Chiefs Fan Guide To The Fix II

WR Dorial Green-Beckham, 6-5, 225, Oklahoma

Rotoworld’s Josh Norris gives Dorial Green-Beckham the top grade among all wide receivers… not taking into consideration the off field issues that Green-Beckham has had.  Green-Beckham has the talent to become a top receiver in the NFL and, as Dane Brugler explains, “Has the ability to be a similar pro prospect as A.J. Green and earn top-10 grades.” Draft analyst Mel Kiper says of Green-Beckham, “Many analysts rate DGB as the draft’s most physically talented receiver… his talent level may be too tantalizing to pass up.”

ILB Bernardrick McKinney, 6-5, 249, Mississippi St.

You may be uncomfortable with the idea of taking an ILB with the first pick, but examining who Bernardrick McKinney is, might help you change your mind. And change it in a hurry. McKinney made the Bednarik Award watch list this year, which is given annually to the nation’s best defensive player. Although Bernardrick will be skipping his Senior year (Bernardrick to enter the draft) to go pro he’s been a starter since his freshman season and finished with 102 tackles that year so he has three years of top shelf experience under his belt in the SEC West annually facing teams such as Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Arkansas. Bernardrick is one of those few players in this draft who you’ll often hear referred to as “a freak.” I’m tired of these kinds of beastly linebackers ending up in Pittsburgh or Baltimore or Seattle. So, I’d be ecstatic if he became a Chief. There will still be opportunities to pick up a quality OL in the second or third rounds and since WR is more stacked in this draft the same goes for them.

Could the Chiefs end up picking outside of their target range of needs like they did last year? Remember that John Dorsey will soon have the extra compensatory picks in this year’s draft which will allow him the flexibility to trade his other picks and move up to get his man. So, it’s not likely the Chiefs pick anyone other than an OL or a WR or possibly an ILB early in this draft

The 2015 NFL draft is not rich in elite OTs but, is rich, and deep, in WRs. In fact, the WR depth in 2015 matches the WR depth of the 2014 draft which is saying a lot considering that the WR class is the best to come along in many years. Fortunately for John Dorsey and the Chiefs… and Chiefs fans everywhere… we can say with 99.9% certainty that the Chiefs will be drafting a high quality WR in this year’s draft. Does that mean the Chiefs will take a WR in the first round? Probably. However, it could also mean they select a WR… if… and that’s the if we’re all wanting to answer to… the less attainable elite OT is unavailable… even though they know they can get one of several high quality WRs on days two or three of the draft.

One possibility that could end up a critical determining factor could be… that since the Chiefs are in need of multiple WRs, there is the perception, accurate or not, that the Chiefs WR cupboard is emptier than their OL cupboard.

While these players mentioned above appear to be the most predictable, for now, it’s difficult to imagine the Chiefs actually by-passing a couple for the most dynamic offensive playmakers, if they’re still on the board, when the Chiefs select at #18. Those players are:

1. TE Devin Funchess, who is really a hybrid TE/WR is 6-5, 230 pounds and compares favorably to Kelvin Benjamin, who the Chiefs passed on last year. The mind dances with visions of what Funchess and Travis Kelce could accomplish together in their two tight end sets and would be a literal nightmare for other teams to defend against.

2. Melvin Gordon a 6-1, 207 pound RB from Wisconsin who might not only serve as an immediate playmaker and contributor for the Chiefs offense in 2015 but, offer a real replacement for the Chiefs in a few of years when Jamaal Charles begins to fade.

Next time on the “Chiefs Fan Guide To The Fix” we’ll take a look at the possible pick number 50, where (or close to where) the Chiefs will select in the second round of this year’s NFL draft. We’ll also examine who could make a splash with the Chiefs in Free Agency.

What do you say Addict fans? Have any insights about who the Chiefs will select in the first round… or who they might trade with to get their man?