Chiefs May Find Offensive Line Value With 44th Pick
Well, round 1 of the 2012 NFL Draft is in the books and the KC Chiefs have filled arguably their biggest need by drafting NT Dontari Poe. There are plenty of other posts up where you can debate the Poe pick, so I’ll stay away from that conversation for now. Let’s turn our attention to where the Chiefs may go with their second round pick. Before we look at what prospects are available, I want to take you back in time.
Remember our 2010 playoff loss to the Ravens? Remember how the Chiefs were physically manhandled at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball? Well, say what you want about Dontari Poe, but at least he has the potential to help in that department. But what about when we’re on offense? Most fans (especially those that wanted David DeCastro to be our first round selection) would like to see the Chiefs upgrade at LG, where Ryan Lilja was physically pushed around against bigger and stronger opponents. Scott Pioli is on record as saying that upgrading the offensive line was a major focus for this offseason. Singing Eric Winston was huge, but I think we can all agree that there is more work to be done.
So it makes sense that the Chiefs may consider going offensive line with their 2nd round selection. Well it just so happens that, due to a few players sliding down a bit, there appears to be some good offensive line value there at the top of the second round. Here are some of the OL prospects that are still available:
OT – Jonathan Martin – Stanford
OT/OG – Cordy Glenn – Georgia
C/OG – Peter Konz – Wisconsin
OT – Mike Adams – Ohio State
OG – Amini Silatolu – Midwestern State
OT – Bobby Massie – Mississippi
OT/OG – Kelechi Osemele
OT – Zerbie Sanders – Florida State
All of those players have been regularly mocked anywhere from the mid-first to mid-second round. With only 11 picks before the Chiefs are on the board, there is a great chance that an offensive lineman will be available for KC that offers great value at the #44 slot. Two players to keep an eye on are Peter Konz and Amini Silatolu because they could both be eventual replacements in the starting lineup over Ryan Lilja. I think Cordy Glenn and Kelechi Osemele are also going to be very good players, but I worry that they may be a better fit for a power run blocking scheme then the Chiefs zone system.
Regardless, for Chiefs fans hoping for OL help in this draft, it appears that there will be players available at #44 that can fit the bill.