The piece in question was this week’s Monday Morning Waterboy on ColdHardFacts.com. In it, Luis DeLoureiro basically says the Cheifs are either going to the Super Bowl, or they’re slated to take a step back in 2011. Even more discouraging was that his argument was pretty airtight.

In short, 30 NFL teams between 2002 and 2009 increased their season-to-season records by five or more games. Of them, 24 had worse seasons following their surge – with 13 of them losing at least four more games after their surprising season.

Yikes.

So first off, there are reasons to believe this will not happen to the Chiefs, and they are the following:

1.) We have a young and improving team. Basically our only weak spots are now filled with young players that are likely to progress, and most of our strengths are populated by young talent as well.

2.) Our division is going the other direction. San Diego is always a threat, but I refuse to have fear in those underachievers. Oakland is a mess as usual, and is set up to lose lots of its free agent talent, and Denver is a total rebuilding project with no defense to speak of.

3.) This is Haley’s third year. It took him a while to make his mark on the team – both installing his offense, gathering players, etc. but also molding it to reflect his personality. I think going into 2011 we are starting to see a mostly finished product, which means a more dangerous product.

4.) Free agency isn’t likely to greatly impact the Chiefs. As I mentioned last week, we definitely need to resign Hali and Carr, and I agree with Andrew that we should bring back Wiegmann as well. But, other than that, we don’t have much talent going out the door, and we have plenty of cap room to make sure the aforementioned studs are locked up for the season.

So now back to the bad news after the jump. (more…)

Suffice to say that I am the new guy, and I have been brought onto the team just in time to toss out some pre-draft opinions for all of you to laud, decry, praise or generally throw poo at.

First of all, I think there has been some great draft discussion going on here, particularly surrounding the irate Green Giant, Phil Taylor. But to follow my fellow columnists‘formula, this is how I see it in a nutshell:

The Chiefs …

Will Pick: NT Phil Taylor

Should Pick: Gabe Carimi

Por que? Para que I have a strong suspicion that all of the best pass rushers and O-linemen are going to go FAST. Even if guys like Robert Quinn and Aldon Smith make it out of the top 10, the league’s two worst defenses (Washington and Houston) pick at 10 and 11. Then you have the Jags, Chargers and Bucs — all of which need DE’s — so there goes Kerrigan, J.J. Watt, and Cameron Jordan (who likely wouldn’t make it past New England at 17 anyway). Bowers doesn’t fit KC and has a broken knee. The Cowboys, Lions, Rams, Dolphins and Giants all want O-linemen, and Gabe Carimi is ranked as perhaps the most NFL-ready trench guy in the draft. I love him, but a pure right tackle isn’t worth trading up for, and Mike Pouncey is also likely to be gone. I could be wrong, and I hope I am, but it’s not looking too good. In fact, that’s exactly how things went down in the ESPN Football Today Superfan Super Mock Draft, in which I represent the Chiefs as the KC Superfan/Mock GM.

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I’ll explain how that functions in this particular case right after the jump.
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The National Football Post is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have worked out Virginia Union OT David Mims.

According to NFP, Mims has also worked out for the Ravens and Lions.

NFL Draft Scout lists Mims as a 7th round/undrafted free agent prospect. He is listed at 6-8. 331.

I read a few scouting reports on this kid. The general feeling about him seems to be that he has some good tools but that he is raw and will require some coaching. Scouts seem to believe he could have pretty good upside at RT but that he is a bit of a project.

Here is a bit about Mims from Sideline Scouting:

Positives: Long arms with long well proportioned frame… Sets up reasonably well… Good punch… Solid lateral movement and slide… Good strength… Very solid anchor, can be difficult to move… Solid balance… Reasonably good run blocker… Generates good power… Can control opponent once locked on… Can get movement in the running game..

Sounds like a project guy the Chiefs wanted to get a closer look at. KC needs depth pretty much everywhere so it makes sense that they might be looking at a few smaller school guys that could be late round options that they don’t have as much tape on.

The Chiefs have checked out a number of tackle prospects so fat this offseason. Be sure to check our Chiefs Draft Interest page which we are doing our best to keep as up to date as possible.

If you missed the Morning Fix today then you may missed that the National Football Post is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have a private workout scheduled with North Carolina LB Quan Sturdivant.

Sturdivant is an interesting prospect for the Chiefs because he is an ILB. While OLB is certainly a bigger priority for the Chiefs, they may see ILB as a need as well.

Jovan Belcher did a nice job last year and he is developing nicely for a guy who wasn’t even drafted. Remember that Belcher played DE at Main and in two years earned himself a starting MLB spot int he NFL. While that is impressive, it remains to be seen whether or not Belcher has reached his ceiling. He is steady, disciplined, strong and a very sure tackler but he is terrible in coverage and hasn’t shown the same type of big play ability that his mate Derrick Johnson exhibits.

If the Chiefs feel that Belcher has reached his full potential, they might jump at the chance to upgrade with a guy like Sturdivant.

More about Sturdivant and his potential, after the jump.

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Here is Madson’s tweet:

Jason_Madson Jason Madson
Andrew Gachkar working out for the Chiefs at local pro day. #Mizzou

I don’t know a whole lot about Gachkar but NFL Draft Scout lists him as the 52nd best OLB in the draft, meaning he is likely a 7th round-undrafted free agent prospect.

I watch mostly Big Ten ball but I know some of you cheer for Missouri. What is the story on this kid?

According to the Carrol County Times, the Kansas City Chiefs, among others, have held a private workout with Utah State CB Curtis Marsh.

Marsh is being projected as a 3rd round pick but there are some who believe he could go as high as the 2nd round.

Marsh is 6-1, 197 and runs a 4.37 40 yard dash.

He has reportedly had visits with the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, while having private workouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders.

We’ll have more on Marsh later but it is starting to look like the Chiefs might be serious about taking a CB in this draft.

The National Football Post is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs held a private visit with Clemson CB Marcus Gilchrist yesterday.

Gilchrist is 5-10, weighs in at 195 and ran a 4.45 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine. NFL Draft Scout has him listed as the 12^th best CB in the draft and they are currently projecting him to go in the 3^rd round.

Let’s take a closer look at Gilchrist after the jump.

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Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post is reporting that the Chiefs are among multiple teams that are very high on UCLA LB Akeem Ayers.

Wilson reports that the Chiefs, along with the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and New York Giants are all very high on Ayers. Of those teams, only the Giants and the Patriots have pick before the Chiefs.

It is no surprise the Chiefs are interested in Ayers. He is an incredible athlete with pass rushing ability that could put KC’s young, fast defense over the top.

Wilson also reports that Ayers has 10 private visits scheduled with various NFL teams. We don’t have confirmation on this yet but it is probably safe to assume that one of those visits will be with the Chiefs. When we get word on that, we will be able to add Ayers to our Chiefs Draft Interest page.

Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara is set to visit the Kansas City Chiefs.

Well, well, well. The plot thickens.

Amukamara isn’t just any first round CB. He is a top 10 prospect and some consider him to be the best CB option in the draft. We haven’t talked much about him around here because the Chiefs already have Brandon Carr, Brandon Flowers and Javier Arenas and because Amukamara is expected to be long gone by the time the Chiefs reach the podium at Radio City Music Hall.

I have to believe that the Chiefs are just doing their due diligence here. As I’ve said before, the Chiefs are likely to take a hard look at all the potential first round prospects just in case something crazy happens and then end up with a blue chip player landing on their lap.

The Chiefs don’t really need Amukamara but you can never have enough good CB’s, especially when you have to go up against Philip Rivers twice a year. That being said, I doubt the Chiefs would trade up to acquire a guy who plays at what is probably their deepest position.

Then again, I didn’t think the Chiefs would trade up to grab an injury prone tight end the year after they traded up to grab a tight end that can’t catch the year before. I was wrong and Scott Pioli selected Tony Moeaki.

Hang on to your helmets.

Source: thenationalfootballreport.com

Wes Bungting, Director of College Scouting for the National Football Post is reporting that the Chiefs are interested in Iowa defensive lineman Christian Ballard.

Bunting via Twitter:

WesBunting Wesley Bunting

Hearing the #Chiefs really like #Iowa DL Christian Ballard, don’t know if it’s first round “like”, but wouldn’t surprise me. #NFLDRAFT

I’m not going to lie, Bunting’s tweet worries me. It should worry you, too.

The reasonable person will tell you not to trust anything you hear about a team’s interest in a particular player this time of year. Even if Scott Pioli himself, called a press conference and said exactly who he wanted to draft in the every round, it could all be a smoke screen.

Those reasonable folks I mentioned above are right. There is a lot of speculation this time of year and if you trust every tidbit of draft information you hear as fact, you’ll likely be surprised come April. That being said, you should absolutely feel uneasy when people start telling you inside sources are telling them that your team likes a guy enough to seriously reach for him.

That is what is happening with this Bunting report.

Ballard is a DE prospect and he is currently being projected as a second round pick. If the chiefs were to take Ballard at #21 it would be considered a tremendous reach.

I say you should worry for one reason.

I remember Tyson Jackson.

In fact, if  I hear any more about this rumor I very well may organize a letter writing campaign across Chiefs Nation. We can all send Scott Pioli emails and letters that simply say:

Remember Tyson Jackson.

It’s like the Alamo but the carnage is way worse.

More panic ridden analysis from an overworked, underpaid and bored blogger, after the jump.

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We told you earlier that the Kansas City Chiefs worked out Texas Christian Abiliene Christian WR Edmond Gates and now we are going to take a deeper look as part of our Chiefs Draft Prospects Series.

Gates is listed at 6-0, 192 and is currently projected to go in the 3^rd round by NFL Draft Scout. They have him ranked as the 9^th best receiver in the draft.

Although Gates is not a very big receiver, he could be the big play threat the Chiefs have been searching for at WR since the departure of Andre “Bad Moon, Spiderman, Moron” Rison. Starting with his speed, Gates was the fastest receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine, turning in a blazing 4.37-40. He is quick off the line, demonstrates excellent body control and is a willing blocker.

His senior season he brought in 66 passes for 1,182 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged 17.9 yards per catch. Seeing as he played at Abiliebe Christian, I think it is safe to assume he didn’t have a world class QB throwing to him, which makes his numbers even more impressive.

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Gates is listed at 6-0, 192 and is currently projected to go in the 3^rd round by NFL Draft Scout. They have him ranked as the 9^th best receiver in the draft.

We’ll do a breakdown on Gates in just a bit. Taking a receiver in the 3^rd round seems to be a little bit more Pioli’s style, so make sure you circle this name on your draft boards.

JBScouting has a number of their clients keeping draft journals. Gates made an entry last night about his visit with the Chiefs.

Dear Journal,

I had a workout with the Ravens and Chiefs and on the 23^rd.  It went well.  We just hung out and got to know each other. We got on the board and drew a few plays.  We watched film and then I did a few routes.  It was cool to get to know their offense and how they run their routes and see how it was different from the collegiate level.

Gates goes on to mention that he worked out for the New England Patriots and has a workout scheduled with the Browns.

Be sure to check back in just a bit for more on Jones.

(h/t to withthefirstpick)

We continue our look at potential draftees that could land in Kansas City by checking out Virginia Tech RB Ryan Williams.

The Chiefs have held a private workout with Williams and he is projected to go in the late first to early second round range.

I have to say I find it quite interesting that the Chiefs held a private workout with a RB that could very well go in the first round. The Chiefs already have Jamaal Charles and while they obviously need to get him a partner in crime, I thought they would seek a value RB in the later rounds, if not through free agency. They could still do that of course, as the fact that they worked out Williams is no sure sign they plan on taking a RB high. In fact, it is probably highly unlikely since we know Todd Haley confirmed that Thomas Jones will return in 2011.

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Pride sites an interview Kaepernick gave on Sirius Radio in which he mentioned a few teams he had workouts scheduled with including the Dolphins, Browns, Titans and Chiefs. AP links to a tweet from Adam Schein, of Sirus Radio which they claim confirms the report but the link is no longer working. Regardless, AP is entirely reliable so there is no doubt about the report.

If you don’t know much about Kaepernick, you may be in for a slight bit of a shock. Kaepernick is currently projected to be drafted from anywhere in the late first round to the third.

After the jump, we’ll do a breakdown of Kaepernick and then we’ll get into what KC’s interests might mean.

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Andy Tuitele, an agent for Sports Management Worldwide (SMWW) tweeted earlier this morning that one of the firm’s clients, Wyoming WR David Leonard, would be soon working out privately for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Here is the Tweet:

ATuitele Andy Tuitele

Congrats to our client David Leonard for getting an Invite to NFL Team KC Chiefs!

Leonard is another bargain basement receiving option for the Chiefs. He is not being projected to be drafted by NFL Draft Scout. He is listed at 6-4, 203 lbs.

Leonard was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and ran a 4.64 and 4.55 40 at Wyoming’s Pro Day.

There isn’t much out there on Leonard. He caught 47 balls for 452 yards and three touchdowns in 2010. His career numbers are 153 receptions for 1,478 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Leonard is from Overland Park so maybe the Chiefs were just bored and figured they’d give him a look. According to our Draft Interests page, Leonard is only the second WR the Chiefs have had in for a private workout (that we know of), the other being Ohio WR Terrence MCrae. McCrae is projected to go in the 7^th round or not at all.

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According to Tony Pauline of SI.com, the Kansas City Chiefs linebackers coaches held a private workout with Florida DE/OLB Justin Trattou yesterday.

Trattou is 6-4, 255 pounds and is currently projected to be an undrafted free agent prospect.

I’ve checked out some scouting reports on Trattou and he seems to be the prototypical prospect for the Chiefs. He’s all heart, tough, has a good motor and is a hard worker.

Oh and he was a team captain.

More after the jump.

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We continue to track the players the Kansas City Chiefs are interested in drafting by adding potential DT Muhammad Wilkerson to the list.

According to Tony Pauline of SI.com, the Chiefs and Ravens play to work out Wilkerson this week.

Wilkerson is currently listed as a late 1st to early 2nd round draft pick by NFL Draft Scout. Wilkerson stands at 6-4, 315 pounds.

At 315, Wilkerson projects more of a 4-3 DT or a 3-4 DE than a traditional 3-4 NT. Then again, Ron Edwards is listed at 315 and he has played the position for the Chiefs for the last two years. While Edwards hasn’t been the kind of force you generally hope for in a NT, he certainly played much better in 2010 than he did in 2009. Edwards had never played NT before and is on the wrong side of 30.

There is no real way to know what Pioli is thinking here. Taking another 3-4 DE in the first round wouldn’t reflect well on the team’s thoughts about Tyson Jackson.

I have to believe the Chiefs would consider Wilkerson as a NT. We’ll have more on Muhammad tomorrow. Until then, what do you think Addicts?

According to the National Football Post, the Kansas City Chiefs plan to hold a private work out with former North Carolina TE Ryan Taylor.

What you didn’t think a year would go by without Scott Pioli drafting a TE, did you? You may remember I predicted this might happen a couple of weeks ago when I released my first Chiefs seven round mock draft. I had the Chiefs taking TE/FB Peston Dial out of Alabama. Here is what I said about Dial:

It is back to the SEC for the final pick in my mock. Dial is pretty much average across the board as a blocker and a pass catcher. He had a good week at the Senior Bowl and since we know Pioli loves TE’s and blockers, he might take a chance on bridging this kid to camp. He is a likable kid and a solid leaders so the Chiefs might look at him as a developmental project as a blocking TE and special teams player.

From arrowheadaddict.com (share this quote)

It is back to the SEC for the final pick in my mock. Dial is pretty much average across the board as a blocker and a pass catcher. He had a good week at the Senior Bowl and since we know Pioli loves TE’s and blockers, he might take a chance on bridging this kid to camp. He is a likable kid and a solid leaders so the Chiefs might look at him as a developmental project as a blocking TE and special teams player.

Looks like I may have been on to something. Maybe. More after the jump.

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The Kansas City Chiefs may feel secure in starting QB Matt Cassel but as the offseason rolls on, it is becoming more and more apparent that backup QB Brodie Croyle is likely finished in KC.

According to CBS Rapid Reports and the Chiefs scheduled private workouts with Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin and Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle. Both QB’s are also listed on Pro Football Talk’s listing of private workouts. PFT is tracking all reports of private workouts for all 32 teams and you can check out their full list here.

We already reported that the Chiefs were looking at QB Andy Dalton and the fact that they are checking out two more pretty much tells you all you need to know about their thoughts on Brodie Croyle.

Enderle is currently projected as a 7th round/UNFA prospect and Delvin is projected to go in the 4th or 5th round according to NFL Draft Scout.

Dread locks = good football players

Josh Buchanan of JBScouting.com is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs will hold a private workout with Lehigh OG, Will Rackley.

Rackley is a 6-3, 309 pound guard that is currently being projected as a 3rd round draft choice bu NFL Draft Scout.

It looks as though a lot of teams are starting to get interested in Rackley. There aren’t as many scouting reports out there as some of the other top guys because it appears he is a bit late to the party but from everything I have read it seems he projects as a guard or possible center but that he doesn’t have the footwork to play tackle at the next level.

We know the Chiefs like versatility and we know they need a center and will eventually need another guard so Rackley would be a nice fit on KC’s offensive line. The Chiefs will probably be able to squeeze a few more years out of Ryan Lilja but Brian Waters is on his way out. With Jon Asamoagh waiting in the wings, picking up a guy like Rackley would provide excellent depth. If they like him enough, they might just try him out at center.

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Per the National Football Post, the Kansas City Chiefs plan to workout South Carolina CB/Safety Chris Culliver. Culliver is a 6-foot, 200 pound CB who has also spent some time playing free safety. He is currently being projected as a 4^rd round draft prospect by NFL Draft Scout but after a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, Culliver may have worked his way into the 3^rd round.

I’ve been expecting the Chiefs to look at versatile DB’s in the mid to later rounds because their current depth at those positions is very shallow. The Chiefs have a pretty good lineup with Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Javier Arenas, Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis but after those guys the drop off is pretty steep. The Chiefs appear to be assembling a defense full of fast and versatile athletes and Culliver appears to fit that mold. He ran a 4.36 40 at the combine and demonstrates very good sideline to sideline speed according to most scouting reports I’ve read.

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Houston, a potential first round draft pick, will also meet with the Bills and Vikings according to NFP.

We’ll post a breakdown of Houston in just a bit but this news gives us a little bit more of a glimpse inside Scott Pioli’s first round thinking. While not every visit is an indicator that the Chiefs are going to take the player, it is an decent indicator of what they feel their team needs are. Last year they looked at a number of safeties and cornerbacks and then drafted Eric Berry, Kendrick Lewis and Javier Arenas.

News has already broken that the Chiefs looked at QB Dalton, which could mean that Brodie Croyle’s status as backup QB in Kansas City could be over soon.

Check back in just a bit for a breakdown of Houston.

Adam Caplan of Fox Sports is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs will have hold a private workout with former TCU QB Andy Dalton.

While this doesn’t come as a great surprise to me, it does confirm my thoughts that 2010 was the final straw of the Brodie Croyle era. Croyle has failed to impress each and every time he has stepped on the field for the Chiefs and his 0-10 record as a started looks to have the KC seriously considering drafting a backup for Matt Cassel.

The interesting thing about Dalton is that while he isn’t one of the top QB’s in the draft, he is still being projected to go somewhere around the second or third rounds, according to NFL Draft Scout.

Caplan claims that the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots have all scheduled workouts with Dalton and that meetings with the Vikings, Titans and Bengals are on the horizon. Caplan expects the Chiefs to meet with Dalton next week.

Dalton, who is coming off a strong Pro Day last Friday, isn’t believed to be NFL starting material right out of the gate. He certainly has the potential to be a starter but he is going to need some seasoning first. The Chiefs obviously aren’t considering him as a Matt Cassel replacement. Cassel is only 28 and is coming off a Pro Bowl season.

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We continue on in our review of possible draft picks for the Kansas City Chiefs by beginning a series where we will take a look at potential first round picks.

The Chiefs hold the 21^st pick in the first round of the draft so over the coming days we’ll be looking at players projected to go around the middle to late first round. We’ll even pick a couple of guys expected to go early that we think could drop.

Today I want to look at DE/OLB Akeem Ayers. Earlier today, Mel Kiper of ESPN.com released his latest mock draft in which he had the Chiefs selecting Ayers.

Here is what Kiper had to say about Ayers:

Ayers surprised a lot of people with some mediocre workouts two weeks ago, given a reputation for athleticism, but that can’t drop him too far, because the tape doesn’t lie and his skill set is such that he can help a team early. A good fit on the edge in the Chiefs’ system, Ayers fills an obvious need at outside linebacker in the 3-4 and isn’t just a pass-rusher. More in the Mike Vrabel mold, he can cover, rush and tackle well against the run.

Mike Vrabel! The Chiefs love Mike Vrabel. If that is the case, Ayers is signed, sealed and delivered.

Let’s go deeper than just evaluating Ayers by where he rates on the “Vrabel-matic Meter.”

Actually, that isn’t a bad idea. Ok, from now, on, when I do these evaluations, I am going to give the player a Vrabel-matic Meter rating. The Vrabel-matic Meter goes from 0-10, with 10 being the best.

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McCrae caught Ohio University's only TD when the team played the Buckeyes in Columbus.

The Kansas City Chiefs need help at wide receiver almost as bad as Charlie Sheen needs a new PR man. It is an almost certainty that the team will look to address the position in April’s draft.

The only question is who they will pick.

As Big Matt pointed out earlier, the Chiefs appear to now be seriously freaking cheap looking for a bargain and they may think they have one in Ohio receiver Terrence McCrae.

According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins will conduct campus interviews with Mccrae on Thursday.

Who is? Is he any good? We’ll take a look after the jump.

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We continue reviewing possible prospects for the Kansas City Chiefs in this year’s NFL Draft by again looking at a WR.

As you know, we’ve been using the NFL  Mocks seven round Chiefs mock draft as a starting point for our player reviews. Yesterday we took a look at one of NFL Mocks two 5^th round suggestions for the Chiefs in Alabama QB Greg McElroy. Today we’ll look at their other 5^th round suggestion in Hawaii WR Greg Salas.

Here is what Mocks had to say about Salas:

Another WR? Yes. The Chiefs literally have nothing at the position. Dwayne Bowe is their only good receiving option. Dexter McCluster was hurt for a big part of the year, but he has already displayed his effectiveness from the slot position. The Chiefs just drafted Leonard Hankerson to play opposite of Bowe, but that only gives the Chiefs 3 good receivers. Salas is a well put together WR standing at 6 ft 2, 210 pounds. He is a good route runner and a guy who can be a nice backup player from either the slot or outside position.

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