Reach’s Early R1 Options For The Chiefs
Landon Collins, S, Alabama
Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
We’re all rooting for Eric Berry to lick his Lymphoma diagnosis and return to football better than ever. The harsh reality is, he may never play the game again. From a business perspective, the Chiefs have to consider that as a distinct possibility. All of that in mind, it’ll be tough for them to pass on a guy like Landon Collins if he’s sitting there at 18. He’s more of a strong safety, but the Chiefs have players like Husain Abdullah who have the ball skills and coverage abilities to man the free safety role.
Collins is a rangy run-stopper who always seems to be around the football. That’s something that could come in quite handy to the 28th run defense in the league in 2014. NFL Network’s Albert Breer thinks Collins is better than two former highly regarded safeties out of Alabama (Mark Barron and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix):
"“He’s better than Barron, he’s better than Ha Ha. If you look at him, he plays special teams, he plays defense, and he’s all out. He’s just a football player. Good range, good hands, explosive tackler, always around the ball. Barron was a good player, but more of a thumper. Ha Ha was more rangy. This guy is a mixture of both.”"
Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Last year, the Chiefs made an investment into their future at outside linebacker with the drafting of Dee Ford. Sure, I know Tamba Hali wants to retire a Chief, but we all know that aging players typically either have a tough time staying on the field or playing at a level commensurate with their contract. Ford will eventually take that spot away from Hali. We could soon see someone else step into Derrick Johnson’s role as well. The 2014 Butkus Award Winner may be the man for that job. After all, Reid did draft his elder brother Mychal Kendricks in his last season as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kendricks can play three downs in the NFL. He’s not much of a threat to pick a ball out of the air, but he’s solid in coverage. He’s an instinctive player who will help a leaky run defense improve in 2015. There’s some concern that he’s smallish and may not be able to stay on the inside in the pros, but he has all of the intangibles you want in an ILB. Kendricks racked up 467 tackles in four seasons at UCLA.
If you were John Dorsey, who would you take in the top round of the draft? Would you consider any of my three picks with the 18th selection? Are there any sleepers hovering around the middle of the first round that Dorsey should keep an eye on? Use the comment section below to chime in. As always, we appreciate your readership and support.
Until next time, Addicts!