It’s time to spin a Chiefs simile grade card

Drafting running back Knile Davis: A boxer with no right hand

With an occasional fumble here and there Knile Davis has made his presence on the field a guessing game at times. He’s a big back who has speed to spare but isn’t the punishing “punching” runner you might expect someone who’s his size to be. He’s stepped in for starter Jamaal Charles on occasion and done well but his yards per carry don’t scream, “I am a starter.” Not yet anyway.

We’ll be looking for Davis to show us that he can throw a haymaker or two when given a chance. If he truly wants to be a featured back for the Chiefs someday, he’ll need to develop the ability to lower his shoulder and run over some defenders and put their backs on the canvas. He’s got the size to do it. That’s really the knock out punch the Chiefs are needing Davis to show and if he’s able to do that maybe we have found Charles successor.

Drafting Braden Wilson in the 6th Round: Missing your free-throws

While fullback Braden Wilson appeared to be a throw away pick in the six round of the 2013 draft because, you know, what can you possibly expect to find that late in the draft? Well, in the 2014 draft the Chiefs selected Zach Fulton in the 6th round and he became the team’s starting right-guard last season. So, no picks are “throw-away” picks. In fact, three picks after the Chiefs took Wilson, they then selected Mike Catapano. Now, Catapano may be stuck in the on-deck circle like Sanders Commings, but Catapano did get on the field in 2013 and much is expected of him in 2015.

With the emergence of wide receiver Albert Wilson, an undrafted free agent signing last season, it’s clear that no draft picks… or UDFA signings… can be taken for granted but the Chiefs can’t afford to be missing their free throws especially when it comes to draft picks. For an organization that clearly states they are attempting to build through the draft they basically Hack-a-Shaqqed themselves. Why, because the Chiefs brass band turned around one week after the draft and took those free throws and threw them under the bus by trading for FB Anthony Sherman. Bad planning? Bad sequence? Whatever it may be, it’s worse than a couple of missed free throws. It was a bad move but, this insufficient metaphor isn’t as bad as that was.

On the other hand… we did end up with Anthony Sherman, the best blocking fullback in the NFL.

First Round Pick Dee Ford: Swampland vs. a strong leveraged investment

The power brokers for the Chiefs bit hard on this one. Dee Ford is either going to continue to be a player whose best days are always a mirage on the distant horizon or he’s going to be one the best acquisitions the organization has made in the past ten years.

The jury is still out on Ford. He’s an incredibly likable guy with what looks like a great future in Kansas City. But that’s all we know so far… he’s like investing in futures commodities. There’s an old saying on Wall Street, “What goes up, must come down,” and it means much the same thing as you would expect but with horrible consequences to anyone wrapped up in that scheme.

Everyone is pointing to year two as the year when Dee Ford will get more snaps and game time experience because even his coaches suggest, he’s ready to put it all together. However, what are we talking about here? The future. Of course, if K.C has difficulties making a long term deal happen with all-world Justin Houston then the Ford draft choice would look like a genius move going forward. On the other hand, if a deal with Houston does get done, it looks like Dee will continue to be Tamba Hali’s handmaiden until Tamba says otherwise.

In the meantime, having a first round investment sitting, waiting in the wings looks more like swampland than genius.

Next: Can the Black Mamba pull off a Hat-trick?