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Chiefs fans and fellow Addicts, there is an old saying that no news is good news.  The meaning behind this is that if you don’t hear anything, at least nothing bad is happening.  This saying, however, is complete bullshit when it comes to the NFL this offseason.  No news is definitely bad news.  So, with the uber-coverage going on with the lockout and appeals, and the totally unwarranted reports of Al Davis surviving from daily injections of Red Bull and virgin blood,* I am going to look forward and review the multiple story lines forming for the Chiefs’ upcoming season.

*After much research and many phone calls, I have found that without a doubt Al Davis has never been nor will be sponsored by Red Bull.  A spokesperson on the telephone assured me that all reports of Al Davis injecting their product while mixed with the blood of virgins, “May in fact be true, but the effects of injecting Red Bull mixed with the blood of other people is not advised, may be detrimental to your health, and any reported results of extending the life of Al Davis have not been evaluated by the FDA at this time.”

Despite the lack of offseason acquisitions and trades, the more I look into next year, the more I see that there are a multitude of appealing plotlines and unanswered questions old and new that I will be watching for.  So let’s choose to ignore the deafening silence of this offseason and take a look at what’s in store if/when the Red and Gold take the field in the 2011-2012 season.

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On Day Three of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs had five picks.  Anyone chosen on this day should, generally, be considered a developmental prospect.  So let’s take a look at what talent the Chiefs have to develop.

The Chiefs’ fourth round pick of defensive back Jalil Brown may not have been an exciting pick, but is a move that could show instant rewards in the coming season.  The NFL is a passing league and a team can never have enough quality DBs.  Brown adds depth not only at cornerback but also at the safety position.  This versatility is quite possibly one of the reasons the Chiefs drafted him since it is a Scott Pioli Draft buzzword.
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When I was looking at the way the big boards seemed to be shaking out leading up to the 2011 NFL Draft, I realized that the best day for the Chiefs would probably be Day Two.  The reason for this is that there were multiple players at multiple need positions that seemed to be a good fit for Kansas City Chiefs.  The Chiefs looked to have their pick of players in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds.  So, let’s take a look at their picks and what they bring to the Chiefs.
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There’s always a bit of a letdown after the NFL Draft.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It is merely realizing that the ideal draft class didn’t come to pass.  Until the draft is actually done, there is the dream that somehow the Kansas City Chiefs could’ve come away with A.J. Green, Von Miller, and Phil Taylor.  Just because we came away from the 2011 NFL Draft without any of those players, that doesn’t mean the Chiefs had a bad draft.  I’ve decided to give my review of the picks by the day they were drafted.
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Here we are, hours away from the 2011 NFL Draft.  As the draft has grown closer, I have become more and more certain that the best move for the Kansas City Chiefs is to trade back from pick 21 into the top half of the 2^nd round.  In order to do this, of course, they will need to find a trade partner.

The first thing that needs to happen in this process is for a team to want to trade up for a player.  A common thread that runs through all the teams I’m about to talk about is their need for a quarterback.  For this draft, the quarterback class will set the tone for the entire draft.  More than 10 teams could have QB as a need for their team.  That means about a third of the league could be looking for a QB.  If it appears to any of the teams hoping to get their QB in the second round that the QBs may not last that long, then teams will be looking to trade up to make sure they get their guy.
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Who are the Chiefs going to pick?  I don’t know.  Neither do you (unless Scott Pioli is reading this).  Whoever is chosen, the key is to get good value for the pick.  So let’s talk about different ways the Chiefs could get good value for that 21 overall pick.

The first is the Scott Pioli way.  Pioli has now had 2 drafts with the Chiefs and both times he picked a player from the SEC conference in the first round.  Will he make it three?  Last year, he showed a predilection for choosing team captains.  Assuming he maintains these habits, we should be able to narrow down possible selections.
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First, let’s take a refresher on the needs. I have the Chiefs primary needs as: C, WR, NT, in no particular order. Secondary needs are RB, OT, SOLB. The Giants then Tampa pick before the Chiefs, with the Colts following the Chiefs pick. It is important to be aware of the needs of teams picking around you. This is especially true when you are talking about trading picks.

When you look at the draft board, it’s quite apparent that the Chiefs have a bit of a problem. Of the players likely to be around at #21, there isn’t a player at a primary need position that is good value at #21. Yes Addicts, I can hear the folks on the Taylor train complaining. Let’s take a detour and talk about why Phil Taylor has a second round grade on Draft Tek and why I agree with that and don’t see the value for him at #21.

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If you haven’t heard yet, teams other than the Kansas City Chiefs are picking in the 2011 NFL Draft.  In fact, those teams play a very important role in the Chiefs’ draft since the Chiefs don’t pick in the top 5 this year.  Who the 20 teams before us pick can have a significant impact on who we draft.  So, for those wondering why I don’t think AJ Green or Julio Jones will be there for us at 21, take a look at one way I see the first round of the Draft going.
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Arrowhead Addict is currently working on a Chiefs Ultimate Mock Draft, but that doesn’t mean the Draft Thursday Mock machine stops.  We are a mere three weeks away from the NFL Draft so Merlin, Andrew, and I felt the need to sneak one more seven round mock draft in before the big day.  Without further ado, here is my mock.
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Few positions evoke as much interest as quarterback when it comes to the NFL Draft.  With the NFL becoming a pass first league, it is no wonder that QBs have become so important.  In fact, perhaps the easiest way to see which teams are still looking for a franchise QB is to look at the teams picking early in the first round.  All told you could make a case that about 1/3 of the NFL is still looking for their QB.

Fortunately for the Chiefs, they have already found their guy.  Matt Cassel is not another Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but he did come in and steady the QB position.  My guess is that he will be the Chiefs QB for at least 5 more years.  So get used to him.

I freely admit that I went into the 2010 season with grave reservations about Cassel.  The way he started the season didn’t allay those concerns.  However, he had some good games and has earned the starting QB job for the Chiefs.  Now we just need to give him some guys to catch the ball.  But wide receiver is not the topic for this preview, it is quarterback.

The reason for this is twofold.  The first reason is that Chiefs’ backup QB Brodie Croyle looked miserable in the one game he played in 2010.  If he is a bad backup and has stopped progressing then it is time to cut him loose.  This means that the Chiefs will be looking for a new backup QB.  That is why I am previewing the quarterback position.
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Last week I previewed the Center position for the 2011 NFL Draft.  This week we move outside to the bookend positions of the offensive line, the offensive tackles.  Usually there is at least one OT who is a for sure top 10 pick.  This draft is unique in that it does not.  Current projection has the first OT going after the top ten.  Also, considering the quality that exists on the defensive side of the ball in this draft, it is possible that the OTs could slide.  Even if they don’t slide and they go where they are projected, the sweet spot seems to be in the bottom half of the draft to pick them.

What this means is that for the Kansas City Chiefs (who pick at 21) is that they may have an opportunity to take the best OT in this draft.  One might question why they might pick an OT with so many seemingly more important holes to fill.  I would argue that the Chiefs’ OTs aren’t good enough that an upgrade would be out of the question.  Especially at right tackle where both 2009 and 2010 starting RTs for the Chiefs will be free agents this offseason.  Left tackle Branden Albert hasn’t played well enough either to say that bringing in competition for his position would hurt.  It is true, though, that this is not quite a primary need for the Chiefs.  However, there could be good value at this position for the Chiefs at 21.

So what are some names of offensive tackles for Chiefs fans to know going into the draft?  Here are three.
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This week, Adam and I are going to continue our positional dives looking at potential draftees. I am going to take the wide receivers and Adam will follow with a look at the offensive tackles. So, who are some wide receiver prospects that might be attractive to the Kansas City Chiefs? We need to keep in mind that Todd Haley’s roots are with coaching wide receivers. He is extra hard on those players and demands a lot from them. One thing that is very clear is that Haley had a pathological aversion to dropped passes. Given that AJ Green and Julio Jones figure to go high in round one, I will not cover them here. The Chiefs primarily need a receiver fast enough to stretch the field. So, I will concentrate more on speed receivers.

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Phil Taylor Baylor 6′ 3” 334 lbs

Phil is the first nose tackle that may be available. A lot of Chiefs fans have fallen in love with Phil. It’s easy to see why. He has a true nose tackle build. He has good hands, a strong lower body and does well occupying blockers. Phil lost a lot of weight after the season and showed very well at the Senior Bowl, the Combine and at Baylor’s Pro Day. Those workouts have pushed Taylor into the late first round or early second round draft territory. He did have some character issues at Penn State. That may be an issue, but it does appear that those issues are in the past.

Despite his positives, I don’t think the Chiefs will draft him. My conclusion is not based on his character issues, but on other factors. Scott Pioli looks for certain things when evaluating football players. Along with athletic skills to fit the position, he looks at other factors. He prefers players with a long track record of performance, preferably against a high level of competition. Pioli also looks for a track record of dedication to the game, plays with a high motor and exhibits strong leadership qualities. He also prefers intelligent players. I can’t speak for Taylor’s intelligence, but the rest of the list does not scream Phil Taylor. Talyor lacks conditioning and played college football at a much higher weight. Sometimes, that weight was in the 380+ lbs territory. Taylor has done a great job losing a lot of weight and showing well in the post season work. Some team may be seduced by Taylor’s potential. I don’t think that team will be the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Last year’s draft looks like a very good crop of players for many teams. How does this years draft class look compared to last years?

The quality of this year’s draft may not be as high as 2010 at the top of the draft class, but this year’s group of prospects may be deeper – especially on the defensive line.

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Last week, I looked at a few prospects that I was curious about. Let’s go through them and see how they rate after the Combine.

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At best, the Combine might produce a fun moment. The Terrence Cody man boobs weigh in and the Tom Brady ‘who knocked me down and took my lunch money’ shots are priceless. Despite the fun and ‘watching the fieldturf grow’ excitement, there is some value in the underwear olympics. This is an opportunity for players to measure themselves against other players in controlled drills and other measureables. For the elite prospects, this is of limited value. However, for mid-later round prospects, especially prospects from non-elite schools, this event can make the difference of a round or three of draft position. A friend of mine (shoutout, GB!!!) called my attention to a recent article recalling a 2007 interview with Scott Pioli talking about the Combine when he was with the Patriots. I would assume his comments would be highly applicable to today’s Chiefs. With all that in mind, let’s talk about a few mid-late round prospects the Chiefs may be interested in whose draft ranking could be affected by the Combine.

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For this week’s edition of Double Take, we get to see whether Football Outsider’s DVOA analytical assessment of our offensive line offers us anything tangible towards those ends, just beyond the jump.
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For the rest of the Big Board and all your other draft needs, head over to Fansided.com’s NFL Mocks!