Kansas City Chiefs: A Closer Look At 3 1st-Round Targets

2. La’el Collins – OT – LSU

Keeping with the offensive lineman theme, my second choice for the Chiefs is LSU’s La’el Collins. Collins may not be as physically imposing as Scherff is, but when looking for a player who has the strength to start at RT on Day 1 (and possibly kick inside to guard if needed), I think Collins is the clear “next man up” after Scherff.

While I do believe it is much more likely that Collins will be available when KC picks, I do think it’s possible that he could go in the first half of the first round. So once again, KC may have to think about moving up a couple of spots if they want to land Collins.

While Collins may not have the hype and buzz of Scherff, I actually think Collins may have more potential at the tackle spot in terms of handling NFL edge rushers. I still think that, as a rookie, Collins’ most ideal fit is at LG, but that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have a future at tackle (including at LT if Eric Fisher doesn’t take the step forward that we all are hoping for).

I have a suspicion that Collins may come out of the combine as one of the better-looking offensive linemen and could see his draft stock climb. While I still like Scherff better, if the choice was trading up six to 10 spots to get Scherff or just moving up two to four spots to get Collins, I think I’d save the extra picks and take Collins.

My main point here is that I’d rather see KC spend a couple of extra draft picks in order to move up and get an OL that can lock down a spot on Day 1 rather than stay put and draft an offensive lineman like TJ Clemmings, who may have great upside but may also be too raw to play right away. When it comes to prospects with the power to plug and play at RT and the versatility to move inside to guard, I think Scherff and Collins are the two top choices.