Who has me intrigued for 2012: Trenches.
I won’t pretend to know what the Chiefs are going to look like in draft season of next year.
But we can assume, I’d imagine, the following: they will still be searching for QB depth, more WRs, an every down RB, OL help inside and out, a stud nose guard, front seven depth, interior linebackers, and depth at safety. Maybe even a kicker, should the value arise and Succop has a down year…
If that were to be the case, we can pretty much look forward to certain players at certain points of the draft, and some of them are extremely intriguing to me. This post will give you some of my favorite players in the trenches. My favorite sleeper skill position players were discussed here. Future posts will examine other parts of the field.
These players are just a few that will fire up my DVR when college football commences. Players that are less obvious, players that you might not have heard from.
OT Tanner Hawkinson, Kansas — My favorite tackle prospect of the upcoming season that isn’t an elite potential first rounder is Hawkins out of Kansas, not that far down the road. This is a pretty impressive class of tackles in 2012, but all of the prospects are relatively unathletic road graders that will be exposed by speed rushers at the next level. Not Hawkinson, who is a former tight end, a little bit smaller than your prototypical NFL tackle, but you’re not going to beat him around the edge.
OT Mike Ryan, Connecticut — Jordan Todman was a good runner for UConn last year, but so much of his work at the line of scrimmage was already done for him by massive road graders like Ryan. Ryan’s size makes him a relatively unathletic bowling ball that your offensive coordinator simply rolls down the middle of the offensive line, asking the RB to trail behind in a clean path of utter destruction. Probably not a Chiefs prospect.
OG Stephen Good, Oklahoma — Here’s your Chiefs prospect. Good is a perfect fit for the zone blocking scheme that we utilize, and is one of the fastest guards in this year’s draft, and one of its best at the second level. If you’ve watched any OU in the past year, you’ll know they do nothing but churn out excellent run games year after year.
OG Ken Plue, Purdue — Definitely not a Chiefs prospect. 6’7″, 350 lbs. Massive, massive guy. Moves pretty damn well for his size… worth watching if you catch Purdue games.
OG Chris Jacobson, Pittsburgh — Jacobson flashed back into relevence last year after surviving an entire season without injury. Jacobson was once thought to be one of THE BEST tackle prospects to come along in a long time when Pitt picked him up. He’s pretty much done nothing but cheer his teammates on in streetclothes. Then, magically, he stayed on the field in 2010, and looked pretty damn good. He WILL FALL due to his injury history. Could be a steal in midrounds.
NT Alameda Ta’amu, Washington — In case you’re wondering who the gigantic nose tackle prospect Chiefs fans will be debating over in the 2012 draft season, it’s going to be this guy. Learn to pronounce his name… or at least spell it. In many ways, he’s a Phil Taylor clone.
DE Devon Still, Penn State — I don’t know what NFL teams will make of Still. Still has done nothing but produce at Penn State, but his numbers aren’t gaudy like many first round picks. But he’s double- and triple-blocked all game long. Yet he still churns out decent numbers. The same could be said for Adrian Clayborn, I suppose, who was a first round pick. I think Still’s got the same potential as a 3-4 end.
DE Ryan Van Bergen, Michigan — I don’t think there’s anything terribly noteworthy about Van Bergen’s game other than he’s put up damn good stats two years in a row. Good motor and athleticism, you’ll notice him every time Michigan plays.