Tons of talent remains for the third!
Here are my top ten preferences after a fairly frustrating second round:
1. NT Cam Thomas, North Carolina. I do not in any way believe that Cam Thomas will be the best player on the board when the Chiefs will select. But the Chiefs, by passing on numerous nose tackles in the second round (including my favorite, Terrence Cody, twice), have boxed themselves in. They still do not have a good nose tackle, or even a true nose tackle. Thomas, fortunately, still provides decent value. He’s got a gigantic body and is very athletic. He’s even a passrusher. Please get a nose, Scott.
More after the jump.
2. WR Damian Williams, USC. I believe Williams is going to emerge from this Draft as its best receiver. He has (fortunately for us) received absolutely no buzz and has fallen due to his lack of top end speed. But when I see Damian Williams, I see Chris Chambers. A pure wideout with superb route-running abilities that will give this receiving corps the depth it needs in 2010 while offering it a surefire starter to free up Bowe in 2011.
3. OT Bruce Campbell, Maryland. I have Campbell penciled in as Top 10 talent, but it didn’t surprise me that he fell so much. He is a boom-or-bust player, but the “boom” is of such magnitude that I was sure Al Davis would take it: Campbell is a 300 lbs. athlete that rivals most linebackers! That said, Pioli is not going to be a gambler with a pick this high in a Draft this important. Campbell is 100% unlikely to end up in Red & Gold.
4. OLB Ricky Sapp, Clemson. People keep mentioning Kindle, but Kindle is a workout warrior. He’s a terrible prospect that honestly is going to take too long to develop for Pioli to afford. Instead, I believe that Sapp poses some great value for us at the 2a selection. Sapp comes from Clemson’s passrushing scheme, where he put up great numbers in assignments that will closely resemble what the Chiefs as their outside linebackers to do. Sapp is about as readymade as passrushers come, although he’ll need a year for proper development. No doubt Mike Vrabel would welcome the occasional blow.
5. WR Brandon LaFell, LSU. LaFell would be an interesting selection — it would essentially signal the beginning of the end of the Dwayne Bowe experiment in Kansas City. I do not believe that Dwayne Bowe needs to be shipped out or that he can’t fit in Haley’s scheme. But LaFell would be a signal that he can’t.
6. C Matt Tenant, Boston College. An incredibly smart center with great technique. Boston College players always seem to have a natural advantage in adjusting to the NFL game, and Tenant has a nasty streak to go along with that.
7. ILB Jamar Cheney, Mississippi State. A fast, athletic inside linebacker. The Chiefs sorely need to upgrade their front seven.
8. OT Jason Cox, Miami. A flexible guy who can play either tackle position. If we want to noodle with Brandon Albert at different positions, this is the guy to enable us into doing that.
9. CB Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest. An unforseen turn of events were five corners going in the first round, and none of them were Brandon Ghee. The Chiefs might still be looking to upgrade their secondary because these days in the NFL, you need three good corners. He poses pretty good size (6′0″, 190 lbs) that puts him physically between the physical abilities of Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr. He’s tailor made to be a damn good nickel back in the situation where we might need him to be. But I don’t anticipate Pioli looking this direction until later in the Draft. Ghee is great value at 2b.
10. SS Chat Jones, LSU. I think it’s safe to say that this is no longer a need.