Playing Detective: What Will The Chiefs Do In The Draft

Figure out what positions Pioli is going to draft with each pick?

Elementary, my dear Watson.

Or, maybe not. But I am sure as hell going to try. You better may have noticed, I have been tirelessly attempting to track the Chiefs draft interests. We don’t have a ton of info to go on just yet, as it is only Senior Bowl week. There are only a small percentage of potential draftees at the Senior Bowl and we still have the Scouting Combine and many a private workout still to come. However, I feel I have enough data, gathered over the course of this week to make a few shots in the dark.

Here is a quick breakdown, by position, of who the Chiefs have talked to.

QB’s-3

WR’s-2

DE’s-1

ILB’s-1

CB’s-4.5

FB’s-2

SS’s-1.5

FS’s-1

OL’s-1

DT’s-3

The SS and CB each have a half because the Chiefs met with Ohio State’s Kurt Coleman who plays both. Now, just because the Chiefs may have met with 4.5 CB’s and 3 QB’s doesn’t mean that they value those positions over, say, OL of which they have only met with 1.Many factors go in to who the Chiefs are meeting with, including simply, who is available at the Senior Bowl.

What I think we can discover from this list, is what ROUND the Chiefs may be targeting certain positions for. I am basing my findings on where the players they have interviewed are currently projected to go.

Quarterbacks-3

Projected Rounds-4, 3/4, 3/4

Interesting, huh? It looks as though the Chiefs are looking at mid-draft QB’s projected to go around the beginning of the 4th round. Keep in mind that the Chiefs will draft in the first 5 or so of each round, so we are likely to see them scouting a lot of players that could go at the end of one round or the beginning of the next. Thus, it appears so far, that Pioli is thinking he might take a QB with his 4th round pick.

Why? Obviously this won’t be a replacement for Matt Cassel. Todd Haley has mentioned that he see’s Brodie Croyle as an integral part of his team, and Matt Guiterez was brought in BY Pioi from NE to be the #3. This could mean that the Chiefs don’t much like Matt G. or that they don’t plan on Brodie Croyle being around too much longer. Perhaps Haley said what he said about Croyle to stir some interest from other teams. There will be a plethora of teams looking for a QB this year. Off the top of my head, the Rams, Seahawks, Browns, Raiders, Bills. Vikings and Cardinals, all could be in the market. Croyle has a hell of an arm and is still relatively young. Could the Chiefs be thinking of moving him?

Wide Receivers-2

Projected Round-2, 5

Obviously, WR is a big priority for the Chiefs. The fact that they are looking at a WR as high as the second round means they are definitely looking to upgrade. We also know that the Chiefs need a kick returner. That may explain the 5th round player being scouted. Todd Haley likes receivers. We can expect the Chiefs to take 1, maybe 2 in this draft. We can’t tell a whole lot about their plans based on this info but we will continue to monitor the situation.

DT or Nose Tackle-2

Projected Round-1/2, 2/3

Ahhh, nose tackle. We know the chiefs need one and we know they need one early in the draft. NT is the centerpiece of the 3-4 defense and you must have a good one for it to work. The Chiefs have looked at DT Tyson Alualu California (Rd.2/3) and DT Dan Williams Tennessee (Rd1/2).

Obviously they are also goign to take a hard look at Cody out of Alabama who is projected to go at the end of the 1st beginning of the 2nd but who is facing major concerns about his weight.

This shows us that the Chiefs will be most likely taking a NT in the second round, likely with their first pick in the 2nd round.

CB-4.5

Projected Round- 2/3, 2/3, 3, 1,2

Interesting, eh? I have made the case for hanging on to Page but maybe the Chiefs aren’t impressed. That or they may want to move him to Nickel. Look, you can never have too many CB’s and with all the pass happy offenses and stud QB’s in the league today, the Chiefs will need more than Flowers and Carr to cover WR’s if they want to win a Super Bowl over the likes of Manning and Brees. Adding a formidable CB in this draft would surely give the Chiefs a stock pile of talented CB’s. They may also be able to use one as a KR. The pattern here is the 2/3 projections so maybe Pioli looks to add a CB in the 3rd.

FB-2

Projected Rounds- 4/5, 7

The Chiefs could use a big FB to help open holes for Jamaal Charles, especially up the middle. The could also use a big body they can hand off to once in a while on 4th and short. Imagine the Chiefs in a 2 back set on 4th and short with Charles and a FB in front of him as a threat to get that yard. It would make it difficult for defenses to sniff out the playfake. A FB who can block and run would be a huge asset to the Chiefs. Looks like they are looking for a late round edition in the 5-7th round range. This could mean the end of Mike Cox.

That is it for now. I am only doing the positions the Chiefs have scouted a couple players at. We didn’t learn much about who the Chiefs may be targeting with their 1st round pick because top 10 players don’t need to go to the Senior Bowl. Their draft stock is pretty set. I am still of the mind that the Chiefs should go either ILB, SS or WR at 5 or they should trade back.

This is how I could see it shaking out as of now:

Rd 1, Pick 5: SS, ILB WR (maybe) Trade Back

Rd 2, Pick 36: NT

Rd 2, Pick 50: WR, CB, OL (Not based on evidence above but a C or G could happen.

Rd 3, Pick 69: CB

Rd 4, Pick 100: QB

Rd 5, Pick 133: FB, FS

Rd 5, Pick 144: Anything

Rd 6, Pick 164: Anything

Rd 7: No pick. Thanks a lot Jake O’Connel.

Based on need and some of the evidence above, that is my detective work for the day. Sound off Addicts, what do you think?