Senior Bowl 2017: Prospects to watch
By John McCarty
As the draft season for Chiefs fans sadly kicks into high gear, the first real big kickoff of the draft is the Senior Bowl.
Annually the top collection of senior draft talent, the process of draft evaluations kicks off. With that in mind, these are some players I’m keeping an eye on as potential Chiefs draft picks.
Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
A personal favorite of mine, Johnson by all accounts is having a solid senior bowl and may very well be playing himself out of the Chiefs draft spot. Unlikely to be a first round pick, Johnson may not last until the Chiefs are scheduled to pick in round two.
With the likelihood that Dontari Poe is not retained, Johnson would be a solid replacement in the middle. Should be noted, and I’m not sure if this is coincidence, but the Chiefs under John Dorsey are yet to draft a player from a BigTen school, not a single one. There are a lot of Big Ten players in this draft, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Julien Davenport, OT, Bucknell
A very athletic lineman prospect with the big frame and a somewhat interesting school with local ties (University of Kansas fans are likely already dismissing this prospect) Davenport is a developmental type tackle the Chiefs could use if they wanted to upgrade their swing tackle spot, and go cheaper instead of Jah Reid. He’s not ready currently to be a starter, but has the tools that he could eventually turn into a starter.
Where offensive tackles come off the board will be interesting in this draft. What is regarded as a weak tackle draft could lead to a slip in the first round followed up by a massive run on lineman in rounds two and three. Depending on need, scheme and fit, Davenport could be a late second round pick and could still be on the board in the fourth round.