Chiefs’ pick still isn’t high enough

The Chiefs, as you no doubt have heard several thousand times in the last couple of weeks, have the fifth pick in Saturday’s NFL draft. It is their highest pick in almost 20 years, going back to 1989 when they snagged Derrick Thomas at No. 4.

But here’s what you really need to know: It’s not high enough.

The Chiefs have somehow gotten themselves into a mathematical maze that they cannot escape. The fifth pick has turned into the worst pick around for Kansas City. The Chiefs desperately want one of two players. And both will be gone.

Everyone knows the two players the Chiefs want — if you don’t, you can always pop on the Internet and check out one of the 4,923,483 mock drafts out there. To save you the time, though, one is Michigan tackle Jake Long, who some scouts see as the new Willie Roaf, a dominant left tackle for the next 10 years. The other is LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who some scouts see as an unblockable force.

(I say “some scouts” because, let’s be honest, it’s still the NFL draft, which means nobody really knows. Both these guys could be great. Both could be mammoth busts. Ask Buffalo about can’t-miss left tackle Mike Williams. Ask Chiefs president/GM Carl Peterson about the unblockable Ryan Sims.)

The Chiefs believe that Long or Dorsey could make a huge impact on this season’s team. Trouble is, other teams also have scouts. For a while, according to the early buzz, it seemed like Jake Long might be there for the Chiefs at No. 5. Now, it looks like he might go to Miami with the first overall pick.

For a while, it looked like Dorsey might slip down to the Chiefs; now it looks like he will go second or third.

It’s true, crazy things happen in the draft — especially when the Oakland Raiders pick in front of you — so it’s not impossible that the Chiefs will get a shot at one of those two players. But it looks very unlikely. And that means Kansas City is stuck. Everyone knows the Chiefs’ No. 1 need — despite Peterson’s protests about the underappreciated talents of 31-year old Damion McIntosh — is an offensive left tackle. The best one will be gone. It’s a big problem.

The problem goes deeper. The Chiefs also need a starting cornerback — but apparently there isn’t one in this draft good enough to take at No. 5. The Chiefs really could use another receiver, but again, there’s no dominant receiver here, not one worth picking that high. They’re searching for a disruptive defensive force on the line — especially if they trade defensive end Jared Allen — but with Dorsey gone, they would be settling for second best. Who would have thought that everyone would be gone by the fifth pick?

What’s left? The most exciting players who may be on the board at No. 5 — running back Darren McFadden, quarterback Matt Ryan, pass-rusher Vernon Gholston, among others — are not especially interesting to the Chiefs. They obviously don’t need McFadden with Larry Johnson’s contract ready to roll again. They can’t afford to draft a young quarterback like Ryan with the offensive line in shambles (anyway, Ryan will likely hold out for a long time; the Chiefs don’t need those headaches right now). Gholston is interesting if the Chiefs trade Allen, but there are apparently mixed feelings about him at One Arrowhead.

The Chiefs have few options. They might be able to trade down in the draft — teams might be willing to trade up to get McFadden or Ryan. That wouldn’t be a bad deal if they can find a partner. The Chiefs also might get bold and trade up a couple of spots — though that seems unlikely because the Chiefs really don’t have any extra draft picks to spare. Chiefs coach Herm Edwards says he wants to get five starters out of the draft. Five. They need all the picks they can get.

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To reach Joe Posnanski, call 816-234-4361 or send e-mail to jposnanski@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.