1st Round Pick - QB?

[RockRocks787]

I was watching ESPN this morning and according to one of their analysts, the Chiefs will draft Matt Stafford. I saw on a website that Sam Bradford will be selected by the Chiefs. Is it really another quarterback that we need the most right now?

[Pro_Angler]

any pick other then crabtree at #3 would be a total $&^$&^%$Y%$#%Y#$%^ up by the chiefs!!!!!!!!!

[jmlamerson]

any pick other then crabtree at #3 would be a total $&^$&^%%$#%Y#$%^ up by the chiefs!!!!!!!!!

Good franchises don't pick WRs in the top 5. Perennial losers do.

[tornadospotter]

Good franchises don't pick WRs in the top 5. Perennial losers do.

[jmlamerson]

Since 1993, the following franchises have taken a WR in the top 5:

Browns
Texans
Bengals
Redskins
Lions
Cardinals
Jets
Seahawks

Of those teams, only the Seahawks have made a SB in the past 15 years, and it was a few years after their pick (Joey Galloway) was off the team. The other teams haven't even come close to sniffing a SB.

Some of those picks have been great players (Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson) and some show great promise (Calvin Johnson and Braylon Edwards), but on the whole, WR is a glamour pick in the top 5 that ties up badly needed salary and cap room.

Bad teams are the ones picking in the top-5. Bad teams draft QB, OL, and DL - not WR - if they want to become good teams.

If we draft Crabtree instead of OL or DL, be prepared for him to put up decent to great stats on a number of bad teams.

[balto]

It all comes down to FA

If we do not get our DE and MLB in FA then you can forget about Oline with our first pick and maybe second as well.

If our FA SUCKS then look for something like this:

No matter if we are able to trade down or not our first pick will be the best

DE/MLB on the Board. No question about it.

If we have an good FA then look for something like this:

If we only get our DE in FA then we must do what ever it takes to trade down to around 7-10 to gain an extra 2nd then we would draft the best MLB on the board (Rey Maualuga MLB would be my choice, since it seems he is teh most NFL ready) and use that extra 2nd to get our RT. If we can not trade down then we still take the best LB on the board (this is where we might take Curry over Maualuga just to get the value a little better on our side IF the scouts think Curry grades out better then Maualuga).

If we only get our MLB in FA then we still try and trade down. We woudl be able to trade down even further to gain more picks with thsi option, because I feel all three DE's (Brian Orakpo, Everette Brown, and Michael Johnson) all have thier up and downs of how ready they are for the NFL. I think all three will do about the same on the next level with each needing a few years to start to make an impact. If we can not trade down then a lot of mocks have Orakpo being the top DE, but I think its so close that I would trust our scouts to decide on which of the three grades out the best.

If we are able to get BOTH our DE and MLB in FA then this is what I would do. Trade down to around 15th (probably able to get an extra 2nd and 3rd). Draft Duke Robinson (stud Guard) then Alex Mack C with our earlier 2nd, and use our extra 2nd to get Eben Britton OR Phil Loadholt (phil being my first choice) for our future RT for years to come.

I HATE spending our first 3 picks on the Oline, but if our DE/MLB needs are taken care of in FA then why not?

With our D upgraded a TON with new DE and MLB and a Oline like this, how can we loose HEHEHE.

Albert/Waters/Mack/Robinson/Phil

Both Robinson and Phil come from Oklahoma so it would be an even easier move for them since they have worked together for so many years already. Next year we draft Waters replacement.

I honestly do not think Thigpen is our QOTF, but the QB's are gonna be so much better in next years draft so why not give thiggy a chance to prove himself with a better line and a better D? Worst case is he sucks and we are able to get a stud next year in the draft, best case he ROCKS and we win most our games and Thiggy is our QOTF!!!

I'm not one of those guys who say its a crazy idea to move Albert to Guard and draft the best LT. I honestly think Albert would be better value at guard for us and I think any of the top 3 LT's in this years draft will be better then Albert at LT!!! Drafting a LT woudl upgrade three spots with one pick since you move waters to RG, Albert to LG and have a new LT. BUT

The Chiefs have so many needs that trading down and taking Duke Robinson and gaining more picks would benifit our team the best. With taking a LT with our 3rd pick we would not be gaining that extra 2nd (maybe a 3rd too) so we woudl be out of luck on getting BOTH Alex Mack C and one of the top RT's.

This is why I would do all I could to trade down if we get our DE/MLB in FA and NOT draft one of the stud LT's with our first pick.

Albert/Waters/Mack/Duke/Phil plus an extra 3rd

OR

Oher/Albert/Mack/Waters/MaCintosh or late round RT

I think you will agree option 1 looks way better and we need to do what ever it takes to

A. Sign a DE in FA
B. Sign a MLB in FA
C. Trade down our 3rd pick to get Duke Robinson and extra picks.


EDIT: If you must get a QB then use that extra 3rd you get from trading down and take the best on the board.

[jmlamerson]

It all comes down to FA

If we do not get our DE and MLB in FA then you can forget about Oline with our first pick and maybe second as well.

If our FA SUCKS then look for something like this:

No matter if we are able to trade down or not our first pick will be the best

DE/MLB on the Board. No question about it.

If we have an good FA then look for something like this:

If we only get our DE in FA then we must do what ever it takes to trade down to around 7-10 to gain an extra 2nd then we would draft the best MLB on the board (Rey Maualuga MLB would be my choice, since it seems he is teh most NFL ready) and use that extra 2nd to get our RT. If we can not trade down then we still take the best LB on the board (this is where we might take Curry over Maualuga just to get the value a little better on our side IF the scouts think Curry grades out better then Maualuga).

If we only get our MLB in FA then we still try and trade down. We woudl be able to trade down even further to gain more picks with thsi option, because I feel all three DE's (Brian Orakpo, Everette Brown, and Michael Johnson) all have thier up and downs of how ready they are for the NFL. I think all three will do about the same on the next level with each needing a few years to start to make an impact. If we can not trade down then a lot of mocks have Orakpo being the top DE, but I think its so close that I would trust our scouts to decide on which of the three grades out the best.

If we are able to get BOTH our DE and MLB in FA then this is what I would do. Trade down to around 15th (probably able to get an extra 2nd and 3rd). Draft Duke Robinson (stud Guard) then Alex Mack C with our earlier 2nd, and use our extra 2nd to get Eben Britton OR Phil Loadholt (phil being my first choice) for our future RT for years to come.

I HATE spending our first 3 picks on the Oline, but if our DE/MLB needs are taken care of in FA then why not?

With our D upgraded a TON with new DE and MLB and a Oline like this, how can we loose HEHEHE.

Albert/Waters/Mack/Robinson/Phil

Both Robinson and Phil come from Oklahoma so it would be an even easier move for them since they have worked together for so many years already. Next year we draft Waters replacement.

I honestly do not think Thigpen is our QOTF, but the QB's are gonna be so much better in next years draft so why not give thiggy a chance to prove himself with a better line and a better D? Worst case is he sucks and we are able to get a stud next year in the draft, best case he ROCKS and we win most our games and Thiggy is our QOTF!!!

I'm not one of those guys who say its a crazy idea to move Albert to Guard and draft the best LT. I honestly think Albert would be better value at guard for us and I think any of the top 3 LT's in this years draft will be better then Albert at LT!!! Drafting a LT woudl upgrade three spots with one pick since you move waters to RG, Albert to LG and have a new LT. BUT

The Chiefs have so many needs that trading down and taking Duke Robinson and gaining more picks would benifit our team the best. With taking a LT with our 3rd pick we would not be gaining that extra 2nd (maybe a 3rd too) so we woudl be out of luck on getting BOTH Alex Mack C and one of the top RT's.

This is why I would do all I could to trade down if we get our DE/MLB in FA and NOT draft one of the stud LT's with our first pick.

Albert/Waters/Mack/Duke/Phil plus an extra 3rd

OR

Oher/Albert/Mack/Waters/MaCintosh or late round RT

I think you will agree option 1 looks way better and we need to do what ever it takes to

A. Sign a DE in FA
B. Sign a MLB in FA
C. Trade down our 3rd pick to get Duke Robinson and extra picks.


EDIT: If you must get a QB then use that extra 3rd you get from trading down and take the best on the board.

I'm not disagreeing that the Chiefs should trade down. I just don't think they can. No team will be dumb enough to offer us anything real to move up and pay the big 3rd pick salary - especially because there isn't a sure fire winner at that spot.

I'm on the fence whether to go with Maualuga or Oher/Smith at the 3 spot. Frankly, that's a good problem to have. I think Maualuga will be the best defensive player of this draft and will be the next great MLB. But my sensible side just screams that we need to fix our OL as our first priority - we can't just keep putting this off every year. I wouldn't complain about either pick, truth be told, as long as we leave the first four rounds with two OL starters. BTW, I don't dislike Curry, but I just think Maualuga is better.

I think Orakpo will be an awful pro. He's too small and Texas players have not fared well in the pros these past few years. Michael Johnson is even smaller, and I don't like him much anyways as a player.

I don't want to draft DL. We've sunk way too many picks into that pit over the past three years, to the extent that our LB, QB, and OL positions were held together this year with duct tape (albiet suprisingly adequately). If we don't fix our DL problems in FA, they aren't getting fixed, no matter who we draft. I'm all for sinking most of our FA spare cash into Suggs, Peppers, and Haynesworth on the DL and Dansby as our ROLB. We could then use the draft to solve our lingering, festering offensive problems.

I agree that giving Thigpen the shot in 2009 and drafting a QBOTF in 2010 (if necessary) makes immensely more sense than drafting Bradford and Stafford this year.

I said it before, and I don't care if it sounds crazy, but I think our draft should go, assuming we get some decent FA help on defense:

LT
C
RT
RB
QB
WR
LG

I don't think we can solve our defensive problems (except LB) in this draft. We have seven picks to fill 11-12 starter spots. We need to be big players in FA, or we can chalk up 2009 as well.

[balto]

Agree all of the DE's are gonna take a few years to help us and right now we need a DE that comes in and produces.

I'm glad you agree with me about Rey Maualuga, he is gonna be a stud and has the size and speed to make a impact right now unlike the other DE/MLB's in this draft.

I think your wrong about us trading down. If we plan to take Rey Maualuga with our first pick why not trade down a few spots and gain a 2nd? It would actually be a BAD deal for us to give up the 3rd overall (teams will want Crabtree/one of the stud LT's) for just a later 1st and a 2nd, but who cares if we get the bad deal if we plan on taking Maualuga anyways.

I also amd glad you agree with me on taking care of DE in FA and focusing on the Oline, but you have us taking our RT in the 3rd and we could get a SOOO MUCH better one with a mid 2nd in Phil Loadholt so why not trade down to around 15th and get Duke Robinson and JUST an extra 2nd to grab Loadholt? Ya the NFL would luagh at us for giving up the 3rd overall for a 15th and mid round 2nd, but it would honestly be a better value for us.

Duke/Phil

or

Oher

See what I mean?

[jmlamerson]

Agree all of the DE's are gonna take a few years to help us and right now we need a DE that comes in and produces.

I'm glad you agree with me about Rey Maualuga, he is gonna be a stud and has the size and speed to make a impact right now unlike the other DE/MLB's in this draft.

I think your wrong about us trading down. If we plan to take Rey Maualuga with our first pick why not trade down a few spots and gain a 2nd? It would actually be a BAD deal for us to give up the 3rd overall (teams will want Crabtree/one of the stud LT's) for just a later 1st and a 2nd, but who cares if we get the bad deal if we plan on taking Maualuga anyways.

I also amd glad you agree with me on taking care of DE in FA and focusing on the Oline, but you have us taking our RT in the 3rd and we could get a SOOO MUCH better one with a mid 2nd in Phil Loadholt so why not trade down to around 15th and get Duke Robinson and JUST an extra 2nd to grab Loadholt? Ya the NFL would luagh at us for giving up the 3rd overall for a 15th and mid round 2nd, but it would honestly be a better value for us.

Duke/Phil

or

Oher

See what I mean?

Don't get me wrong - I agree that we should follow your plan of trading down if we can do it. I think trading down, accumulating picks, and filling several of our big holes at LB and OL is by far the best way to go. I just don't think anyone will trade with us and give us a 1st and 2nd to move up 10-12 spots. We're in the final two years of mammoth rookie contracts - by 2011 we'll have a rookie scale. I like Crabtree (although not for us and certainly not in the top 5) and the OTs, but I wouldn't make that trade if I were a GM.

To put it another way, I don't think the difference between Michael Oher and Jason Smith is enough to warrant to trading my 2nd rounder if I'm a GM. I'd rather keep my second and get Percy Harvin than spend it and move up for Crabtree. And that isn't even factoring in cap concerns if you're a GM.

If we can do it, by all means do it. I like your proposed OL plan. I just think that GMs have become wise to the fact that trading draft picks away to move up is usually a bad move.

[yashi]

Once again people are so down on Orakpo. Too small, etc... The guy is unbelievably strong for his size and is really explosive. Orakpo gets to the QB, that's all that matters. He's the exact same size as Terrell Suggs, and people are already calling for Suggs to be wearing the red, white, and gold next year. I actually think Suggs is a good comparison because of their size, explosiveness, and because they're both LB/DE tweeners. You don't have to be 6'7" 290 lbs to be a good DE, just ask Dwight Freeney, Aaron Kampman, Osi Umenyiora, John Abraham, Derrick Burgess, and of course Suggs.

Trading down would be awesome, but like mentioned I don't think it will happen. The only standout in this class that I could see a team trading up for is Crabtree, and the only team I could see trading up for him is Chicago at 14. I can picture one of the top tackles falling there (maybe), but Maualuga and Orakpo will certainly be off the board. Taking the best player available at 14 would likely be a bad thing if that person isn't an LT.

The possibility of a Chiefs offensive line that contains Albert, Waters, Mack, and Robinson/top LT makes me lick my chops... but I see Mack being gone by our 2nd pick. We would likely have to settle for Unger, who would still be an upgrade over Niswanger.

For me, if we don't end up with Suggs or Peppers AND don't trade down, then I would be completely OK with either Orakpo or an LT.

[jmlamerson]

Once again people are so down on Orakpo. Too small, etc... The guy is unbelievably strong for his size and is really explosive. Orakpo gets to the QB, that's all that matters. He's the exact same size as Terrell Suggs, and people are already calling for Suggs to be wearing the red, white, and gold next year. I actually think Suggs is a good comparison because of their size, explosiveness, and because they're both LB/DE tweeners. You don't have to be 6'7" 290 lbs to be a good DE, just ask Dwight Freeney, Aaron Kampman, Osi Umenyiora, John Abraham, Derrick Burgess, and of course Suggs.

Trading down would be awesome, but like mentioned I don't think it will happen. The only standout in this class that I could see a team trading up for is Crabtree, and the only team I could see trading up for him is Chicago at 14. I can picture one of the top tackles falling there (maybe), but Maualuga and Orakpo will certainly be off the board. Taking the best player available at 14 would likely be a bad thing if that person isn't an LT.

The possibility of a Chiefs offensive line that contains Albert, Waters, Mack, and Robinson/top LT makes me lick my chops... but I see Mack being gone by our 2nd pick. We would likely have to settle for Unger, who would still be an upgrade over Niswanger.

For me, if we don't end up with Suggs or Peppers AND don't trade down, then I would be completely OK with either Orakpo or an LT.

I'd probably be a lot more amenable to taking Orakpo if we were picking lower in the draft and he weren't from Texas. The UT bust rate is awfully high in the pros, and we already have an undersized DL. I think we need to get bigger on defense, not smaller. Orakpo may do OK on a bigger DL, but not on the Chiefs. Tell the trth, I admit I'm pretty worried about getting Suggs at the DE position - I'm betting more that he's improved his skill and strength over the last time he tried it.

Right now, this team has so many needs that we need to hit this one right out of the park. The only sure things (IMO) are Maualuga, Curry, Oher, Smith, and Monroe. I'm not kicking up a fuss if we get any of these five, as all are pretty safe picks and all fit a position of need on this team.

I don't mind trading down to the 14 spot with Chi-town, but I'll agree its unlikely. I wouldn't mind getting Robinson there, trading back into the 1st (our 2nd and 4th, maybe) to get Mack, and using the Bears 2nd to getting Loadholt or Britton. Our OL would be set for a decade.

I'm a firm believer that fixing this OL is the first step to fixing this team. A good OL allows our team to move back to a NFL offense. In turn, we can establish a running game and use the clock. This in turn preserves our defense and prevents 4th quarter collapses. It'll save us injuries at QB and RB, and it will allow us to groom a young QB (Thigpen or otherwise). It is, in short, the magic pill. Our decline these past three years equated to the decline in our OL - this is not a coincidence.