Bigger Need For The Kansas City Chiefs: Corner Or Center?

The 2015 NFL Draft is three weeks away, and the Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready to welcome 10 new players into the family. General manager John Dorsey and his team of scouts are locked in their war room, pouring over a million different scenarios while putting the finishing touches on the big board.

After a fruitful free agency period, Kansas City does not have many obvious needs. Look a little deeper, and you will see that is not exactly the case. The Chiefs have a hole at center and are in desperate need of another corner. Right now, Sean Smith and Phillip Gaines are starting on the outside with Jamell Fleming and Marcus Cooper in reserve. In the slot, Chris Owens was not re-signed and has not been replaced. In today’s NFL, teams need three, starting-caliber corners, something the Chiefs can’t claim to have.

So which is the bigger need?

Eric Kush has been in Andy Reid’s system for the last two years after being taken in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of the University of California (Pa.). Kush has started one game since coming into the league, playing an average game as a rookie in Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers. Even if the team is confident in Kush, he has nobody backing him up or providing competition.

Fleming and Cooper are NFL players, but both have flaws. Fleming has bounced around the league and has little experience. Cooper has seen extensive playing time but was benched early in 2014 after consistently being beat. If Smith or Gaines sustains an injury, Kansas City is dangerously thin at corner in a division with Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers. Factor in the gaping hole in the slot and a pressing need becomes clear.

In the first round, only Cameron Erving is a center worthy of the No. 18 pick. At corner, there are ample options in Trae Waynes, Marcus Peters, Kevin Johnson and maybe combine-superstar Byron Jones. Waynes is projected by most to be off the board when the Chiefs pick, but the others are all expected to be available. Peters has endured off-the-field problems, but could be the most talented corner in the draft.

So, given the options, which position would you like to see Dorsey address first in the draft?