Chiefs could be movers with 10 picks in upcoming draft – Yahoo Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The most revealing thing Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said during a 20-minute media session in which he endeavored to say as little as possible was this: He thinks there are about 12 ”impact players” in this year’s draft.
Kansas City has the No. 18 pick in the first round.
So when you do the math, and consider the Chiefs have 10 selections thanks to an abundance of compensatory picks, there’s a good chance Dorsey will pick up his phone Thursday night and try to make a deal – especially if it means ensuring he gets one of those prized players.
”You try to keep all your options open,” Dorsey said. ”The hard part is when you move up, are you making the right move up? Or if you move back? Those are the things you sit and think about on a daily basis. When is the time to strategically take the player, move back or move up?”
A lot of that depends on what other teams consider to be impact players.
Perhaps the dozen that the Chargers, choosing a slot ahead of Kansas City, or the Browns, who pick one spot later, are different than the 12 players that Dorsey picks out.
In other words, will it even be necessary to trade away a later-round pick to move up a couple of spots, or will the player that Dorsey and coach Andy Reid covet still be on the board at No. 18?
”I can tell you John has a good grasp on it,” Reid said. ”He has good people working around him. John is relentless, and he’s going to grind, grind, grind. I’ll put anybody up against him in that area. He’ll make sure every stone is turned.”
Dorsey likes to spout the old cliche of taking ”the best player available,” and he’s mostly stayed true to that his first two drafts. But if need factors into the equation, look for Kansas City to target an offensive lineman, wide receiver, linebacker or defensive back early on.
”I don’t think you have to base your grade solely on need. I don’t think you can do that,” Dorsey said. ”What you do is you evaluate the person, how he plays the game of football, and how best he can help this organization.”
Still, here are five positions where the Chiefs could use some help, and some of the players that they might target in the early rounds of the draft:
OFFENSIVE LINE: After losing center Rodney Hudson to Oakland in free agency, untested Eric Kush is poised to become the starter. The Chiefs are also thin at offensive tackle.
Florida State’s Cameron Erving is considered the best center prospect, and he could slip to Kansas City at No. 18. Otherwise, Dorsey and Reid have track records of taking offensive linemen later in the draft. Remember, they have extra picks in the fifth and sixth rounds.
WIDE RECEIVER: The Chiefs signed Jeremy Maclin to a $55 million, five-year deal, but then cut ties with Dwayne Bowe. In other words, they still need help at wide receiver, where veteran Jason Avant and up-and-coming speedster Albert Wilson account for most of the depth.
Many mock drafts have the Chiefs selecting Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong in the first round, but this is a deep draft at wide receiver. Tyler Lockett of Kansas State, former Missouri standout Dorial Green-Beckham and Central Arkansas star Dezmin Lewis could be there in Round 2.
DEFENSIVE BACK: Whether it’s safety or cornerback, the Chiefs need some depth with Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry still undergoing treatment for lymphoma and cornerback Sean Smith waiting for the league to hand out a potential suspension following his DUI arrest.
If the Chiefs grab Strong, why not select his Sun Devils teammate Damarious Randall, who is versatile enough to play safety or cornerback? Senquez Golson of Ole Miss would also fit.
LINEBACKER: Outside linebacker Justin Houston is in a contract dispute and inside linebacker Derrick Johnson is coming back from a torn Achilles tendon. Depth at one of those positions would be helpful. UCLA’s Eric Kendricks would be hard to pass up in the second round.
DEFENSIVE LINE: The Chiefs exercised their fifth-year option on defensive tackle Dontari Poe last week, but getting him some help – and some rest – will be a priority this year. Grady Jarrett of Clemson or Xavier Cooper of Washington State might fit in the third or fourth round.
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- John Dorsey
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