I attempted to make this offseason mock as achievable as possible.  Meaning… these moves could actually be done. No stretching, strangling or back breaking moves are needed to get this accomplished. Especially if you’re Clark Hunt and you have an extra $38 mil laying around. I’ll begin with free agency. However, if there’s anything free agency is not, it’s free.

Free Agency

Sign QB Peyton Manning

Sign OT Demetrius Bell

The Chiefs will then have the 6th best and the 9th best pass protectors in the NFL at their offensive tackle positions. They will also have the best quarterback in the history of quarterbacks (purely an opinion).

NFL Draft

Trade- Chiefs trade back in the first round and pick up an extra third rounder

Chiefs trade the 11th pick with Chicago for… the 19th pick plus the 10th pick of the third round (which Chicago originally received from Carolina).

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In poll after poll, Chiefs fans have blamed Haley and the coaches for the last two weeks’ disastrous games. In addition to his hobo beard failing us, the Chiefs have come out flat on both sides of the ball, unable to stop defenses and too inept to get things going on offense – or at least nullifying their good work with penalties when lightning did strike.

However, if there is someone to blame, I don’t think it is Haley. Although he has undoubtedly made mistakes – the nursing-home-paced training camp, and a series of questionable play calls – I do still think he has mostly gotten the best out of what he has to work with.

Cassel has also gotten a lot of flak for his performance, and again, much of it is deserved. As it stands now, Cassel’s season stats are – and may end up permanently being – 10 TD, 9 INT, CMP% 59.5, RAT 76.6. He has had his moments, but essentially has shown that he can’t put the team on his shoulders when the run game is ineffective. I have long made my opinion known that he is a pretty much the definition of a mediocre quarterback. He can manage the game well with play-action passes and has the arm to hit a few strikes a game as long as the defense is biting on the run. But, if it’s all left to him, he will sputter. Still, he’s not the person to blame for our perpetual woes this season.

I’ll tell you who the culprit is after the jump: (more…)

Some people, analysts and fans alike, did not like the direction the Chiefs took in the draft.  One of the concerns is that the Chiefs traded out of the 21st pick when offensive tackles Anthony Castonzo and Gabe Carimi were both available.  The Chiefs eventually took Jonathan Baldwin, who has character concerns of his own, at the 26th pick in the first round.

There could be arguments made all day about whether the Chiefs selected the right players in the 2011 NFL Draft.  The truth of the matter is the draft is over and the players that were selected are the players the Chiefs are stuck with.  Each of these players brings something different and unique to the Chiefs roster, so without further ado lets dive into each draft picks role and expectations entering the 2011 NFL season.

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Alright, allow me rephrase that – is picking the right Nose still among Scott Pioli’s biggest priorities? For example, Pioli, while with the Patriots, in Vince Wilfork, picked the right Nose. Everyone since then unanimously agrees that Pioli truly picked “his Nose” when he got Wilfork. I also think we can generally agree that Pioli certainly picked a Nose in this draft by taking Jerrell Powe in the 6th round. Nevertheless, I also think it’s fair to say that the jury is still out on whether Pioli has actually picked, again, “his Nose.”

We’ll probe this a little deeper right after the jump.

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Chiefs fans, the 2011 NFL Draft is in the books, and right now even with all of the lockout drama in the NFL playing out like a mash up of “Law and Order” and “”Teen Mom” it’s hard to not be excited about the group of new young players acquired this past week.  I have never been someone that follows or talks about the draft each year at great length, but I think we learned a great deal about the Pioli/Haley regime with this draft.  Much of what we learned led us to the wise man conclusion reached by Socrates so many thousands of years ago: We truly know nothing.

I will be up front and honest here.  I am not claiming to be all knowing and all seeing.  I, like many of you, figured that this year we will see a lot more of the same.  I figured we would go for “high character” guys with lots of college leadership that seemed to be “safe picks.”  I figured we would draft a bunch of team captains that filled specific needs, but not take a lot of risks.*  I was in the draft chat, doing my best not to sound like an idiot since I know very little about the players involved and how the inner-workings of the draft play out besides what I have learned from the draft posts on this site, when BAM!  Not only do the Chiefs reach some on their first pick, but they go for a huge wide receiver with lots of potential and a bad rap for character flaws.  As everyone tried to digest what had just happened with the Ravens not picking and the Chiefs basically running up on stage with their card I began to realize just how little I understood the plan for the Kansas City Chiefs, and then I became very excited to see just where this team was going.

*By risks I do not mean players with unseen talent, but rather players that would not fall in line easily, and that despite having great physical talent would ultimately be a risk because they couldn’t wrap their noodle around what the team and organization were trying to do.

Where this team is going, and Chiefs 2011 Beast Mode after the jump.

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According to our Arrowhead Addict grade cards, the pick that Chiefs Nation liked the least so far was the selection of Oregon State DE Gabe Miller.

Currently Miller is being graded rather poorly. 36% of AA readers are grading the Miller pick a C, 25% are grading it a D and a whopping 19% gave the pick a flat out F.That means roughly 44% of AA readers give the pick a failing grade. Ouch.

During the AA live draft chat, there seemed to be a bit of confusion on why the heck the Chiefs were taking another DE. There also seemed to be little information out there about Miller.

While I think the Chiefs need depth just about everywhere, I feel like they are doing alright at DE. Well, it turns out the Chiefs drafted Miller not to play DE, but OLB.

Here is Scott Pioli on the pick:

“He started off as a TE and had a little bit of time as a tight end and then played defensive end for them. We see him, based on his size and speed, being a guy who is a developmental outside linebacker for us. and will also have the flexibility to…we;re not going to call him a two way star at this point but we, also in his workout worked him out at, on defense and at tight end. So he is a guy who has position flexibility as well. But we’re going to be playing him at OLB and trying to develop him.”

More after the jump.

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One of the more unpopular draft picks the Kansas City Chiefs made on the third day of the 2011 NFL Draft was their selection of Colorado CB Jalil Brown.

It is easy to understand why some folks would see CB as a position the Chiefs are pretty well set at. They already have Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Javier Arenas. Still, I believe you can never have enough good corners and while the Chiefs have three solid players, they do lack in the depth department.

Depth was primary guess for why the Chiefs took Brown. I remember as soon as the pick was announced that I immediately began looking forward to what GM Scott Pioli would say about the pick. After the action concluded this evening, Pioli sat down with some local reporters and talked a bit about Brown.
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The Kansas City Chiefs have completed their 2011 draft and they have put together an athletic and talented class with some big question marks and incredible upside.

Here is your 2011 Kansas City Chiefs Draft Class:

Round 1: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pitt

Round 2: Rodney Hudson, C, Florida State

Round 3: Justin Houston, OLB. Georgia

Round 3: Allen Bailey, DE, Miami (FL)

Round 4: Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado

Round 5: Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa

Round 5: Gabe Miller, DE, Oregon State

Round 6: Jerrell Powe, DT, Mississippi

Round 7: Shane Bannon, FB, Yale

The Kansas City Chiefs have made some surprising and shrewd picks in the 2011 NFL Draft but perhaps their selection of Yale FB shane Bannon was the most surprising and shrewd of them all.

Bannon was totally unknown by NFL teams until just a few weeks ago. At 6’2, 265, Bannon was an athletic FB that nobody knew about until he tagged along for a workout in front of an agent with a Yale teammate.

From Adam Caplan of Fox Sports:

Bannon (6-2, 265) lined up mostly offset in Yale’s offense, but when he did line up as a true fullback, he was a very physical blocker. He’s also a really strong special teams player.

Bannon was discovered just a few weeks ago, but indirectly.

“Well, him being a Yale guy, he’s (NFL player agent Joe Linta) always trying to help out Yale guys, he was working out one of our defensive ends, Sean Williams, and I kind of was tagging along,” Bannon told FOXSports.com. “We had a mock pro day. He saw I moved pretty well for a player of my size, so he probably was surprised.”

There is a Wall Street Journal article that you can read here that talks a lot about Bannon’s struggle to get noticed by NFL Scouts.

Bannon could be another steal for Pioli in the Chiefs. His athleticism and size makes him a candidate to play FB, TE and HB. This could be a pretty exciting 7th round pick.

What do you think Chiefs fans?

Prior to the draft, FanSided’s NFL Draft site NFL Mocks had an opportunity to speak with Powe. Here is some of what he had to say:

Does he model his game after anyone specifically?

“I think Vince Wilfork. I’m not as big as him, but I try to simulate him and Casey Hampton as far as controlling the line.”

Powe also told me that his parents have been the biggest influence in his life and his career, and that they have helped him make right decisions. Perhaps the most important thing we talked about was with my last question, when I asked Powe if there was something that readers might not know about him.

“I’m a very emotional player. I’m not the person that people make me out to be, especially when I was trying to go to school. I’m a likable person. Everything they said about me was false. That was just people riding on the big man, and trying to keep me down. I’m a fighter and I don’t give up.”

His biggest strength as a player?

“My biggest strength is anchoring the line, controlling my gap. A lot of people like to say I don’t pass rush well, but you don’t see many nose guards with more than five sacks. Holding double teams for the linebackers also.”

Check out Powe’s entire interview over at NFL Mocks!

The Kansas City Chiefs had two picks to make use of in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft and they used their second pick to select Oregon State DE Gabe Miller.

The pick sent a shock wave through the Arrowhead Addict draft chat. There were many WTF type of responses. Chiefs fans apparently do not like seeing “DE” come up on the draft list.

But Miller may not play DE for the Chiefs.

Here is what Wes Bunting had to say about Miller:

An undersized defensive end prospect who displays decent thickness through his lower half and loves to play to the whistle. Works hard in pursuit. However, isn’t real rangy when asked to close from the backside and lacks a great initial burst in all areas of the game. Uses his hands decently to fight his way off blocks, but struggles to anchor on contact.

Impression: A hard-working player but lacks the size/power to hold up with his hand on the ground and isn’t the kind of explosion athlete needed to be considered as a nickel rusher or 3-4 OLB prospect.

The Chiefs are most certainly drafting depth and project players at this point. They don’t appear to be overly impressed with any of the NT prospects. Miller will likely be a bit of a question mark until we here from Pioli.

Miller has good speed so he may be able to contribute as a special teams player as well as depth at DE or OLB. It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs use him.

What are your initial reactions here?

The Brodie Croyle era appears to mercifully be coming to an end as the Kansas City Chiefs have drafted QB Ricky Stanzi out of Iowa.

The Chiefs realized how poor their QB depth was when Matt Cassel was suddenly taken out of action by an emergency appendectomy. Backup Brodie Croyle was forced to start in Cassel’s stead and was absolutely terrible in a loss to the San Diego Chargers.

The Chiefs spent a lot of time this offseason looking at QB options so it comes as no surprise that Stanzi is the pick here.

NFL Draft Scout lists Stanzi as the 8th best QB in the draft. He weighs in at 223 and stands at 6-4. He was projected as a 3rd or 4th round pick so the Chiefs got some nice value here in the early 5th.

We will have plenty on the Chiefs new QB but for now, what are your initial reactions?

The Kansas City Chiefs have added to their CB depth by selecting Colorado DB Jalil Brown in the 4th round for the 2011 NFL Draft.

Brown was projected as the 15th best CB in the draft by NFL Draft Scout. He was projected to be a 3 or 4th round selection. Brown ran a 4.5 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine and 6-1, 204.

Brown is a big, physical CB who often got overlooked by his teammate Jimmy Smith while at Colorado. He may not make a huge impact right away but the Chiefs don’t need him to. Brown will play behind Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Javier Arenas. He will likely be asked to make an impact on special teams as well as a dime corner.

The other thing to consider about Brown is his size. Javier Arenas is small and may have matchup troubles at times. Having a bigger CB like Brown who could come in and help out if Arenas struggles is very valuable.

Here is a bit on Brown from Sideline Scouting:

Very good size for the position, has above-average height and adequate bulk… Is very physical, good at taking on blocks and is strong enough to drive blockers back into the ball carrier… Does a good job of keeping a hand free when being blocked, sneakily shifty and deceptively powerful against larger blockers… Is a good wrap-up tackler, not a big hitter, but does a good job of breaking down and dragging ball carriers to the turf.

Doesn’t seem to play with a consistently high motor, not a guy who always flies around the field… Needs to do a better job of breaking down and forming up in the open field, has the tendency to drop his helmet and lunge a bit… Does not have overwhelming ball skills, has made a few impressive interceptions, but does not have the greatest hands in most situations… Looks a little stiff in the hips, body control is not the greatest

There is a reason Brown was taken in the 4th round and it is because he likely needs a little work. Still, this is an excellent value pick for the Chiefs. KC’s defensive backfield is one of their strengths and it just got stronger. Good move by Pioli in my opinion.

The Kansas City Chiefs have completed the second day of the 2011 NFL Draft and the early returns are coming in.

The reviews seem to be mostly positive so far but let’s take a quick look at who the Chiefs drafted on day 2.

Round 2, Pick 55:

Rodney Hudson, G/C out of Florida State.

The Chiefs used their second round selection on the un-sexy but much needed center position.

Hudson represents incredible value for KC. I’m not expert on his play but Big Matt and I spent last night reading scouting reports and watching some tape of Hudson. He is incredibly athletic and excels at pulling and trapping along the offensive line. The Chiefs run a zone blocking scheme that relies on athletic, fast offensive lineman to get out in front of the ball carrier and open up creases for the runner before the defense can react.

Hudson could likely start from day one and could be the Chiefs’ center for years to come. With Rudy Niswanger providing some solid depth the Chiefs are looking a little deeper along the offensive line. Keep in mind that Jon Asamoah and Brian Waters could probably also play a little center if the Chiefs needed them to.

Huge need filled for KC.

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This is a significant progression from my total befuddlement, which accompanied what was perhaps the weirdest 15 minutes of televised draft history. In the midst of crickets chirping as Rich Eisen and the NFL Network crew tried to figure out what was going on, the Chiefs came out and picked at 26th (not the 27th pick they traded Cleveland for) a guy who virtually no one on the planet had talked about as a possible 1st round pick-up for them – WR out of Pitt, Jonathan Baldwin.

At the end of the day, I probably couldn’t have been more wrong in my prediction for what the Chiefs were going to do with their first pick of the draft. I had them probably taking Phil Taylor, but only because the best-fitting O-line prospects — particularly Gabe Carimi — would have already gone. In fact, Pioli and Co. passed on Carimi not once, but twice in the draft, and allowed Cleveland to trade up and take Phil Taylor with their original pick at 21. So there you go, I was as bad as Mel Kiper on that one.

There is a lot I can say in my defense, however. I can at least say that all of those out there who adamantly said Taylor was a 2nd rounder were also proven wrong, and I can take pride in the fact that, at the very least, he was picked in the exact spot where I said he would go. Furthermore, the fumbled trade that caused the Ravens to pass and cede the 26th spot to KC would have been a trade for Chicago to move up and take Carimi. So I wasn’t so far off in the placement of the players anyway.

But enough disclaimers and CYA, who is this guy that we ended up with?

I sat on the floor at Radio City Music Hall repeatedly refreshing my internet connection.

It wouldn’t connect.

I looked around at my fellow media members and noticed that most of them had given up. They were writing in Word, sorting pictures or texting away on their phones. They were making the best of a crappy situation.

The internet connection at the NFL Draft is notoriously spotty. I had troubles last year as well but they were eventually sorted out by a tech person that came by and did something to my computer. Last night, however, there were no tech people to be found. We were screwed.

Unable to connect with our readers in the chat, upload videos or photos or otherwise make any good use of the fact that I was actually at the draft, I sat and brooded. AA Senior Staff Writer Big Matt sat next to me with a similar amount of frustration but with a sunnier outlook on the situation.

We were at the draft, after all. It wasn’t like there was a lack of things to look at.

As the picks ticked by we began to notice teams were desperately reaching for QB’s. Nearly after every pick, Big Matt would turn to me and ask what I thought the Chiefs were going to do. He was plainly nervous. I was having trouble focusing. I was brooding about the internet situation.

“I don’t know,” I said grumpily, “Maybe we’ll take Ingram if he falls. Or maybe Randell Cobb. I mean, I like Ayers alright and the tackles are all fine I suppose. I guess I just don’t have a favorite so I hope we do something exciting. I don’t know if Ingram would be the right pick but it sure would be an exciting pick.”

Then I went back to brooding.

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