This Old Chief: The Blind Side

[...] We’re already spearheading the entire Chiefs blogosphere’s effort to dissuade Pioli from selecting a tackle with the 5th overall pick. [...]

I'm extremely pumped about the NFL Superbowl. It's a offensive duel. I'll pick dem Indianapolis Colts in a blow out.

i think that when drafting o line, it is interesting to note the rule changes that have been implemented, which favor the passing game. thus pass blocking lineman skills are foremost in choosing a player. if you draft o line early you hope for run blocking skill as well. the chiefs need lot's of help and our old coach vermeil had a system. you have to have a quarterback, a cornerback and a left tackle to be able to compete in this pass happy era of tv football. i believe the cheifs management believe we have this nucleus and will draft defense.

I apologize for my lack of clarity in my previous post. That will teach me to break my rule of 'No Posting after Midnight'.

My intent was not to argue for a 'skill' position at 5 but to say that if the Chiefs want to improve their offense with the 5 pick it should be an OT.

The reason for this is while 'skill' positions SEEM to improve the O-line, the O-line ACTUALLY improves 'skill' positions. What I mean to say is that instead of one man ('skill' player) making 5 (O-line) LOOK better, 5 men (O-line) make 1 man ('skill' player) BE better.

My point with mentioning the QBs is that Cassel is not as good as those guys. In order to maximize his and Charles talents, upgrading the O-line by picking a LT makes sense. Not to mention, the less times Cassel and Charles get hit the less likely injury occurs.

My comment of “…O-line talent can be found later in the draft but, the later it is, the less likely that is to be true.” is true and I stand by it. It's not meant to offend, it's just simple math. You have a group of players. Some are very talented, others not as much. Assuming teams start by taking players who are very talented (which is the goal) the more players taken, the less likely you get one that is very talented. Sometimes gems are found but that is the exception not the standard.

I think the article does support the argument because the team that has the QB closest skill-wise to ours has an O-line filled with 4 1st rounders. They didn't make it to the playoffs on Sanchez's arm, they made with a great O-line and a run game.

Also, take a look at the Saints games. The games where they had the most trouble (including their first loss) was when that O-line was tested by the Defense.

Ehud:

Your position seems to argue, albeit in a roundabout way, for a skill position pick at the #5 spot.

Over the past two weeks the argument has been made on this site, primarily by Patrick, that the first round pick should be a RB/WR/or QB (he's not really that high on the QB, but it fits the mold). The argument being that the Chiefs' O-line SEEMED to improve dramatically when Charles was finally 'in-charge' (forgive me) enough to demand some attention from defenses.

If the position is that the Championship O-lines look better because of better talent around them (at the skill positions - you cited Manning, Favre and Brees), then an O-line pick at #5 is even more of a waste than we thought.

I also happen to disagree with your assertion that "...O-line talent can be found later in the draft but, the later it is, the less likely that is to be true."

The argument sounds reasonable, but the statistics cited in the article don't reflect that position, with the Saints starting four guys drafted in rounds 4 or 5. The facts don't support the position.

I agree that we shouldn't be 'surprised' to hear Okung's name on Draft day, but I think you're arguing something different from what you intended.

Great article. I appreciate the time put into it.

Looking at the Championship teams of this year helps to put our O-line into perspective. However, I think some O-lines can be made to look better than they are based upon the quality of QB and RB. The question is whether the 'skill' players are making plays in spite of the O-line or with the help of it.

My point in stating this is that Matt Cassel, let's be honest, is not Manning, Favre, or Brees. Better than Sanchez, but perhaps only for now. So, the best comparison for the Chiefs to make would be to the Jets.

Looking above, the Jets have 4 1st round picks on their line. As mentioned, it is one of the best in the league. I understand that O-line talent can be found later in draft but, the later it is, the less likely that is to be true.

I can see both sides of the argument here. Those who want O-line and those who want something else. If we can address it in FA, awesome. If we can't, I will be neither shocked nor disappointed if Okung's name is called for us. But I wouldn't be disappointed if someone like Rolando McClain was called, either.

Great research!

Thanks for the article!

I'm also of the opinion that the O-line needs to be a priority, both in free agency and on Draft day.

I think the majority of the opposition to discussions around drafting O-linemen has come as the result of the unfounded assertion on the part of some writers that the Chiefs MUST use their number one pick to address the problem.

As your research clearly shows, capable and competent offensive lineman can be found as late as the 4th or 5th round of the draft (those two rounds represent 80% of the Saint's starting unit).

I haven't seen much support for standing pat on the O-line, and I agree that free agent acquisitions and a draft pick or two in April will go a long way toward bringing some stability to a critical area.

However,I also have to agree with others who suggest that using our #5 overall pick on an O-lineman would be an unnecessary reach, particularly in light of the information shared in this article.

Thanks again for the article!