How Pioli thinks about the draft!

[pbatrucker]

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli's Seven Draft Day Criteria - Arrowhead Pride

[slimdagreat]

I understand what you are saying. I just think the pass rush is pathetic. That's going to fix the pass D more so than Berry in my opinion.

I don't think Dan Williams will help much in the pass rush. I agree with you 10000% that the pass rush outside of Hali is god awful, but if the pieces aren't there in the 1st then I think you have to take the best player available

[KristofLaw]

IMO drafting TJ last year at @3 was a mistake. IMO he isn't a top 10 player. I still stay they should've got Curry. What is one position in need this year? Linebacker!!!!! How strong is the draft class this year for the D-line? VERY!!!!

Actually, I remain extremely disappointed that we didn't pick up one of the big three linebackers that came out of USC. Taylor Mays is not a reach late in the first or early in the second. Mr Pioli should make this happen this year.

[jap1]

IMO drafting TJ last year at @3 was a mistake. IMO he isn't a top 10 player. I still stay they should've got Curry. What is one position in need this year? Linebacker!!!!! How strong is the draft class this year for the D-line? VERY!!!!

I disagree that this is a deep draft for DL. Actually, let me correct that, it IS a deep draft for DL at every position except NT. There are only 3 NTs that are expected to make any impact in the league: D. Williams, T. Cody, and C. Thomas.

[Xanathol]

QB Pressures per Profootballfocus.com:

3-4 DEs
#8 Glenn Dorsey
#24 Tyson Jackson

DT/NT
#12 Ron Edwards

3-4 OLB
#2 Tamba Hali
#13 Mike Vrabel

ILB
#6 Derrick Johnson
#43 Corey Mays


In other words, besides getting another ILB ( which most folks agree is a need for KC ), the pass rush is pretty good, however, it can't get there before the ball is released, ie. the coverage is lacking. To support this, the highest ranked KC safety in coverage rankings on that site is Jarrad Page, at #53.

[chief31]

QB Pressures per Profootballfocus.com:

3-4 DEs
#8 Glenn Dorsey
#24 Tyson Jackson

DT/NT
#12 Ron Edwards

3-4 OLB
#2 Tamba Hali
#13 Mike Vrabel

ILB
#6 Derrick Johnson
#43 Corey Mays


In other words, besides getting another ILB ( which most folks agree is a need for KC ), the pass rush is pretty good, however, it can't get there before the ball is released, ie. the coverage is lacking. To support this, the highest ranked KC safety in coverage rankings on that site is Jarrad Page, at #53.

This is a group that broke an NFL all-time record for inabilty to sack a QB the previous year.

Is it really that they became pretty good last season (Hard to believe that isn't going to be taken as a joke) or is the "stat" of Pressures misleading?

What is a "QB Pressure"?

If a QB makes a sandwhich, and serves it to his LOT with a nice glass of suntea, then throws the ball just as a defender is "close enough" to get his arms up and touch the QB after the throw, is it a "QB Pressure"?

If the QB leaves the pocket to roll-out to the right, when the play is not designed as a roll-out, do they automatically award a "QB Pressure" to the player on the other side, as if he had "pressured" the QB into leaving the pocket?

I am perfectly willing to grant you that coverage and pass rush go hand-in-hand.

But please, don't suggest that our 31st ranked pass rush (NFL Stats: by Team Category) is...

Pretty good

...Just because alot of their failures were "pretty close" to not being failures.

[Ryfo18]

chief31, you are absolutely right. The Chiefs have a significant inability to rush the passer, it's that simple. Everyone seems to want to make excuses for our front 7 though.

[slimdagreat]

The fact is the front 7 and the secondary are to blame. CB is the only position we are absolutely set at on defense, but safety is by far our biggest hole.

Sure there are other positions that may be more important that we have holes at (ILB, DT, OLB) but at least we have other talented players at those positions, our safeties are both horrible.

Not only that, plus aside from Suh and McCoy there are no game changers at DT, and the only real potential starter at ILB is McClain (who's a reach at #5). OLB has a little more depth in this draft but again aside from maybe Kindle (again a reach @ #5) there are no game changers.

The only player that fills a hole on defense, that isn't a reach at #5, and plays our most lacking position, is Eric Berry simple as that.

[Ryfo18]

The fact is the front 7 and the secondary are to blame. CB is the only position we are absolutely set at on defense, but safety is by far our biggest hole.

Sure there are other positions that may be more important that we have holes at (ILB, DT, OLB) but at least we have other talented players at those positions, our safeties are both horrible.

Not only that, plus aside from Suh and McCoy there are no game changers at DT, and the only real potential starter at ILB is McClain (who's a reach at #5). OLB has a little more depth in this draft but again aside from maybe Kindle (again a reach @ #5) there are no game changers.

The only player that fills a hole on defense, that isn't a reach at #5, and plays our most lacking position, is Eric Berry simple as that.

For a defense that has struggled to get pressure on the QB the last 2 years, Safety is far from our MOST lacking position. Did you know we finished in the top 5 in pass D when we had Jared Allen and a pass rush. That's with Page and Wesley as our safeties. Getting to the QB can solve a lot of problems on defense. The safety is our biggest problem argument is getting ridiculous. It's not.

[slimdagreat]

QB Pressures per Profootballfocus.com:

3-4 DEs
#8 Glenn Dorsey
#24 Tyson Jackson

DT/NT
#12 Ron Edwards

3-4 OLB
#2 Tamba Hali
#13 Mike Vrabel

ILB
#6 Derrick Johnson
#43 Corey Mays


In other words, besides getting another ILB ( which most folks agree is a need for KC ), the pass rush is pretty good, however, it can't get there before the ball is released, ie. the coverage is lacking. To support this, the highest ranked KC safety in coverage rankings on that site is Jarrad Page, at #53.

This is an EXTREMELY misleading stat and here are the reasons why.

1. There were only 32 3-4 DEs in the entire league last season, so TJ being ranked 24th out of 32 is pretty awful as far as pressures go.

2. Also because of the lack of overall talent at the position, there were only 12 DEs that played in 3-4 defenses and played at least 75% of their teams snaps, and of those 12, Dorsey ranks 8th (which puts him in the bottom 25%) and TJ is dead last.

3. I'll give you that Edwards was decent, but he was feast or famine. 7 games (almost 1/2 the season) he finished with 0 pressures.

4. Hali was great, this is obvious. Vrable was 13th out of 28. Very average if you ask me and out of ILBs that played 75% of their teams snaps, he was 2nd to last.

5. D Johnson was phenomenal considering he only played about a 1/3 of the snaps as most of the top 10. Per snap he'd be #1 in the league in pressures. Corey Mays ranked 43rd out of 53 players that registered a QB pressure, not exactly setting the world on fire either.

[slimdagreat]

For a defense that has struggled to get pressure on the QB the last 2 years, Safety is far from our MOST lacking position. Did you know we finished in the top 5 in pass D when we had Jared Allen and a pass rush. That's with Page and Wesley as our safeties. Getting to the QB can solve a lot of problems on defense. The safety is our biggest problem argument is getting ridiculous. It's not.

Again, I know there are positions of greater influence that we have holes in, I acknowledged that in my previous.

But FROM A STRICTLY TALENT LEVEL safety is by far our worst position. The talent we have starting at safety wouldn't make 1/2 the NFL practice squads.