The Chiefs Late Round Revelations

With the draft a mere week and a day away and the lion’s share of the Chiefs picks coming on day’s two and three, it may be a good time to look at some late round revelations.

If you’re not a kindergartener and your attention span is longer than 15 seconds then you’ve most likely noticed this regime is doing a better job scouting prospects than, well, those previous certain unmentionables.

What that means is we will be learning more about Andy Reid and John Dorsey from who, or whom, they select in the later rounds than who they choose early in the race, and that debate appears to be going on forever.

Reid and Dorsey should be able to do better than Kendrick Lewis and Ryan Succop… the four year sum total of Scott Pioli’s late round pot stickers (players who were good enough to stick on the roster and make a contribution).

What the Chiefs need now are players who can do more than “contribute.”

 The Chiefs also need some late round pot stickers like Andy Reid was able to draft in the past five years:

• Kurt Coleman- starting Safety, 7th round, 244th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2010
• Jamar Chaney- starting SOLB, 7th round, 220th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2010
• Stanley Havili- starting FB (2012), 7th round, 240th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2011
• King Dunlap- OT, 7th round, 230th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2008- now with San Diego
• Andy Studebaker- LB, 6th round, 203th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2008, cut by Kansas City
• Joe Mays- LB, 6th round, 200th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2008, now with Denver
• Quintin Demps- S, 6th round, 184th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2008, now with Houston
• Mike McGlynn- G, 4th round, 109th pick, Philadelphia Eagles, 2008, now with Indianapolis

The Chiefs also need some late round pot stickers like John Dorsey was able to draft in the past five years too:

• Mike Daniels, DE, 4th round, 132nd pick, Green Bay, 2012
• Jerron McMillian, S, 4th round, 133nd pick, Green Bay, 2012
• Davon House, CB, 4th round, 131st pick, Green Bay, 2011
• Ryan Taylor, TE, 7th round, 218th pick, Green Bay, 2011
• Marshall Newhouse, starting LT, 5th round, 169th pick, Green Bay, 2010
• Morgan Burnett, starting SS, 3rd round, 71st pick, Green Bay, 2010
• Frank Zombo, LB, UDFA, Green Bay, 2010 (uh oh, if the Chiefs recently signed Zombo, who at one time went to Central Michigan, could another CMU grad be far behind?)
• T.J. Lang, starting OG, 4th round, 109th pick, Green Bay, 2009
• Brad Jones, starting ILB, 7th round, 218th pick, Green Bay, 2009

Of course there are many other players who have made a significant contributions to both Philly and the Packers, players who were drafted in the later rounds but, that’s going back ten years.

That’s precisely the point. Both Andy Reid and John Dorsey each have a decade of experience selecting quality players up and down the draft board.

So, “who” might be available in the late rounds of the 2013 NFL draft? Let’s see if we can divine the future fortunes of a few of those late round hopefuls.

Firstly, here’s the Kansas City Chiefs full, round-by-round, draft order:

Round 1 ~ Pick 1

Round 3 ~ Pick 63

Round 3 ~ Pick 96

Round 4 ~ Pick 99

Round 5 ~ Pick 134

Round 6 ~ Pick 170

Round 6 ~ Pick 204

Round 7 ~ Pick 207

While both Reid and Dorsey have held fast to the idea that they’re going to select the best player available in a draft… there is parity at the top of the draft and anyone’s guess is as good as anyone else’s… when it comes to predicting who they’ll take.

In the later rounds, there’s no reason to think they won’t stick to the BPA formula. So, let’s take a look at some prospects that may be on Reid and Dorsey’s radar beginning with the late third round pick.

Round 3 ~ Pick 96

TE Gavin Escobar, San Diego State, 6-6, 254

Escobar is coming out after a solid junior year and comes in at 4.78 in the 40. He rated best in his group at the combine in 3-cone drill, and the 20 and 60 yard shuttles. Escobar is shorter in the legs and longer in the torso which gives him some shiftiness. He has good hands and rates as the 5th best TE coming out according to nfldraftscout.

At his size and strength, Escobar would be taken to serve as a pass catching tight end. He only put up 12 reps at 225 pounds and will have to develop his upper body strength if he’s going to make an impact as an every down player.

Here’s Gavin Escobar’s 2012 Highlights,

Round 4 ~ Pick 99

DT Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern, 6-1, 335

Although Williams was used all over the defensive line, much like Dontari Poe at Memphis, his size makes him best suited to play nose guard in the NFL. Williams career at Missouri Southern was outstanding,

"Williams picked up his third straight AFCA All-America Team honor by finishing third in the nation in forced fumbles with five, and recorded 8.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Williams is (only) the third player to earn three straight AFCA Division II All-America honors."

Williams 38 reps at 225 puts him in rare company although Poe had 44. Williams is stronger in the upper body than the lower body and he is able to push OL into the opposing backfield causing disruptions yet he’s not noted for his ability against the run. Rob Rang of CBS Sports compares Williams to Antonio Garay of the San Diego Chargers and also says his wide body, if developed further, could end up being excellent against the run.

Here’s some tape of Williams at the Senior Bowl practices. He wears #66 and what’s noticeable is his penetration on every play.

Round 5 ~ Pick 134

SS Josh Evans, Florida, 6-1, 207. Josh Evans runs a 4.5 40 but, when you watch him on the field you would think he’s faster. That’s  because he’s a smart player and anticipates well. He’d be an excellent complement to Eric Berry, who he reminds me of. Last year he had 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 3 interceptions.

Here’s a highlight reel worth watching. Sometimes, for some reason, Evans wears #9 and other times he’s wearing #24. Have a peak:

Round 6 ~ Pick 170

OG/OT Oday Aboushi, Virginia, 6-6, 310. Aboushi is just the kind of  offensive lineman Andy Reid enjoys developing. Big, strong and agile. Gil Brandt says of Aboushi, “He’s strong, but probably will need to be moved inside to play guard in the NFL.” He’s played both left and right tackle so Aboushi is already experienced playing multiple positions. Walter Football calls Aboushi “extremely athletic.” Walter’s goes on to say,

"Aboushi’s quickness and burst also allow him to be a dangerous run-blocker on the second level of defenses. He fires out of his stance and uses his agility to get in position to hit blocks beyond the line of scrimmage.When Aboushi goes up against undersized defensive linemen or linebackers, he sustains his blocks well. The defenders struggle to get off Aboushi once he gets into their pads and he finishes his blocks well. Aboushi will punish defensive linemen or other defenders who go to the ground with some violent blocks to finish them off."

Here’s a good sample of Oday Aboushi’s skills in action against UNC:

Round 6 ~ Pick 204

OG/OT Rick Wagner, 6-6, 316. Six months ago Nolan Nawrocki gave this analysis (beginning at the 1:45 mark) of Rick Wagner, projecting him to the first round. Of course I don’t agree with many things Nawrocki espouses but, I do have a love affair with Wisconsin linemen and Wagner could now be a steal in the sixth round. Bleacher Report says, “Ricky Wagner is the type of prospect that could make quite a few NFL draft analysts look silly. He could end up being really good.” Who knows why he’s fallen this far in the past six months?

Round 7 ~ Pick 207

K Dustin Hopkins, Florida State, 6-2, 193. Hopkins has been an outstanding kicker for FSU. nfdraftscout says of hopkins,

"Senior Dustin Hopkins, who became the ACC’s all-time single-season leading scorer… was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation’s top kicker. Hopkins has been exceptional this year, converting 24 of 28 field-goal attempts and also consistently giving FSU’s defense good field position with his kickoffs."

Hopkins ended the FSU Pro Day workout by nailing a 50 yard field goal. I wouldn’t mind the Chiefs spending another 7th round pick to give Ryan “Pedestrian” Succop some real competition.

Dustin Hopkins is a big strong kid with a big strong leg. Have a look see:

What do you say Addicts? Is there anyone here that looks interesting to you?