Moving Up My Draft Board: Defense

If you’ve been keeping up with Arrowhead Addict this offseason, you know that we’ve resisted resigning to Russell Okung, debated CJ Spiller and Taylor Mays, considered Gerald McCoy and Joe Haden, dissed Rolando McClain, sang Eric Berry‘s praises and warred with one another over Jimmy Clausen.

Yep, we’ve talked incessantly about the Chiefs’ top pick on this blog. But I think it’s about time we discuss some midrounders that could hold a lot of promise for this team. The rough target here is the rest of the team’s picks.

After doing my best to pick 10 promising offensive prospects that nobody’s talking about (and kudos to Ehud for picking up on the theme), I finish the two-part series with defense. Here are ten defensive players I think Pioli would/should consider later on in the Draft, after watching a lot of tape and incessantly researching as well as I can. Essentially, I’m trying to shine light on players that nobody else is shining lights on.

In alphabetical order:

ILB Reggie Carter, UCLA — The Bruins had a deceptively talented defense last year, headed of course by first-round prospect DT Brian Price. But behind Price was the energetic leader of their defense, MLB Reggie Carter. What Carter lacks in speed he makes up for with great size, willpower, and intelligence. Few ILBs can recognize a play as it unfolds with greater speed than Reggie Carter. Fully recovered from a nasty knee injury in 2007, he has played well every single season he’s taken the field for the Bruins — this is as close to a sure thing as you’re going to get at linebacker.

OLB Antonio Coleman, Auburn — Coleman has shown up on this blog a couple times now, both times featured in my Mock Monday series:

"He’s a bigger 3-4 OLB, and plays very intensely against the run. But he has stacked up a ton of sacks in his time at Auburn and had a great volume of games for the Chiefs to scout; he’s as known a quantity as you’re going to get. Coleman, unlike [Clemson OLB Ricky] Sapp, does not have great athleticism, but he balances that out with a nose for the ball and good fundamentals."

Coleman’s a bigger OLB who would likely find himself rushing from the strong side. A very powerful player with relentless pursuit, he is a rare passrusher in this Draft that can play very well against the run. In college, Coleman has racked up double-digit sack seasons with frequency, but he projects as solid depth and run support to the NFL. Might be more of a 4-3 DE.