At long last, Draft Week is upon us! In 48 hours, dignitaries of the Kansas City Chiefs will file into the War Room at One Arrowhead Drive and prepare themselves for the opening night of the 2016 NFL Draft. They’ll spend most of the night in quiet anticipation of their selection. The Chiefs will be bringing up the rear in the first round and likely won’t go on the clock until 10pm (Arrowhead Time).
The Chiefs blogosphere has deliberated endlessly about where the team may go with its top pick. Today, with just two days left to go, I’d like to turn my attention to the solid spots on the roster.
Might seem counterintuitive to talk about the positions where Kansas City is solid, but knowing the strength of your roster this time of the year is every bit as important as identifying competent, new talent. Which position groups can the team turn its attention away from as Thursday approaches? I’m glad you asked, and since you’re asking, let’s get into it.
Safety
This may be the strongest position on the either side of the football. Chiefs general manager John Dorsey has proven time and again that he has a keen eye for talent at safety. Since coming to Kansas City, he’s revived the careers of Quintin Demps, Kurt Coleman and Tyvon Branch. He also discovered a Pro Bowl-caliber safety in Ron Parker. Eric Berry was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2015. Between Berry and Parker, the Chiefs have a pair of solid, ascending safeties that can anchor the back half of Kansas City’s defense for the foreseeable future.
Recently, the team added depth to the defensive backfield with a pair of veteran signings (Jimmy Wilson and Stevie Brown). There are 47 career starts between them so the Chiefs are pairing two seasoned defensive backs with their young safeties. Prospects like Karl Joseph, T.J. Green and Vonn Bell are intriguing, but Kansas City’s in great shape at safety and can abstain in 2016. Next season, pending Berry’s contract situation and the growth of Ron Parker, could be different.
Next: Two more positions that can wait...