2013 NFL Mock Draft: The Kansas City Chiefs Select…

FanSided has released its weekly 2013 NFL Mock Draft. The editors of our flagship site are releasing weekly mock drafts to get everyone warmed up for the big events in April. The more NFL teams that get eliminated from playoff contention, the more interest we’ll see in draft talk.

The Kansas City Chiefs are certainly eliminated from contention so let’s take a look at who the pick is this week.

"Kansas City Chiefs – Luke Joeckel – OT/Texas A&MEveryone is picking the Chiefs to go quarterback with this pick, but right now both signal callers could be argued as reaches at No. 1. So for argument sake let’s say hypothetically say Aaron Murray from Georgia declares or Matt Barkley falls off the chart and K.C. grabs one of them at the start of the second day. If this is the case, the Chiefs would need someone to protect their quarterback project and that’s all Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M. He’s a monster on the line and rarely gets beat in his assignments. If the Chiefs are serious about rebuilding, history has proven that starts with protection, and while everyone is predicting the Chiefs go ‘franchise quarterback’, they also need a ‘franchise tackle’. They’ll still probably cave and go QB with the pick, but taking Joeckel in the first and someone like Murray, Barkley, Tahj Boyd or Landry Jones later in the draft makes some sense."

Ahh, the yearly “mock a LT to the Chiefs” debate gets kicked off early.

The last two mocks had the Chiefs going QB but this one has them taking a tackle. While this pick seems like a stretch, it could be a possibility depending on how the Chiefs’ offseason shakes out. There may be a new GM and if that GM is somehow able to find a QB in free agency or via trade, he may want to pick up a tackle to protect his new investment.

Still, it would be easier for the Chiefs just to pony up and pay Branden Albert. He probably won’t find himself in the Hall of Fame after he retires but Albert has quietly developed into a very solid LT in the NFL. He has improved his pass protection in the last couple of years and he is athletic enough to get out and block for a back as fast as Jamaal Charles.

It just wouldn’t make sense for the Chiefs to turn to a rookie LT when they already have a veteran that can get the job done. KC has the money so re-signing Albert shouldn’t be an issue.

Still, it is interesting to see the different ways these mocks can play out. One pick can change everything so I enjoy getting a look at the different scenarios.

What do you think, Addicts? Will the Chiefs go tackle?

Check out the full FanSided mock at FanSided.com!