Mock Draft: Ranking The Kansas City Chiefs Offseason Needs

Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson (12) runs after a catch as Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay (22) and inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons (94) chase during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

ROUND THREE: Wide Receiver

Kansas City absolutely needs to upgrade the wide receiver position, no one is going to deny this.

Ignore the problem of no wide receiver catching a touchdown pass (although there seemed to be some invisible force field that was preventing Dwayne Bowe from entering the end zone), and look at the issues the Chiefs’ receivers had at creating big plays.

Who is the guy on this team that can turn a quick slant into a 40 yard gain? Who is the guy on this team that can break a tackle on a curl route and run for an extra 20 yards? Who is the guy on this team who can identify a broken play and create an escape hatch for Alex Smith?

A west coast offense is going to struggle without a wide receiver who can do one of these things. He doesn’t have to be a ‘number one target’ or a guy who is going to put up Hall of Fame numbers. He simply needs to be a guy who once in a while can turn a simple play into a big one.

Sure, a guy who can get down field would be nice. Another guy who can win a jump ball 40 yards down field or in the red zone would be swell. But the core of a west coast offense is build on receivers who know how to run quality routes and then make plays after the catch. Turning high percentage, low risk throws into something dangerous is one of main principles of the west coast offense. And that’s the kind of offense Alex Smith can do some serious damage in.

But when your offensive line doesn’t/can’t block and your wide receivers can’t make plays after a reception then you have something very similar to what the 2014 Chiefs offense produced.

KC’s roster has some guys who can develop into these kinds of playmakers. Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce have each proven they can create mismatches in the passing game and make big plays. Albert Wilson and De’Anthony Thomas showed some flashes in their rookie seasons as potential candidates for turning some of those quick slants into big gains.

So while the Chiefs need something of an overhaul of their receiving corp, they don’t necessarily need the kind of rebuild as the offensive line or inside linebacker groups. At least you can point at Kelce, Wilson, and DAT and say, “Hey, those guys can be long-term solutions in the passing game.” Who is the long-term solution at offensive guard or inside linebacker? That’s the difference between the receiver problem and the offensive line and linebacker problem.

We are operating under an assumption Dwayne Bowe’s time is close to coming to an end, potentially by this June. So the Chiefs need to find a solution on the outside so as to open up the space on the underneath routes and the creases for Kelce, DAT, and Wilson to do damage. We’re not looking for superstars so much we’re looking for the Golden Tate’s and DeAndre Hopkins’ of the world.

Don’t get me wrong, adding a superstar would be great. Drafting Dorial Green-Beckham and having him turn into a superstar on and off the field would be amazing. The argument here is the Chiefs don’t need a superstar wide receiver to turn into a great offense. They just need a guy or two to fill some roles as outside receivers.

Next: Round Four