Chiefs draft: Five fan-favorite picks that I am against

Tyler Lockett – WR – Kansas State – Second Round:

Tyler Lockett’s small size and questionable hands should be enough to keep scouts and GMs from putting too much faith in his ability to develop at the NFL level. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Not that there aren’t things to like about Lockett, but there are two major flags to be concerned about. Unfortunately, these two flags play in together, and are hard to change. The first concern is about Lockett’s drops. Now, he didn’t have a ton of them, but he had enough to be noticed and they did come at crucial times. On top of that, there are also a number of passes on his game tape that he double-clutches or are in the area and he just doesn’t get to. This is something that is correctable. NFL wide receivers can absolutely improve their hands. However, there are a great number who don’t. Chiefs fans should be well aware of that.

But there is also a major factor that makes Lockett’s development questionable: his size. No, I’m not talking about just his height, so you can hold off on the “but Reid likes short WRs.” Tyler Lockett isn’t just short, he’s flat-out small. Small hands, short arms, and a slight frame. Small. This is a big problem at the next level because being small can lead to a player being more injury prone and less confident in contested situations, both things that Lockett has shown at times.  So while Tyler Lockett shows some incredible athleticism and big play ability, the questions about him are the very ones that make scouts worry about his ability to develop.

Some fans will look at that and say, “what about De’Anthony Thomas?”  Yes, DAT is roughly the same size as Tyler Lockett…but that doesn’t make Lockett a fit.  In fact, already having one guy that small makes for even more of an argument to pass on Lockett.  You can’t fill your roster with small players.  You’re just asking for injury issues with that approach.  Plus there is also Albert Wilson to consider.  Just how many of 5’9 WRs are we really looking to add?

Between the concerns about his ability to develop, and the fact that we already have two guys that are very similar on the roster, I just don’t see where Tyler Lockett is a good investment that early in the draft.

Dorial Green-Beckham – WR – Missouri – First Round:

As if all the off the field questions weren’t enough, Dorial Green-Beckham also comes with a number of on field questions that should have Chiefs scouts passing on him in the early rounds. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Now that I have the K-State fanbase mad at me, let me turn my attention to Mizzou. If the NFL were just a bunch of guys running around in their underwear like the combine, DGB would be the #1 overall pick.  However, it is not, and there is a lot more to being a football player than an impressive workout.

Green-Beckham only has one season of quality tape for scouts to review, and while there are some highlight reel plays, the truth is that his tape shows a lot of question marks. DGB struggles in his route running, doesn’t show good spatial awareness, and has bad catch habits. This was all before taking a year off from competitive football. Did he improve on any of these things? Maybe, but there is no way to know until he gets on the field.

Then there are all of the non-football issues. Getting arrested for marijuana possession is a red flag, but not inexcusable. Doing it twice? Well, that’s a problem. And then there is the issue that actually got him dismissed from Mizzou: pushing a woman down the stairs during a break-in.

Folks, there is no spinning that. You can classify it as dumb or misunderstood or whatever…that’s not something that shows someone is capable of making quality choices in life. With the NFL’s current issues with domestic abuse, for a prospect to already have one such case under his belt is going to detract a lot of teams.  And, as if that situation couldn’t get any worse, there is the cover-up that does even more, in my opinion, to give teams a reason to pass on Green-Beckham. His girlfriend, whose apartment he was breaking in to and whose roommate he pushed down the stairs, sent a text explaining to her roommate:  “I’m not sticking up for him but football really is all he has going for him and pressing charges would just ruin it for him completely.” That’s not a good thing.

Next: High expectations setting up failure