The Chiefs’ New Era Begins Today!
By Miles Yi
When the NFL Draft kicks off tonight with the first round, I trust there will be no surprises. The Kansas City Chiefs will select a left tackle with the first overall pick – either Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel or Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher – and I will go to sleep happy, knowing we’ve secured the anchor of our offensive line for the next decade. For the record, I hope and expect that pick to be Joeckel, but honestly, either would be fine.
The real excitement will be Friday’s Day 2, when NFL teams make their second and third round selections. If the Chiefs trade tackle Branden Albert to the Miami Dolphins sometime today, the Chiefs would earn either the 42nd or 54th pick in the second round as well as our original 63rd choice in the third round.
A few weeks ago, I listed a few players who Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey and Head Coach Andy Reid should consider with the second round pick. A key factor is whether they believe that Chiefs wide receiver Jon Baldwin will live up to his first round potential. While Baldwin was a first round rookie in 2011, last year was actually his real rookie season, thanks to a preseason locker room fight with running back and veteran Thomas Jones before the start of the 2011 season that kept him out most of the year. Friday’s pick could easily be the top receiver remaining. Robert Woods from USC and DeAndre Hopkins will likely be off the board by then, but the Chiefs could select Keenan Allen from Cal, Terrance Williams from Baylor or Justin Hunter from Tennessee.
But there are a few other options here as well. I am terrified that the Denver Broncos will get Alabama running back Eddie Lacy with their first pick tonight. If they do, I think the urgency for the Chiefs to fill that open inside linebacker spot in the second round would increase. Both Kevin Minter from LSU and Arthur Brown from Kansas State would be available here, but both would be a reach for the second round.
Finally, there’s a decent chance that offensive tackle Terron Armstead from Arkansas Pine-Bluff, offensive guard Kyle Long from Oregon and at least three quarterbacks – Tyler Wilson from Arkansas, Landry Jones from Oklahoma and Mike Glennon from North Carolina State – will still be available when the Chiefs choose second. Honestly though, all three of those quarterbacks are a reach for round two.
All in all, while I’m tempted to want the Chiefs to choose guard Kyle Long, I think the smart choice is wide receiver Justin Hunter with our second round selection on Friday. If Baldwin blooms this year, fantastic. If he does not, we simply do not have a tall, fast, downfield threat, which as we know, results in capping Dwayne Bowe’s effectiveness.
With our third round pick, my vote is for Arthur Brown to compete for the open inside linebacker slot.
So there you have it, Addicts:
Pick #1: Luke Joeckel, left tackle
Pick #2: Justin Hunter, wide receiver
Pick #3: Arthur Brown, inside linebacker
If we end Day Two with these three players, I will be one happy Addict! We will have secured the anchor of our offensive line, made defenses cover Dwayne Bowe AND Justin Hunter and added an aggressive tackler to complete our linebacker corps.
What’s your dream scenario for picks 1, 2 and 3, Addicts?!