Feb 21, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey speaks to the media in a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Walter Football is not pleased with what the Chiefs did in the draft. Not pleased at all. Here’s a snip of what they wrote about what the Chiefs did this weekend.
"I get the feeling that the Chiefs spent more time trying to trade their pick rather than deciding whom they were going take. They let the clock run down because they were desperate to move out of the No. 23 spot, but they couldn’t do anything and panicked, taking Dee Ford off the board. That was a dreadful selection; not only was Ford deemed a reach by teams we’ve spoken to, but he didn’t even fill a need. There are members of Kansas City’s organization who don’t even like the pick. It was that bad. …Kansas City unquestionably came away with one of the worst classes this year. It made multiple reaches and failed to address most of its glaring needs. That’s not how teams are supposed to draft."
Walter Football grade: C-
The assertions made here are pretty fantastic, so A+ to Walter Football for their creativity in their writeup. I’m certain you can talk to all 32 teams and find people in the front office who are not pleased with their top selection. That’s part of the deal and something that shouldn’t be factored into the grade.
I will agree the Chiefs probably wanted to move down in the draft, but to say they “panicked” with the Ford pick is silly. Ford fills a significant need now in adding additional pass rush and fills a role in the future as Tamba Hali’s replacement. There was nobody sitting at 23 overall that was definitively better than Ford. We also know that if the Chiefs traded back Ford would not have been there as both Philadelphia and Atlanta had Ford targeted around the time KC was selecting.
All of that said, I understand the negative view about what the Chiefs did in the draft. It is hard to hit a home run in the draft with only six picks. With that said, two years from now Kansas City could be starting five of theses six picks. How often do you see five picks from a draft of six players end up starting? Between Ford, Phillip Gaines, De’Anthony Thomas, Zach Fulton, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif the Chiefs may be done just that.
We’ll see how it plays out.