Is The Third Pick Really Going To Be A Linebacker?
The Chiefs have cut only two (2) linebackers from last year: Donnie Edwards and Pat Thomas. They have traded for and signed five (5): Monty Beisel, Corey Mays, Darrell Robertson, Mike Vrabel, and Zach Thomas. This along with the current roster of Weston Dacus, Curtis Gatewood, Derrick Johnson, and Demorrio Williams gives us nine (9) total linebackers. As we know, we are eventually switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme. Utilizing a 3-4 scheme requires four linebackers. So, are we still in need of even more linebackers?
Just about every mock draft I see has the Chiefs taking Curry with the number three (3) pick. However, is Curry really going to be the number three (3) pick? Is Curry truly a 3-4 linebacker? Are we better suited by finding a 3-4 linebacker in later rounds?
I have been reading a couple of articles about potential 3-4 linebackers in this draft (see below). Specifically, they focus on, and rank, the linebackers best suited for a 3-4 scheme. Whether or not these authors are correct, I find it surprising that they all have a common denominator. Curry is NOT listed.
The entire Internet claims that Curry is the best linebacker in the draft. It also says he is the safest, but is he really the best pick for the Chiefs and their soon to be 3-4 scheme? The Chiefs may need a linebacker, but don’t’ they need a specific kind of linebacker? As good as he is, is Curry really that guy? As Pioli puts it: “its not the best players but the right ones”.
Maybe the Chiefs should be focusing on these 3-4 linebackers: Clint Sintim (Virginia), Lawrence Sidbury (Clemson), Cody Brown (Connecticut), and David Veikune (Hawaii). These players all expected to be available in the later rounds.
Yeah, I just don’t see Curry being a great fit in the 3-4. I think he’s more of a 4-3 backer. Mike Mayock has said the same thing. I’ll have to pull up some video on some of these other players since we are down to the wire.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:02 pmOrakapo!
April 13th, 2009 at 2:28 pmBrian Orakpo would be a beast. If we don’t take him, we should TRY to trade down.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pmHold on, Do you think Orakpo is a good candidate for the 3-4? Also, Texas players have not become the most dominant NFL players. Can you name one? Derrrick Johnson certainly does not qualify.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:07 pmAlso is Orakpo big enough to play DE in a 3-4 scheme?
April 13th, 2009 at 3:08 pmOrakpo wouldn’t play DE in a 3-4 scheme. He would play OLB.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:24 pmOrakpo wouldn’t play DE in a 3-4 scheme. He would play OLB.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:24 pmOrakpo’s play is sporatic. He does have his moments, and his work(out) ethic is unreal, but like others have mentioned on here, he disappears in big games. With our pick at 3, it makes it hard to decide who’s the right fit. Everett Brown has been compared to Terrell Suggs, and Raji is a monster on the line. And with the addition of Thomas, can Haley really pass on an opportunity to have another Fitzgerald?
Whatever they decide to do I hope it pans out. Looking forward to some wild wheelin’ and dealin’ come draft day! Maybe Santa Pioli can bring me a Shaun Rogers for an early Christmas present!
April 13th, 2009 at 3:25 pmI would pick a true D lineman who does not take some plays off (like Orakpo is reported to do). Tyson Jackson would be a possibility.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:29 pmOrakpo = Gholston. We don’t need another soft Texas kid. #3 is way too high. Trade down, load up on WR/pass rush. Barring that, OT or Raji/Everett Brown if they fit the scheme, since we’ve heard 3-4 from everywhere but from behind the Pioli Curtain.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:49 pmWith the Chiefs just signing Zach Thomas, releasing Will Franklin and there not being a defensive player worth taking at #3 the door is open for taking Crabtree or trading down. Curry is a freak athlete but hasn’t worked in a 3-4 defense and is not a pass rusher. The draft options get more interesting every day for the Chiefs.
April 13th, 2009 at 4:03 pmI think the Chiefs pick BJ Raji. They are trying to transition to a 3-4. The most important player in the 3-4 is a dominant NT. The Chiefs don’t have one.
April 13th, 2009 at 4:06 pmI don’t know the entire story but didn’t Raji have to miss a year because of academic reasons? This does not sound like one of these intelegent players Pioli has mentioned he wants. Orakpo is not top 3 material according to anyone. It is more of a stretch to say he can play linebacker than to say Curry can’t play a 3-4. So it doesn’t realy make any more scence to take either of those guys. Yes we have linebackers, but they either suck or are old. Unless we do the wise thing and take Curry, I don’t see us having much more success at that position than we did last year. Pioli may be doing the smart thing and actually preparing for the pick of Curry by bringing in Vrable and Thomas. Having the best LB prospect in years playing next to 2 former pro-bowlers. Good inssurance policy right there.
April 13th, 2009 at 4:25 pmI don’t think you need to be that smart to be a NT.
April 13th, 2009 at 4:40 pmGreat post…Love the new content Jeremy.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:15 pmWill Franklin gone… highest draft pick in his class to be cut so far. ouch.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:58 pmYes, BJ Raji was suspended for academic reasons. Not because of grades, but because he didn’t take enough classes earn the required amount of credit hours. In the interview I heard he blamed this on bad advice. This makes me question his work ethic, and self-responsibility. Also, the guys on Sirius NFL Radio have been projecting Raji as a better one gap tackle, not a true nose tackle (we already have one of these, his name is Glenn Dorsey).
Tank Tyler also interviewed on Sirius today. I missed the interview, but the rest of the day he was referred to as “Chief’s nose tackle Tank Tyler”.
April 13th, 2009 at 6:50 pmGood info.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:01 pmI’m gonna have to disagree with you guys. Orakapo would be a great fit as our outside pass-rushing LB. I don’t think he’d be a reach at three seeing how many have him going 5 to the Browns. And you can’t question his work ethic which is exactly what Pioli is looking for. I think he fits exactly what we need: A high motor guy who can put pressure on the QB.
Trading down with the Donkeys could land us two picks where we could pick up an OL like Ebon Britton or Michael Oher, and then Tyson Jackson (who would be a Richard Seymour type DE in the 3-4) or someone like Everette Brown, or vise versa. I think it will be interesting to see what we do with Tamba Hali. Can he stand up a be our pass rushing OLB?
What complicates everything more (or makes things more simple, depending on how you look at it) is that we are going to run a hybrid 3-4. We’re going to be flexible, as Pendergast ran a similar defense in AZ. It won’t be all 4-3 or all 3-4, its going to change from play to play. Interesting stuff indeed.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:05 pmGood analysis Jeremy-
I hope we just take the best OT- not the sexy pick, but it is what we need for Cassel. Period.
It all boils down to that phone when we are on the clock, I think we might slide down and try to get Crabtree in the process if we don’t use our #3.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:50 pmI have Orakpo pegged as this year’s draft bust. Don’t want him.
Regarding Curry, I do believe Pioli will take him if given the opportunity because Pioli does value versatility, leadership, and talent and it seems Curry possesses all three. Among other things, 3-4 schemes feature linebackers blitzing from any or all 4 LB slots. Adding Curry to the existing mix will only make that unit more solid, short-term and for the long-haul. As far as his blitzing ability goes, the fact that he could and would come from any position (disguised or otherwise) would tend to make him even more dangerous in an NFL defense. He is the kind of guy who will be the QB of whatever defense he plays for and landing a defensive franchise QB in the top 5 is every bit as good as landing an offensive franchise QB in the draft range.
Now in light of the argument I’ve just made, I have every reason to believe that Detroit may end up taking Curry which means Pioli may have to go another way which is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, with Stafford still on the board, trading down becomes a very real possibility. But if Curry goes to Detroit and we don’t/can’t trade down, then I definitely believe that Pioli will opt to anchor his 3-4 with the 3rd overall pick by selecting Raji. Filling our need for RT by taking LT (when we already have one) would be a wasted pick. Crabtree has a screw in his foot which means he’ll most likely never be what he could have been – trust me, just ask any NFL receiver who’s had that done and they’ll tell you the same thing that I’m telling you – i.e., they always lose some burst and/or speed. And let’s face it, even before the foot issue, Crabtree is not what you’d call a speed receiver. We have 3 pretty good possessions receivers as it is, we hardly need another.
April 14th, 2009 at 12:43 pm[...] at Arrowhead Addict, there is increasing doubt that the Chiefs pull the trigger on former Demon Deacon Aaron Curry at No. 3. As AA writer Jeremy [...]
April 14th, 2009 at 3:41 pmStripe Hype – you are stratospherically high if you believe, short of trading up, the Bengals have any chance in Hell of landing Curry.
April 14th, 2009 at 3:47 pmI don’t see any possible way Curry would ever slip past the Browns.
April 14th, 2009 at 8:00 pm