2010 Mock Drafts

Welcome to Arrowhead Addict’s 2010 mock draft page. We’ll be doing a new 1st round mock every couple of weeks or so. New ones will be posted on the front page but this is the place where you will be able to find them all and see how often we change our minds. Enjoy!

Mock drafts are always tricky. People love to construct mocks. It’s a fun exercise, but often they look perfect (from their perspective). Usually, this involves players that person covets falling conveniently into their laps. I am not a big one for doing mocks, but I thought I would give it my best shot. I am going to try to emulate a real draft, but I don’t have enough expertise about the other teams to be accurate. So, I am going to mock only the Chiefs’ picks. Let’s set some ground rules to try to make this a fair exercise. 1] No trades. All picks will be picked at their spots. 2] I will use the big board from DraftTek.com as the official big board. The big board does change frequently, but the slot mentioned in this article is accurate as of it’s writing. 3] Reaches will be confined to five spots above the draft slot with only a two spot reach permitted for round one. Reaches down have no limit but I will try not to reach too far, keeping with a best player available at a position of need approach. 4] No assuming free agent signings to patch holes.

In my previous article. I mentioned my five primary needs for the Chiefs. They were: NT, ILB, SS, OT/G/C and OG. With four choices in the prime first three rounds of the draft, something is going to get left out. OK, on to the picks and who I am looking at with each selection

Round one, pick #5: There are three viable choices here, Berrry, Okung and McClain. Okung is the best pick for positional value. Berry is the best player available. McClain (#8 on the big board) is my pick. A good case could be made for either Berry or Okung. Technically, Berry is out anyway. He is #2 on the big board. However, McClain has a couple of advantages. McClain was a coach on the field in college. He directed a complex NFL style 3-4 Defense. He can grow into that same level of player in the NFL. His learning curve is short, his football IQ and physical ability is high. Plus the longevity of an ILB is high. He could be the leader on defense we so badly need.

Round two, pick #36 – There are tons of great options with this pick. Players like Golden Tate, Earl Thomas and Sergio Kindle will all get lots of support and for good reason. They are fine players. My heart says Jon Asamoah, the guard from Illinois. My head says pick Terrance Cody (#36 on the big board), NT from Alabama. Personally, I am not in love with Cody. He is a two down player who plays in a phone booth and doesn’t get much of a push. However, no one makes a pile like he does and our NT position is a sieve. Cody occupies both A gaps just with his 375 lbs frame and his strength is immense. I am hoping to address this position in free agency, but per my rules, I can’t. I have to take Cody here. If I don’t, there isn’t another starting NT left in the draft and I am not comfortable with Ron Edwards starting next year. It’s not a pick that makes me happy, but that’s part of doing a good job. Sometimes you have to do what you think is right, not what you really want.

Round two, pick #51 - I just miss out on Asamoah here. He is #44 on the big board and I can’t reach that high. That’s part of any draft, you lose players you really like. There is another attractive player available. He is Maurkice Pouncey (#51 on the big board), C/G from Florida. Of all the center prospects, I like him the best. When you draft for a team, one thing to look at is teams in your division. With SD and Denver both playing 3-4 defenses, a larger center that could solo block a nose tackle is very important. Pouncey is 318 lbs and can handle a NT better than someone like Walton who is 305 lbs or Tennant who is 291 lbs. If I were the Chiefs, I would start him at left guard and move Brian Waters to center. Then, when Waters retires, we can slide Pouncey to center. This plan has a couple of advantages. It extends Waters’ career and it lets Pouncey learn the pro game without having to make all the line calls he would have to make a center. It’s a win/win and I am very happy with this pick.

Round three, pick #68 – I was hoping Darrell Stuckey would still be available here. He flew all the way up to #60 on the big board, so he is out of reach. I’ll settle for Mike Johnson (#69 on the big board), OG from Alabama, yet again. I have no love for Alabama. It’s just the way this board is falling. Johnson is a very versatile lineman and Pioli loves versatility. He could make me revise my plan about Pouncey playing left guard. I would just toss both Pouncey and Johnson at guard and let Haley and Muir sort out who plays on which side.

At the end of the traditional first day of picks, I am pretty happy. Strong safety was the position that was not filled and I can live with that. It does highlight the need for a vet FA signing in at least one of those five positions. Moving onto the second day of the draft, now I can work in my second level of needs. Those would be WR, RB and TE. If the value is there, I can even look at my tertiary needs of OLB, CB and FS. At this point in the draft, I am looking more for players rather than positions.

Round four, pick #99 – Toby Gerhart gets a look here, but I can’t pass on Jordan Shipley (#102 on the big board), WR from Texas. He shouldn’t be here and will not last past my pick. He is a very good slot receiver prospect and is the best value at this spot. He can also help out as a return guy.

Round five, pick #132 – Aaron Hernandez (#128 on the big board), TE from Florida has fallen pretty far. Hard to pass up his value here. Charlie Weiss should be pretty happy with the passing game weapons he is picking up.

Round five, pick #138 – Cameron Sheffield (#141 on the big board) OLB from Troy is the selection here. He is a small school prospect with some good pass rushing skills. I like his value here and we could use someone to pair with Tamba at OLB in passing downs.

Round five, pick #144 – Strong safety is a need I really wanted to fill earlier, but the way the board fell, it waited till this pick. Kurt Coleman (#144 on the big board), SS/CB Ohio State is my pick here. He is a bit undersized for SS, but could also play nickel back. Either way, he has a chance of helping and that’s all you can ask from a fifth round pick.

Overall impression. It has a good feel to me. I tried to do this real time and not reach far in either direction. So, it feels like a solid real draft. I didn’t get everything I wanted, but I hit the most of the major needs. The biggest disappointment was not having a strong safety I liked in the first three rounds of the draft. Also, I really wanted a running back to pair with Charles. That’s another need that just didn’t get filled. That’s what a real draft is like. The draft rarely falls perfectly for you. I was very happy to get Pouncey in the second round. Shipley and Hernandez available that late were bargains I just couldn’t pass on. What an exercise like this highlights is just how many players we are away from being a contending team. It seems pretty clear that we need a couple of free agent signings. Trading down a couple of slots from #5 would also be very helpful. We could still pick up McClain and grab another second or third round pick. It all depends on who the trading partner is and how far back we move. Pioli certainly has his work cut out for him this offseason. There are too many holes to fill on this team and not enough picks to address them all.

Welcome to our first official 2010 Mock Draft. Yes, it’s early but it isn’t like the Chiefs are in the playoffs. This particular Mock is my own opinion and not that of the entire staff. We’ll be bringing you a lot of Draft opinions as the weeks go by. Be sure to check out Andrew’s Mock Monday posts each week as he highlights the players he thinks the Chiefs will go after. Merlin is always ready to talk Draft so check out his opinion on who the Chiefs will take over at Draft Tek.

Pick	Team	Player Selected	Player’s Position	Player’s School	Analysis
1.		Ndamukong Suh	Defensive Tackle	Nebraska	Suh is the best player in the draft. If the Rams pass on him, they deserve to be terrible.
2.		Eric Berry	Safety	Tennessee	Detroit’s defense is awful. Berry will make them much less awful…but still pretty bad.
3.		Russell Okung	Offensive Tackle	Oklahoma State	Josh Freeman needs someone to watch his back. Josh, meet Russell.
4.		Sam Bradford	Quarterback	Oklahoma	Mike Shanahan will not suffer Jason Campbell. The Skins go QB.
5.		Taylor Mays	Safety	USC	The new regime needs an impact player on defense and they need to make up for the whole Mike Brown debacle. Mays can make an immediate impact not only in pass coverage but in run support as well.
6.		Jimmy Clausen	Quarterback	Notre Dame	The Seahawks get to pick again at 14. They can afford to take Clausen here and they will, turning down all trade offers. Seattle gets its QB of the future.
7.		Colt McCoy	Quarterback	Texas	A reach? Probably. But this whole Derrick Anderson/Brady Quinn thing is over in Cleveland. Mike Holmgren knows better than anyone that you start your franchise with a Quarterback. Cleveland knows there is no way Colt gets through the first round with Oakland and Buffalo right behind him. Trading back isn’t an option so why not take Colt here? The Browns have a billion picks to plug other holes later.
8.		Dez Bryant	Wide Receiver	Oklahoma State	Oakland is a Wild Card as always. As of yet, we don’t know who their coach will be. The question is, will Al Davis be able to resist the chance to take Tim Tebow? He does, after all, like flashy players. I think Davis is probably so delusional he sticks with Jamarcus Russel…and drafts another Receiver. Sorry Dez.
9.		Rolando McClain	Inside Linebacker	Alabama	Remember all those problems Buffalo had with Linebacker injuries? I do too.
10. (T)		Gerald McCoy	Defensive Tackle	Oklahoma	McCoy may be the best DT in the draft. Teams with QB needs push him back a little, but he won’t fall higher than 10.
10. (T)		Brandon Spikes	Inside Linebacker	Florida	McDaniels won’t forget Jamaal Charles running all over his defense in Week 17. He should try to shore up the D here. Plus Spikes is too good to pass up.
12.		Brandon LaFell	Wide Receiver	LSU	Henne needs targets. LaFell should fit in nicely in the Dolphins attack.
13.		Joe Haden	Cornerback	Florida	Someone has to cover all those Cardinal receivers twice a year.
14.		C.J. Spiller	Running Back	Clemson	Now that the Seahawks have their QB of the future it is time to fill their RB needs. They luck out as Spiller slips a little.
15.		Brandon Graham	Defensive End	Michigan	The Giants once feared defense was not so scary last season.
16. (T)		Carlos Dunlap	Defensive End	Florida	Now starts the run on Defensive Ends.

Pick	Team	Player Selected	Player’s Position	Player’s School	Analysis
16. (T)		Anthony Davis	Offensive Tackle	Rutgers	A nice pick here to get Davis. The 49ers addressed defense with their first pick and now they turn to offense.
18.		Dan Williams	Defensive Tackle	Tennessee	Casey Hampton is going in to free agency, Williams is probably the best 3-4 NT in the draft and Pittsburgh likes to play defense. Done and done.
19. (T)		Sean Weatherspoon	Outside Linebacker	Missouri	Weatherspoon will fit in nicely in the Cover Two scheme Atlanta runs and will provided much needed help on defense.
19. (T)		Jared Odrick	Defensive Tackle	Penn State	Odrick is too good to pass up here for the Texans. Their defense must improve if they ever hope to stop the Colts.
21.		Corey Wootton	Defensive End	Northwestern	Wootton would give the Jet’s a nice outside pass rush and Rex Ryan likes his defensive toys.
22.		Patrick Robinson	Cornerback	Florida State	The Ravens have had a lot of problems in their secondary this season. Robinson should be able to step in right away and help stop them.
23.		Jerry Hughes	Outside Linebacker	TCU	The Cardinals are certainly explosive on offense so adding Hughes would be another piece in their improving defense.
24.		Jermaine Gresham	Tight End	Oklahoma	The Bengals need more offensive fire power and with no solid WR options available at 24, Gresham gives them a nice pass catching presence over the middle.
25.		Trent Williams	Offensive Tackle	Oklahoma	With no 3-4 Defensive Ends available that wouldn’t be a reach, the Pats opt for protecting Tom Brady instead. Williams can play Tackle or Guard.
26.		Bryan Bulaga	Offensive Tackle	Iowa	The Pack has got to improve their Offensive Line. I shudder to think what kind of numbers Rodgers will put up when not running for his life.
27.		Derrick Morgan	Defensive End	Georgia Tech	Andy Reid will be thrilled Morgan fell to him at 27 and he will used him to shore up the Eagles front.
28.		Charles Brown	Offensive Tackle	USC	Since Cowboy fans are back on again in their on again, off again relationship with Tony Romo, they should be pleased with Charles Brown as his body guard.
29.		Ricky Sapp	Defensive End	Clemson	It is hard to find needs on a team like the Vikings. I don’t think they will win it all this year and I think Favre will come back, giving them another year to put off drafting a QB. I just can’t see them taking Tebow. They go with Sapp and try to turn him into a 3-4 OLB.
30.		Sergio Kindle	Outside Linebacker	Texas	Look for the Chargers to try to fix one of their few weaknesses by bringing in Kindle to help the defense.
31.		Jon Asamoah	Offensive Tackle	Illinois	Chiefs fans who have their eye on Asamoah and were hoping to steal him early in the 2nd round will be disappointed when the Saints take him at 31.
32.		Terrence Cody	Defensive Tackle	Alabama	The Colts get an absolute steal here by nabbing the big Nose Tackle with the last pick in the first round.