Merlin’s Magic, Draft Summary And First Round Pick Edition
By merlin
OK Addicts, final review time. Let’ stack the needs, talk about strategy and I will unveil my current first choice for the Chiefs first round draft pick in the 2011 draft.
During the season, I am always revising the needs, based on the Chiefs play on the field. This review will have the current needs. These needs are so current, they are yet to appear on DraftTek.com. They will be included in the next update, maybe, perhaps, unless I change my mind again. As usual, I am open to changing my mind. Via Draft Tek, I get feedback from many Chiefs fans and I welcome it. All the feedback goes into my thinking. I am not omniscient, just don’t tell Paddy. He might cut my salary from nothing to half of that. I don’t think I can take that kind of cut. The economy is tight.
The highest level of draft needs contain the following positions, in no particular order: NT, C, WR. Sharp readers will note that QB is no longer on the highest level of needs. Matt Cassel has played about as good as I think he can play. Play like that keeps his job very secure. However, as Scott Pioli always reminds us, he looks to increase competition at all positions, always.
The secondary level of draft needs are: QB, WR, Right OT. This year, Draft Tek has split the offensive tackle needs from OT to Left OT and Right OT. Yes, that’s not a misprint. WR is down twice. I would like to see us bring in two wide receivers.
As many readers have pointed out, the Chiefs are quite thin at many position. The tertiary needs are quite full, containing these positions: DE, OLB, SILB, WILB, FS, CB, RB, OG, LOT. What this grouping basically says is that beyond the first two tiers, we are looking for help across the board. We are looking to bring in the best player among a group of most positions. This is a good strategy for almost all teams, but especially for teams lacking quality depth at many positions.
Given this grouping, who is highest on my radar for the Chiefs first round selection? Answer below the fold.
For this, we need to make some assumptions. I am assuming that the Chiefs will be drafting in the range of 18 to 22. WR is still a big need, but it’s a fairly deep draft for WR, so I am looking elsewhere for my first round pick. Here he is: Stefen Wisiewski, Center, Penn State, 6′ 3”, 298 LBS.
Who is this guy? Addicts may recognize that last name, Wisiewski. His Uncle, Steve, was an eight time pro bowl guard for, ahem, the Raiders. Don’t hold that against Stefen. His father, Leo, played a couple of years with the Colts as a nose tackle. Suffice it to say, Stefen has good bloodlines.
Stefen played guard for his first two years, moving to center as a Junior. He is now a Senior, so he has put in a good full four years at Penn State. He is quite bright, carrying a 3.88 GPA. He is very sound fundamentally and is ideally suited to a zone blocking scheme. Why draft a center in round one? Isn’t that a position you usually draft in rounds two to five? Yes, center is an undervalued position in the draft. It is the second most important position on the offensive line. The center has to make all the line calls. A team needs a good, smart player at that position. A smart center can elevate the play of the entire offensive line. Don’t underestimate the effect that Casey Wiegmann has on our line. His effect is beyond his blocking grades. As the draft falls, we may very well not have a NT valued well enough to pick in round one. WR may be there, but we can get a good WR in round two. Wisienski can put the center position on lockdown for the next ten plus years. With him, Albert and Asamoah, we could have 60% of our line locked down for over ten years. That’s a concept I can get behind fully. OK Addicts, that’s my take, what’s yours?