talent. The position choices are really throwing me. We go RB, TE then S with so many other needs??????? Hey guys, where’s the beef???????

4] William Franklin (WR) Nice player and good value here. He can come in and compete for PT.

5] Brandon Carr (CB) Herm Edwards seems to love this guy. That is good enough for me. However, guys??? Do you think you fixed the O-line with one pick? How about the DE position?????

6A] Barry Richardson (OT/G) Finally! He is mobile and could end up at either OT or G. He could use a nasty attitude infusion though.

6B] Kevin Robinson (WR) Well, he fits as a return guy. I am not sure what else we are going to get out of him. Not a bad pick for round 6. I would have preferred a center like Steve Justice here.

7A] Brian Johnston (DE) We certainly waited long enough to address the DE position! Not a bad pick for round 7. He has some potential.

7B] Mike Merritt (TE/G) It is hard to complain about picks in the 7th round. These are real crapshoot picks. I would have liked a kicker or guard like Mackenzy Bernadeau. I don’t understand a second blocking TE.

Second day grade: B- I didn’t get the detours in round 3 and waiting so long for O-lineman and a DE.

Overall grade for the draft: B+. The first day went very well and we got some players with promise in the second day. This is a good draft for rebuilding, but I still worry about both lines.

Analysis:

What have we learned? One thing that jumped out at me is how mobile the O-line picks are. Both could play T or G. Are we going to a zone blocking scheme? We could given these pickups. What does this mean for LJ? I see him as more of a smashmouth runner. He does look good in the open field though. Why so long to draft a DE? This one I don’t understand at all. At the Chief”s day one press conference Herm mentioned Alfonso Boone at LDE. Although I don’t usually agree with Jabba the Witless, I agree that this does not speak highly of Turk McBride. I am still concerned about both lines. Can the O-line protect the QB and open running lanes? Can we generate a decent pass rush? Who will kick for us? Those are my questions heading out of the draft.