Dec 5, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Louisville Cardinals safety Calvin Pryor (25) prior to the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
We’ve been keeping tabs on the mock drafts produced by some of the more important draft prognosticators for the last few months and coming back to you when we find something interesting. I’m here to inform you we’ve found something interesting.
Most mock draft still have the Chiefs going with a wide receiver with the 23rd overall pick, with either Odell Beckham Jr. or Brandin Cooks being the selection in most of those mocks. Two we present two mock draft that do no feature an offensive player and go two very interesting directions.
First we have Dane Brugler’s mock draft, who has a familiar name going to the Chiefs.
With the 23rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Brugler projects the Chiefs will select Calvin Pryor, a safety from Louisville. The writeup:
"The Chiefs starting safety opposite Eric Berry is a bit of a question mark right now and drafting Pryor could give Kansas City a long-term option at the position."
This is key to note because it seems like Pryor’s draft status may be coming full circle. At the beginning of the mock draft cycle it looked as if Pryor would be available to the Chiefs with the 23rd overall pick before his hype shot him up to in and around the top 10. Now it seems as if his stock is coming back down to the Chiefs. HaHa Clinton-Dix has surpassed him on some big boards and the notion of picking a safety with a top 15 pick could be scaring some people away.
The best scenario of Pryor falling to the Chiefs probably requires Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, and Teddy Bridgewater all finding homes in the top 10. This could be enough to knock down Pryor to Kansas City.
The second curious pick comes from Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt.
With 23rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Klatt projects the Chiefs will select C.J. Mosley, a linebacker from Alabama. The writeup:
"The Chiefs don’€™t need a linebacker, but seeing Mosley on the board this late will be too enticing. Finding defenders who can play in space and take away the short throws over the middle is a must when facing the Broncos twice a season. Mosley adds tremendous depth to an already stout LB corps."
This is an interesting choice as few have Mosley falling this far or having the Chiefs taking an inside linebacker at 23. Before you bash the pick, keep in mind Derrick Johnson will be 31-years-old this season and has only two years left on his contract. At some point the Chiefs are going to have to replace him with a playmaker, and Mosley can be said playmaker.
It should be noted Klatt does not have any of the wide receivers or safeties falling to the Chiefs, and Mosley is the only certain “day one” starter available at 23 based on his mock. There could be some arguments for Jace Amaro, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and Ra’Shede Hageman, all of whom are available in Klatt’s mock at 23.
I’m not sure I wouldn’t go with Seferian-Jenkins in this scenario but the Mosley pick would be an interesting one for the Chiefs should they decide to go that direction.
What do you think, Addicts? If the choice is between Pryor or Mosley, who would you take? Would Mosley be worth the 23rd overall pick for the Chiefs?