Chiefs Check Out Boise State Pass Rusher Shea McClellin
The Kansas City Chiefs continue to do their due diligence for next week’s draft and now we are hearing they took a look at OLB prospect Shea McClellin out of Boise State.
McClellin is 6-foot-3, 260-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. He is projected as a late first, early second round prospect but pass rushers have a tenancy to rise up draft boards once the lights at Radio City Music Hall get turned on.
He has had visits with the Chiefs, Pats, Bills, Titans, Colts and Browns.
His stock is rising fast enough that he’s been invited to attend the draft live in NYC, an honor usually reserved for guys expected to go in the first round.
“I thought it would be a good experience for them,” said McClellin recently. “I’m not going in there with expectations, so I think it will be a fun experience. … I never even thought about going to New York. I never thought I’d get invited.”
The question is, do the Chiefs need McClellin and do they need him in the first round?
I guess it depends on how consistently they believe Justin Houston can get to the QB.
While it is true a team can never have enough pass rushers, there are still only four starting linebacker spots to go around. Generally, when taking a guy in the first round, teams hope the player can contribute right away.
Then again, the Chiefs are reaching a point where their roster is getting so talented that they will eventually have the luxary of drafting backups and depth in the first round of the draft. That means keeping KC, if they play their cards right, will have a deep and talented team. It also means that as high priced veterans approach free agency, the Chiefs will have options available to them if someone is asking for unreasonable money.
Teams like the Patriots and Steelers always seem to have another good player to be the next man up and they are almost never stuck overpaying veterans. Hopefully we’ll be adding the Chiefs to that list in the next couple of years.
What do you guys think? Can you see the Chiefs trading back and nabbing McClellin?