My Dream Draft

As the 2012 NFL Draft approaches I thought it would be fun to mock my “Dream Scenario” for the Kansas City Chiefs. I will have prospects go in the same range where they are valued, meaning I won’t have a prospect valued as a 2^nd rounder fall to the 4^th just so the Chiefs can take him. With that said I will outline most of the first round so everyone knows who is available.

1.      Colts – Andrew Luck

2.      Redskins – Robert Griffin III

3.      Vikings – Matt Kalil

4.      Browns – Trent Richardson

5.      Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne

6.      Rams – Justin Blackmon

7.      Jaguars – Riley Reiff

8.      Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill

9.      Panthers – Fletcher Cox

10.  Bills – Michael Floyd 

11.  Chiefs – TRADE – The Chiefs trade #11 and #107 (those picks are valued at 1250 and 80 points for a total of 1330) to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 17^th and the 53^rd overall picks (950 + 370 = 1320). The Bengals select David DeCastro.  

12.  Seahawks – Luke Kuechly

13.  Cardinals – Cordy Glenn

14.  Cowboys – Mark Barron

15.  Eagles – Quinton Coples

16.  Jets – Melvin Ingram

17.   Chiefs – TRADE – The Chiefs trade #17 (950) to the Detroit Lions for #23, #85, and #158 (760 + 165 + 28.2 = 953.2). The Lions select Stephon Gilmore. 

18.  Chargers – Jonathan Martin

19.  Bears – Nick Perry

20.  Titans – Whitney Mercilus

21.  Bengals – Dre Kirkpatrick

22.  Brown – Kendall Wright 

23.  Chiefs – Dont’a Hightower ILB Alabama – I mentioned in my initial mock draft that Hightower could be a dark horse candidate at pick 11, but in my dream scenario the Chiefs are able to trade back twice, gathering 4 additional picks, and were still able to come away with the guy they want. Hightower has everything you could want in a 3-4 SILB; size, strength, pass-rushing ability, and athleticism to cover TE’s. He has the leadership qualities that Pioli looks for (team captain at Bama) and experience having played in Nick Saban’s 3-4 defense the past few years. With this pick the Chiefs improve both their run defense and their pass-rush.

44. Amini Silatolu  OG Midwestern St. – With their second pick the Chiefs solidify their offensive line with the addition of Silatolu. The Chiefs were absolutely awful in short yardage situations and could not run at all up the middle. With the improvement of Asamoah, the insertion of Hudson, and now the addition of Silatolu, the Chiefs have the making for a very formidable OL. With Lilja still on the team there is no rush to throw Silatolu into the starting lineup. He can sit and learn for awhile as he adjusts from OT to OG and to the speed of the NFL.

53. Jared Crick DE Nebraska – After Ndamukong Suh left for the NFL Crick was supposed to become that dominant DT in the middle of the Nebraska defense, but a torn pectoral muscle forced him to miss most of last season. Crick is a natural fit as a 5-tech, much better than current DE Glenn Dorsey, and has a lot to offer. Size, strength and relentless hustle make him a strong candidate to replace Dorsey. With the addition of Crick the Chiefs can explore options to trade Dorsey who is a better fit for a 4-3 defense anyway. If nothing comes about the Chiefs have already found their replacement for when his contract runs up.

74. Markelle Martin S Oklahoma St. – The Chiefs desperately need safety depth. With Jon McGraw and Sabby Piscitelli still unsigned (thank goodness) that leaves a lot of playing time left to be filled. Martin has recently battled some injury problems as well, but it shouldn’t be anything to worry about long term. When healthy he is a hard hitter that can stop the run as well as cover the TE’s. The Chiefs play a lot of 3 safety sets and need three playmakers on the field. With Eric Berry back and the addition of Martin they now have that.

85. Josh Chapman NT Alabama – Since transitioning to the 3-4 defensive front the Chiefs have yet to find a long term answer in the middle of their defense. They drafted Jerrell Powe last year, but he was only played 7 snaps last season. Even if Powe has progressed enough to start next season he still needs to be rotated in and out with someone. Enter Chapman who manned the middle for the Bama defense alongside Dont’a Hightower. He is exactly what you look for in a 3-4 NT and if it weren’t for some injuries (played last season on a torn ACL and torn Meniscus) he would go much higher. These injuries might keep him on the Physically Unable to Perform list at the beginning of the season, but he should soon be ready for some quality playing time.

146. Vick Ballard RB Mississippi St. – Even with Charles coming back and the addition of Peyton Hillis the Chiefs need to look to add another back. Ballard has enough size and strength to develop into an every down type of back, but needs a lot of work. Coming into Kansas City he can sit and learn behind Charles and Hillis and refine his game. This is a low risk- high reward type of pick.

158. James Hanna TE Oklahoma – Tony Moeaki is coming off an injury, Kevin Boss is a solid TE, and Jake O’Connell has yet to show anything of worth. James Hanna is a developmental TE that has a ton of athleticism, topping most categories for TE’s at the NFL Combine. He can come in immediately and be a pass-catching threat, but needs to develop his blocking skills to become a regular TE. With the NFL moving to more double TE sets, Hanna’s value goes up.

182. Matt McCants OT UAB – Branden Albert, Eric Winston, David Mims. Those are the only tackles currently on the Chiefs roster. Drafting another OT is an absolute must this draft and not many come with as much potential as Matt McCants. He is extremely athletic and has excellent size to play either tackle position. He won’t be thrust into the lineup and can refine his skills as a reserve OT.

218. Chris Owusu WR Stanford – Concussion issues are the only thing keeping Owusu out of the top half of this draft. He has speed to burn, played in a pro-style offense, and has kick return ability, but multiple concussions have caused his draft stock to plummet. In the 7^th round of the draft the Chiefs are trying to catch lightning in a bottle with hopes the concussions don’t keep Owusu from ever playing in the NFL. Definitely worth that chance this late in the draft.

238. Akiem Hicks DE Regina  - Another DE? Absolutely. First of all Hicks is nowhere close to ready to play in the NFL. He played two years at a JUCO then the last two years at a University in Canada. However he is just oozing with potential. This is purely low risk – HIGH reward and if the Chiefs are willing to sit him and develop him for a couple of years this selection could really pay off.

That concludes my dream mock. The Chiefs are able to trade down and gather more picks, filling various holes throughout the roster. The top half of the Chiefs roster is loaded with talent, but to become a great team, they must have quality depth. That is exactly what I wanted to accomplish in this draft. Select a few players that could contribute immediately to push this team over the edge and also improve the talent level in the bottom half of the roster. This would be just another step into getting to our final goal. What do you think Chiefs Fans?

-J