I usually do a KC mock draft later in the season and I usually include free agent signings/departures, but thought I would put one out there now for the fun of it with just the mock draft in this version. I tried to be as realistic as possible IMO regarding the trade scenarios and the players selected in their respective rounds while considering their possible draft value. I also tried to consider the picks from the standpoint of our current front office, and the types of players I think they could target. Personally, I think the fact that our team has suffered soo many key injuries this year has underscored the need for immediate depth...with the idea that those young players eventually challenge for more playing time and starting roles.

I also believe that Pioli very well may not be as enamored with the top quarterback prospects as some of us.

Some of the prospects might not be as flashy as we would like, but I think each of them bring specific value to the team considering our needs and also the idea of BPA.

2012 Kansas City Chiefs Draft

The Kansas City Chiefs trade their 2012 first round pick (#10) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for their 2012 first round pick (#12) and their 2012 third round pick.

The Kansas City Chiefs trade their 2012 first round pick acquired from the Cleveland Browns (#12) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for their 2012 first round pick (#14) and their 2012 third round pick.

Round 1 (from Tampa Bay Buccaneers) : Kawann Short, DT, Purdue (Junior)
Height : 6’-4”
Weight : 310 lbs.

My Take : I think Purdue junior defensive tackle Kawann Short is a very underrated draft eligible 2012 prospect. I see him as a versatile 3-4 nose tackle and end prospect. He has good strength and anchor at the point of attack, but also has good quickness when attacking gaps in both run defense and rushing the passer as evident by his impressive tackles for loss and solid sack totals for an interior defender. Personally, I see him as a B.J. Raji-type of player that would give our defensive line some versatility in handling 1-gap and 2-gap assignments.



Round 2 : Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford (Senior)
Height : 6’-6”
Weight : 245 lbs.

My Take : With Tony Moeaki coming back from injury, this selection might seem like nothing more than a luxury pick. But with the Moeaki’s injury history and the current trend of teams to value the position (see the imact recent draft picks Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Fred Davis have made for their teams), I think Fleener is an underrated tight end prospect. He has excellent hands and moves well for his size which makes him a dangerous weapon over the middle of the field and in the red zone. While he isn’t a top-tier blocker at the position, he does handle in-line blocking responsibilities well and has shown improvement in this area. With the loss of Moeaki, the team was forced to make use of such below average players as Leonard Pope, Anthony Becht, and Jake O’Connell. If Moeaki can return to form prior to his injury we could have two quality tight ends that will give our offense added versatility.



Round 3 : Markus Zusevics (Senior)
Height : 6’-5”
Weight : 305 lbs.

My Take : With Jared Gaither being waived it looks like we will have to look elsewhere for a possible replacement for Barry Richardson. Richardson adds value, and should be re-signed, but I think we certainly need to look at adding a player that could provide competition for Richardson right now at the position and a possible long term solution in the future. I think Zusevics would be a good fit for our zone blocking scheme and seems more well-rounded than Richardson as both a pass blocker and run blocker. I am big believer in using open competition to push incumbents, and Zusevics could do just that for Richardson. Whatever player loses the starting right tackle competition could serve as valuable depth as a swing-tackle.



Round 3 (from Cleveland Browns) : Robert Turbin, RB, Utah State (Junior)
Height : 5’-9”
Weight : 215 lbs.

My Take : A small school prospect that the more I look into, the more I like as not only a replacement for Thomas Jones as a power-inside running presence but also as a change-of-pace back for Jamaal Charles. He has impressive upper body strength and above average vision and surprising balance for his size. He keeps his legs moving after contact and while he doesn’t have blazing speed, can use his strength to get yardage after contact and break into the open field. He is a junior, but after a very strong season, there is talk he could make the jump to the NFL by declaring early. With prospects like Trent Richardson, Chris Polk, Lamar Miller, and David Wilson possibly declaring as well, Turbin could be an excellent value pick in the middle rounds.




Round 3 (from Tampa Bay Buccaneers) : Winston Guy, S, Kentucky (Senior)
Height : 6’-1”
Weight : 216 lbs.

My Take : I think the return of Eric Berry will bring some much needed stability to the back end of our secondary, but the fact remains Romeo Crennel uses three safety subpackages on a regular basis. Jon McGraw has been used a lot as an “in-the-box” type and while he has experience, I think his physical limitations have been exposed last year and this year as well. Guy has been used in the same type of role at Kentucky and has made an impact near the line of scrimmage. He has good read-and-react skills and flows well to the ball in traffic.



Round 4 : Senio Kelemete, OG, Washington (Senior)
Height : 6’-4”
Weight : 300 lbs.

My Take : Originally a defensive tackle when first joining Washington, Kelemete has made surprising progress after making the move to the offensive side of the ball. He has experience at left tackle and left guard and while he has good footwork, his best position is probably inside. He has good athleticism to get to the second level and figures to be able to be used on pulling plays and sweeps. His ability to move and hit targets on the move seems to make him the best fit in a zone blocking scheme. He is developing his strength at the point of attack and has a nasty streak. I envision Kelemete backing up Ryan Lilja for one more year and then hopefully challenging for the starting nod with Hudson hopefully being able to replace Casey Wiegmann at center.



Round 5 : Emmanuel Acho, ILB, Texas (Senior)
Height : 6’-2”
Weight : 245 lbs.

My Take : Acho is a solid middle round inside linebacker prospect. I like his all-around physical skill set and while he might never be exceptional at any one area, I think he could develop into a potentially solid all-around starting caliber inside linebacker. With Brandon Siler being injured and now a free agent this upcoming offseason, we need to seriously consider adding depth behind Jovan Belcher right now. While Belcher hasn’t necessarily been a weak link, I do think he is the type of player that if you have a chance to upgrade you do so. Acho could give us valuable depth right out of the gate, play on special teams, and hopefully show enough to get more playing time as he makes the adjustment to the NFL.



Round 6 : Desmond Marrow, CB, Toledo (Senior)
Height : 6’-2”
Weight : 210 lbs.

My Take : In my opinion, the later rounds are when you look for physically talented players that might be raw at a specific position but could be worth taking a chance on as a developmental prospect and a special teams contributor. Marrow fits the bill in this area. A big cornerback, he might eventually need to make the transition to safety, but I think the team has shown the willingness to take bigger cornerback prospects (Donald Washington and Jalil Brown) and work at developing their technique. I like Marrow’s upside and at the point in the draft, even if he only becomes a solid special teams contributor, that has to be looked at as a win.





Round 7 : Thomas Mayo, WR, California (PA) (Senior)
Height : 6’-2”
Weight : 200 lbs.

My Take : Similar to Marrow at the last pick, Mayo is another small school prospect that could end up making a splash in the 2012 draft. May has been very consistent as a playmaker at the college level and while he doesn’t have elite physical skills, he does have a good understanding of the position and seems to be quite capable of getting open. There always seems to be a player or two like Mayo in every draft that starts to get attention but ends up going about where many expect after a period of “excitement” over a lesser known name. Just like the cornerback position, I like the idea of adding wide receivers in the later rounds of the draft with the idea of finding a playmaker (albeit unlikely) but in reality trying to hit on a special teams diamond in the rough.





Round 7 (from New England Patriots) : B.J. Coleman, QB, Tennessee-Chattanooga (Senior)
Height : 6’-4”
Weight : 220 lbs.

My Take : The common theme from the last two picks is still in force here. Pioli and I seem to be on the same page when it comes to late round developmental quarterbacks. During his tenure in the New England front office, the Patriots often would select a developmental prospect at the position in the later rounds. I firmly believe that Tyler Palko is not the long term answer…as neither do I believe Matt Cassel is as well. Coleman more than likely will not be either, but could provide value as a backup and has enough skill at the position to warrant a later round flyer. He could benefit by a year on the practice squad and if he shows enough at that point, he could be worth bringing up as the #3 emergency quarterback.