NFL Draft 2017: Would Chiefs really avoid a first-round quarterback?
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs have interviewed every top quarterback in this year’s draft class and have an obvious need for one. Would they really steer clear as one source says?
John Dorsey and his staff are putting in the requisite research. Formal meetings have been held with Mitchell Trubisky, Deshone Kizer, Deshaun Watson, Brad Kaaya and Patrick Mahomes. Each player has been dissected on film, discussed in the front office and asked questions in person. It’s clear that the Kansas City Chiefs are interested in drafting a quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The need is also very evident. Alex Smith is the starter for 2017, and the team has been vocally supportive of that fact, but even Smith can sense the writing coming on the wall as his contract nears its end and the team continues to hit a ceiling. Nick Foles was recently released which means there are only three quarterbacks on the entire roster and two of them are named Joel Stave and Tyler Bray.
It’s interesting (and perhaps disconcerting), then, to hear Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller mention that the Chiefs aren’t expected to take a quarterback in the first round—in fact, they’re looking at a defensive lineman or linebacker.
"A developmental quarterback is what the fans want, but a source in the front office told me a defensive-front-seven pick is more likely in Round 1—if the Chiefs don’t trade back. “We’re in a prime trade-back spot, so I could see that happening too” said the source."