The reason I believe that the Chiefs must find a quarterback in this draft, and thus prepare them for the starting job in 2018, is simply this. Dorsey and company must avoid the same pitfalls that teams with veteran quarterbacks face.
An old axiom of truth exists in quarterbacks and in life. When you fail to plan (in this case, failing to plan for the future) you plan to fail. To many times, Chiefs fans have been force-fed guys like Tyler Palko.
If the Chiefs go into the 2017 offseason with addressing the future of the quarterback position, especially in the draft, they would be able to allow a rookie to be the understudy to Smith, learn the playbook, how to watch film, read defenses, what it takes to be a quarterback at the professional level. After the 2017 season, KC would be able to move on from/ trade Alex Smith and free up a large amount of cap room. Should the Chiefs find a quarterback in round 1 in the late 20s/early 30s where they appear likely to land, a quarterback would likely command a number in year two ballpark at $2.3 million.
Also, and this is important, but is not represented below, there is great value in drafting a quarterback, maybe even over drafting a quarterback at the end of the first round. All first round draft picks come with a 5th year option on their contracts that other rounds simply don’t get. That means a team would be able to enjoy the reduced salary cap number for an entire extra season before they have to either work out an extension or decide if the quarterback is the guy to go forward with.
I acknowledge, especially in the first round, the Chiefs should not make a selection in the late 20’s. Either make a move up to get a quarterback, or move back and add assets, preferably in 2018’s draft as a deep roster doesn’t really need additional late round selections. With that in mind, enjoy.