Linebacker: Te’von Coney – Notre Dame
Te’von Coney isn’t your modern linebacker that runs a blazing forty time and covers guys like a safety. He’s a throwback to a traditional middle linebacker that patrols the middle of the field. What I love about Coney is his ability to see where the play is going and sift through the traffic to make the tackle. Frankly, its something that has been sorely missed since Derrick Johnson left town. Even the elite first round linebackers in this draft can’t stuff the run up the middle like Coney can.
I understand that some will dismiss Coney because he’d likely have to come off the field in sub packages, but actually having a MIKE linebacker that shuts down the run would be well worth it to me. Just go watch the first five plays of his game against Stanford and you’ll see him make run stops where he reads the play and/or gets off of a blocker to make the stop three times.
I am not a believer in Reggie Ragland at this point, and I think taking Coney would allow the Chiefs to move on from him. With Coney’s coverage liabilities, he should be available in the middle rounds.
Runner Up: Germaine Pratt – NC State
A close second in my linebacker crushes is Germaine Pratt. Pratt is a 6-foot-2 and 240 pound linebacker that racked up over 100 tackles last season. He’s a former safety that still runs really well in the open field while hitting like a sledge hammer between the tackles. He’s really raw from a technique standpoint but he definitely has some great upside. I like him a lot but I’m worried that K.C. may have to go as high as the second round to land Pratt and worry they may have greater needs to address. Still, a linebacker with his size, athleticism, and aggressive nature would be a welcome addition to the Chiefs new defense.
Next up, the cornerbacks.