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Chiefs hope to cash in on draft picks
By ADAM TEICHERThe Kansas City Star
The Chiefs spent the better part of the buildup to this year’s college talent lottery saying that all drafts are created equal.
Feel free to file that with the rest of the pre-draft hype.
It’s true the Chiefs started to place a greater emphasis on the draft two years ago when they hired Herm Edwards as head coach and promoted Bill Kuharich to lead their draft preparations.
But never before have the Chiefs had the kind of opportunity that will unfold when the draft begins today. They may never again hold such a draft bounty.
Thanks in large part to this week’s trade that sent Jared Allen to Minnesota, the Chiefs will have the fifth and 17th picks in the first round and the 35th overall choice early in the second.
The draft concludes Sunday with the final five rounds. The Chiefs will have 10 picks in those rounds, including three of the first 19 in the third round.
If the Chiefs draft well, they can put a down-and-out team on the road to recovery.
There isn’t the usual definition to the four picks ahead of them, other than Miami at the top. The Dolphins will select Michigan tackle Jake Long, who has already signed a contract.
Kansas City’s first pick figures to come from a group that includes defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey of LSU, defensive ends Chris Long of Virginia and Vernon Gholston of Ohio State, and offensive linemen Branden Albert of Virginia and Ryan Clady of Boise State.
The Chiefs don’t particularly need a defensive tackle, but they don’t have one with the potential of Dorsey. Long or Gholston would step into the starting spot vacated when the Chiefs traded Allen.
Albert or Clady would start somewhere on the offensive line.
Possibilities for their second pick include a defensive end like Florida’s Derrick Harvey or an offensive lineman like Gosder Cherilus of Boston College.
“All of the drafts are important to me because that was the idea when we first got here,” Edwards said. “We were going to build this thing through the draft and we were going to start the process right away. When I took the job, we were one of the oldest teams in the league. That’s fine, but I knew we had to start drafting (well).
“This was the plan. You couldn’t say it then because everyone would ask you what you were talking about. I was watching it come to fruition. Maybe no one else was, but I know I was.”
The Chiefs picked defensive end Tamba Hali, safeties Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page and quarterback Brodie Croyle in Edwards’ first draft in 2006. They added wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, defensive linemen Turk McBride and Tank Tyler and running back Kolby Smith last year.
They need to do even better this weekend. The Chiefs are looking for starters at defensive end, cornerback, at least a couple of the offensive line positions and, perhaps, wide receiver. They need developmental prospects at several other spots.
“There are a lot of offensive linemen out there that we feel can come in and help us,” Edwards said. “There are defensive backs and receivers and running backs. There are a lot of positions where there are a lot of players. It all comes down to how a guy fits and how you’re going to use him.
“That’s the whole key. That’s where you really need to understand what you want him to accomplish for you.”
With two first-round picks and six of the first 82, the Chiefs will be able to cover a lot of ground. They have enough picks that they will be able to trade up in a given round, if they so desire. Even with 13 picks, they could still be willing to trade down and acquire an extra choice or two.
Whatever they do, it’s imperative the Chiefs get things right. They won’t have a chance like this for quite some time, if ever.
“They’re trying to get things done a different way than how they’ve been done there, so it’s important that they have some success with this right away,” said former Chiefs quarterback Rich Gannon, now a game analyst for CBS. “Carl (Peterson) doesn’t have a lot of time left, right? He’s got two years left on his contract, so if things are going to get turned around, that’s got to happen quickly.
“All of the drafts are important, but this one is really big. Every team has some areas they need to address. The Chiefs probably have a few more of those areas than almost everybody else, so I guess it’s a good thing they’ve got a lot of picks.”