The Kansas City Chiefs are doing their due diligence at the 2017 NFL Combine, conducting formal interviews with every top quarterback in Indianapolis.
Alex Smith has received confident statements about his position as the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback for 2017 from everyone except Mayor Sly James. For 2018, however, anything is possible, which is clear from the Chiefs’ activity at the NFL Combine. John Dorsey, Andy Reid and company have held formal interviews with every single top quarterback at the 2017 NFL Combine.
Each team at the Combine receives 60 formal interviews, which goes fast considering just how many prospects are present in Indianapolis. The Chiefs have used an inordinate amount on the top quarterbacks available, even those currently projected to be out of reach at the very top of the draft from the Chiefs’ current position of No. 27 overall.
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So far the Chiefs have spoken with Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky and Miami’s Brad Kaaya. Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star also says Nathan Peterman from Pitt has been interviewed as well. This list is essentially a Who’s Who of this year’s quarterback class, which means the Chiefs clearly want to understand who is available across the entire spectrum of possibilities — not just a projected range.
Smith is firmly entrenched as this year’s starter, but the cupboard is essentially barren after Smith on the depth chart. Nick Foles, last year’s back-up, is expected to be released to free up significant cap space just south of $7 million. Tyler Bray is the perennial back-up, a favorite among the weaker prospect competition brought in until now but clearly not entrusted to elevate to No. 2.
While this quarterback class has no clear favorite among the lot, the Chiefs likely understand they’ll have to move up considerably to likely get their favorite from the group. Many NFL teams are desperate for help at the position, so despite the questions surrounding each prospect, the idea that the draft’s best offerings will fall too far is a dream scenario. Someone will be there at No. 27, but will it be the player Dorsey covets most?
Given how deep the Chiefs roster is and how much draft capital with which Dorsey has to work, it would not surprise to see him move up considerably in the first round if he finds a quarterback worth taking.