The Chiefs had a lot of questions on their
offensive and defensive lines, which they answered in the first round. Glenn
Dorsey gives the team a huge presence at defensive tackle. Guard Branden Albert
could be one of the best offensive linemen to come out of the draft although it
may take some time to learn the tackle position. Cornerback Brandon Flowers will
be a welcome addition to an aging defensive backfield.
Round 1, Pick 5 (5) Glenn Dorsey DT 6'2" 316 LSU
Dorsey's dominance should go a long way toward helping Kansas City rebuild its
defense. He should command double-teams and the Chiefs become better up the
middle instantly. There were some concerns about problems with Dorsey's tibia
stress fracture, which may have been the reason he was still on the board at
this point. His best traits are outstanding agility and a great motor.
Round 1, Pick 15 (15) (From Lions) Branden Albert OG 6'6" 309 Virginia
Albert has the versatility to play guard or tackle in the NFL. He finishes
blocks down the field and in space. He started 37 games (35 games at left guard,
two at left tackle) for Virginia over three years. Has great overall athletic
ability for a big man and could develop into the best offensive lineman in the
draft.
Round 2, Pick 4 (35) Brandon Flowers CB 5'10" 189 Virginia Tech
With better speed, Flowers would have been a much higher pick. He plays the game
faster than his timed speed indicates (4.55). Best traits are good instincts and
physical play.
Round 3, Pick 10 (73) (From Broncos through Vikings) Jamaal Charles RB 5'11" 200 Texas
He likely fell to the third round due to his lack of strength, but when it comes
to speed, he's a break-away back. His playmaking ability makes him a potential
situational player that can also catch the ball.
Round 3, Pick 13 (76) (From Lions) Brad Cottam TE 6'8" 270 Tennessee
He has very impressive size and skills for a tight end to go with speed in the
4.6's.
Round 3, Pick 19 (82) (From Vikings) DaJuan Morgan S 6'0" 205 North Carolina State
Morgan was a one-year starter and raw, but has good athletic ability and
potential. He is the type of player who can get better in the pros with good
coaching, because of his measurables and potential to develop. He is an
excellent special teams player who originally made his mark in the kicking game.
Round 4, Pick 6 (105) Will Franklin WR 6'1" 214 Missouri
At over 6-feet and 214 pounds, Franklin has impressive speed (he ran a 4.3 40)
for a guy his size. He is extremely explosive and was generally graded as a
third rounder, so Kansas City gets good value in the fourth round.
Round 5, Pick 5 (140) Brandon Carr CB 6'0" 207 Grand Valley State
Carr went under the radar as a Division II All-American for Grand Valley State.
He has good size for a cornerback, but looked more like an athlete than a
football player at times.
Round 6, Pick 4 (170) Barry Richardson OT 6'7" 320 Clemson
He's a huge guy who runs well and has talent, but it has been said he lacks
passion for the game. If a coach can motivate him and get him excited about
playing football, he may well wind up being a find at the guard position.
Round 6, Pick 16 (182) (From Vikings) Kevin Robinson WR 6'0" 190 Utah State
Robinson is the best return man in the country out of Utah State. The
competition isn't great in the WAC and it could be tough for him to adjust to
the pro game. Still, he's very good at what he does and is an excellent special
teamer.
Round 7, Pick 3 (210) Brian Johnston DE 6'5" 276 Gardner-Webb
Johnston put on considerable weight in his time at Gardner-Webb and has the
ability to get even bigger. He has good balance, body control and active hands
in the pass rush.
Round 7, Pick 32 (239) (From Giants) Mike Merritt TE 6'3" 270 Central Florida
A prototypical blocking tight end, Merritt has good size and strength. He is not
a threat in the passing game, but can be utilized in jumbo packages.
Kansas City Chiefs 2008 NFL Preview
The Chiefs spent almost a decade as a team to fear every year. That era
is officially over following last years 9 straight losses to end the
season. This team is now in the midst of a major rebuilding project.
The Chiefs traded the disgruntled Jared Allen (their best player) for
three high draft picks, which was good value. Stars like Allen are
extremely hard to come by though. Law, Dunn, Kennison, Welbourn, Wesley
and Wiegmann were all good players at one point, but all were
significantly past their prime. It made perfect sense to get rid of
them. However, Chiefs fans had best be ready for the consequences of
playing many players who are not yet ready for prime time.
The Chiefs are rebuilding through the draft, unlike the Broncos, and
that will mean some pain in the short term as these players learn. The
Chiefs
had 12 draft picks this past April with six of them in the first three
rounds. There’s no way this won’t pay some sort of dividends in a few
years. But for right now, there will be pain. As many as six of these
draft picks could be starting this season.
We don't expect
even 6 wins this year. Five wins would be considered a success as long
as the young players are learning. Eight wins would be reason for a
parade through the Plaza. The Chiefs have been pretty good for quite
awhile. Now, Chiefs fans, they needs your support through the rebuilding
process.
Offense: The Chiefs have some star power on offense, with Tony
Gonzalez, Dwayne Bowe, and Larry Johnson, but they have spent years
looking for a number two receiver and this again does not seem to be the
year they find one. The offensive line is in disarray as rookie
Branden
Albert is a guard playing
left tackle, Damion McIntosh
is a left tackle playing right tackle,
Rudy Niswanger was once an undrafted guard who is now playing
center, and Adrian Jones is a
right tackle sliding inside to play guard. the only player remaining in
place is mobile three-time Pro Bowler
Brian Waters. The Chiefs will try to compensate with a lot of two tight
end sets utilizing third-round rookie
Brad Cottam who will spend a
lot of time on the left side helping Albert. The bright spot is that
Larry Johnson looks fully recovered and ready to bust some heads again.
Jammal Charles could provide the change of pace back the Chiefs need and
Colby Smith returns as well. However if Brodie Croyle does not develop
better decision making ability it won't matter as teams will continue to
stack the box to stop the run and force Croyle into making decisions he
is not ready to make. What we could see though is a monster year for
both big targets in Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez as Brodie is going to
have to get them the ball to survive. If Croyle fails to improve through
the first half of the season. look for Tyler Thigpen to get a chance in
the second half so the Chiefs can have some idea of what they need to do
in the 2009 draft. The ideal thing would be for Croyle to have a decent
season, freeing the Chiefs up to get some more line help and a second
wideout next year.
Defense: If the offense sounds bad, the defense should be in
better shape for the future as they have a few holes, but overall have
some young talent already in place and if the trend of the last four
years continues, they will surrender less points again this year.
Kansas City’s front four won’t be as
potent after the departure of Jared Allen. The arrival of
Glenn Dorsey is a huge plus,
but Allen may have been the most dominant defensive lineman in the
league and he is being replaced by the undersized, but fast motored
Tamba Hali. Hali is elated about the opportunity because it will likely
lead to more sacks. Hali could be an elite pass rusher in a few years,
but it wont be this year as he learns to play the right side. The big
key to this front 4 is going to be the play of Tank Tyler and Turk
Mcbride. If those two play to their potential this could become the best
line in the league by 2010. The linebackers are a strength as Donnie
Edwards continues to play at an amazing level in his 13th year and
Derrick Johnson is looking to turn into a superstar in the next year or
two.
Demmorio Williams and Napolean Harris
are serviceable and the Chiefs are looking at a couple of young free
agents as well. Overall this front seven can be very good as they learn
to play together and with the exception of Edwards could be together for
years to come. The backfield is in a similar situation with third year
safeties Jarrad Page and Barnard Pollard, rookie cornerback Brandon
Flowers, and the wily veteran
Patrick
Surtain who is aging but not enough to be shown the door. His
veteran experience is valuable to the young players, much like Donnie
Edwards mentors the front 7. Where the defense is lacking is in
depth though as although this is a very nice core of young players there
is just no one behind them following the recent roster purges. If they
can stay healthy and learn together this year, get replacements next
year for Donnie Edwards and Patrick Surtain, then this defense could
become a monster by 2010.
Overall: Look, no one is saying this team is going to go
anywhere this year, some even have them slated as the worst in the
league, that is nowhere near the truth as this team has a ton of young
raw talent and is a couple of years from competing, however if all goes
right they are on track to be a very good team again in 2010 and for
years to come. For this year, we just hope to see young players learning
and overcoming some rookie mistakes. 5-11 would be a good record for a
team in this much transition.
