Putting Chiefs draft into the big picture

Did they want Lynch, Treadwell?

Rumors have been flying left and right about the Chiefs potential interest in two players… QB Paxton Lynch and WR Laquon Treadwell.  The talk was further fueled when GM John Dorsey told reporters that the team had essentially been targeting two players in the first round and only traded back after they both came off the board.

Given that Lynch was taken at 26 and Treadwell at 23, it makes a lot of sense that these would be the players targeted as the Chiefs didn’t make their trade until after both were gone.

The Lynch rumor has been hanging around for a while.  The only reported workout any quarterback got from the Chiefs went to Paxton Lynch.  And given the history of both Andy Reid and John Dorsey when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, it was hardly a stretch that they would take Lynch even with Alex Smith firmly entrenched as the starter.

This was apparently enough to convince the Denver Broncos as they traded up with Seattle in order to get ahead of the Chiefs to take Lynch (side note…interesting that they didn’t trade with Green Bay.  Perhaps a favor to Dorsey and Reid from old friends?).  So whether any of us believe this rumor to be true or false, John Elway clearly felt that it had merit.

The Laquon Treadwell rumor is a bit more surprising.  There had been some talk about the Chiefs taking him in the week leading up to the draft, but it seemed like a bit of a long shot.  But according to Alex Marvez of FoxSports, the Chiefs looked to move up to grab the standout WR.

With the investment the Chiefs made at WR in free agency, it seemed logical that they would be looking for a long term option a little bit later, which they did with fourth round pick Demarcus Robinson.  And if they were going after Treadwell, then why not take one of the other top prospects with their first pick in the second round?  It’s hard to see the connection, but that certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

But the fact that the Chiefs only had two players they were really willing to take in the first round is actually a good sign.  It speaks to their confidence in the roster as a whole.  As for these specific rumors?  They both have their question marks, but nothing that totally rules them out.  From my point of view, I would be a bit surprised if the two targeted players Dorsey mentioned weren’t cornerbacks instead…they did end up drafting three of them.

Next: Hill debate