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.
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MB, I’m glad to see how copious amounts of schooling in psych and law don’t teach you anything about making a clear and valid argument. All you’ve done is contradict yourself and then claim that I can’t handle your massive intellectual prowess. You’re an ego-maniac, and arguing with someone who belittles anyone who disagrees with them is…is…wait, are you Dick Cheney? It all makes sense now!!!
MB:
1. No flies at all on your quals. Hope you get to use your international law training whenever you choose.
2. I have no problems with poker; just never had the time or the inclination to master it. Just threw in the lottery comment, because I consider it “voluntary” taxation and I pay enough taxes as it is.
3. I don’t think the Chiefs were trying to maximize or minimize their number of 2008 wins. I think they are trying to build a sustainable championship calibre team over a somewhat longer time frame. With that as their goal, they have to take their BPAs. The cumulative 3-5 year difference in overall roster strength of taking their BPAs vs. drafting for the next season’s needs is huge, especially since they are now managing their roster in such a way as to increase their number of draft picks. I know I am getting old enough that my brain is getting all used up (as my youngest informed me nearly a decade ago), but the logic of deliberately drafting, either in whole or in part, to maximize the value of future year picks escapes me or strikes as me as too clever by half.
Otherwise, we just have to agree to disagree and drive on, as I promised xxxlp.
Good luck.
ps With respect to your proposed Middle East solution, perhaps you should stick to poker!
Yes, agree to disagree, John.
Agree to have you put on a mild sedative, Jay.
Zing! MB strikes again. And proves my point again. Intelligent discourse, nope I’ll just berate the other side because I don’t have a clear point. Olive branch…I’ll agree to disagree with you, if you can refrain from taking a dig in your next response.
More info. on Chiefs’ R3 draft debate in KC Star this am. Adam Teicher quotes former Washington and Houston GM Charley Casserly:
“The best thing they did was stay disciplined in the draft…They could have gone and drafted five offensive linemen right off the bat, but if they did that, maybe four of them can’t play. What good does that do for them.
“There was an elite group of offensive linemen in the draft this year. The Chiefs got one of them. That group went faster than anybody thought. So if they would have drafted an offensive in the second round, they would have been getting a third-or fourth-round offensive lineman. They didn’t do that, and they should be commended for that.”
Questions:
1.If only 3rd or 4th round-value OLs were available at pick #35, when the Chiefs drafted CB Flowers (a late R1 value), wonder what value OLs were available in R3 @#73, 76 and 82?–certainly NOT R3 value.
2.What round value did they actually get in R3?–arguably R2 value with at least 2 of their 3 picks–RB Charles and S Morgan.
3.Which approach is more likely to lead to a stronger, rebuilt Chiefs team in 2-3 years?–game, set and match to the Chiefs!
I Agree 100% John.
Jay:
Here is more confirmation from one of the better NFL writers-Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News-in his May 6 article grading the 32 team drafts. (He also describes his methodology, which most do not.)
Anyway, he gave the Chiefs the only A+ for 2008, the first A-range grade he has given us in 17 years. More important, he said that according to his 500-player board, developed through his extensive contacts with NFL teams themselves, the Chiefs:
1. Only had 1 minor reach, our R5 pick CB Brandon Carr, to whom he had given an R6 grade; and
2. The Chiefs had 7 picks to whom he had given R3 or higher grades. (Presumably, these 7 are our first 7, through WR Will Franklin in R4.)
“Just the facts ma’am; just the facts.” (Sergeant Joe Friday, Dragnet)
i agree with john as well. If there would of been a solid prospect on the oline in the 3rd we should of taken him, but since there wast bpa was the best approach. And i think that charles coming in to spell lj and coming in on 3rd down will do alot for our feeble offense.
I’m not sure why anyone is bitching about Bernard Pollard not tackling anyone… he had 90 tackles (74 solo) in the 2007 season. Troy Polamalu has only topped 90 tackles twice in his career, and that guy is EVERYWHERE.
I’m really excited about the Chiefs draft this year. We got so much VALUE in our picks. Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles, Barry Richardson, and DaJuan Morgan are all examples of players we probably got steals with.
For anyone worried about any off-field issues or character concerns, don’t. I don’t think Herm would look seriously at any straight up thugs (Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, etc.) and I think he deals well with the “troubled” players that have been selected (haven’t had any problems with Tank Tyler, have we?)
Anyway.. looking forward to this season.