David Bell David Perkins Kansas City Chiefs Laddie Morse Michael Travis Rose Ransom Hawthorne

ArrowheadOne Writer’s Mock Draft: First Round Pick

LadnerMorse April 19, 2020 No Comments Gallery
ArrowheadOne Writer’s Mock Draft: First Round Pick – the Kansas City Chiefs have had many excellent first round picks over the years. Pictured above are some of those choices and many of them are now in the NFL Hall of Fame. Clockwise, from the upper right-hand corner:
1989 – Derrick Thomas – NFL HoF – Most sacks in KC history, 126.5 and most sacks in a game in NFL history, 7.0 
1963 – Buck Buchanan – NFL HoF & 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
2006 – Tamba Hali – 20th overall choice, 2nd on Chiefs in sacks all-time
2010 – Eric Berry – 5th overall – NFL All-Decade Team
1978 – Art Still – 2nd overall – Chiefs Hall of Famer
1997 – Tony Gonzalez – 13th overall choice – Hall of Fame
2003 – Larry Johnson – 27th pick – Most KC rush yards in a season
2005 – Derrick Johnson – 15th overall – Chiefs All Time Leading Tackler
1984 – Bill Maas – 5th overall choice – NFL Defensive RoY, 1984
2017 – Patrick Mahomes II – 10th overall
Over the next five days, the writers of ArrowheadOne will give you their own inside views in a mock draft of every round the Kansas City Chiefs will be picking in. Currently, the Chiefs will be selecting in 5 rounds with picks:
    • Round 1: No. 32
    • Round 2: No. 63 (from 49ers, a trade for Dee Ford)
    • Round 3: No. 96
    • Round 4: No. 138
    • Round 5: No. 177
Today, we’ll give you our first round pick and David Bell selects for Round One. Michael Travis Rose will select for Round Two. David Perkins will select for Round Three. Ransom Hawthorne will select for Round Four and I will select for Round Five (Laddie Morse). Enjoy.
With the 32nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft,
the Kansas City Chiefs select: Wisconsin LB
 Zack Baun
6-2, 238 lbs.

David Bell on Zack Baun

Many highly talented players have been removed from consideration for the 32nd pick in the draft. It is fortunate for Kansas City that players who are targeted by Brett Veach and his staff remain available for the Chiefs selection. The Chiefs have crucially important needs for the draft, the first two of which are Linebacker and Cornerback. Looking at the BPA is still going to be tough to mix in and make the selection after all the scouting, film viewing and player interviews. Whoever Brett Veach selects must meet four criteria:

1) that player must be a starter for the 2020 season,

2) they must continue to build and strengthen the championship caliber,

3) they must fit the Chiefs character persona, and

4) that player must be an immediate playmaker.

I think Baun has the speed to roam sideline-to-sideline, is a playmaker in his multifaceted skill set and will be a true 3-down linebacker. The Chiefs finally make a linebacker choice, whose ceiling reaches far beyond merely being a solid player in the NFL. His skills project to the LB role of the 4-3 defense with a high-drive and play-to-play motor which the Chiefs have been seeking since Andy Reid began the Chiefs rebirth in 2013. 

Ransom Hawthorne on Zack Baun

It’s easy to see what people like about Zack Baun. He’s a fluid athlete with adequate speed. Big guy with long arms and large hands, Baun has all the tools to be a quality coverage linebacker. The slight hiccup here, for the Chiefs, is that his college experience came largely as an edge player. This adds to his ability to blitz, but, in an abbreviated offseason, it could delay his path to a starting job. Baun looks like he could be a perfect fit for Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, but, for Chiefs to select him in the first requires significant faith in his ability to learn quickly from Matt House [Chiefs LB Coach]. If the Chiefs do bring him in, they’ll be getting a great locker room guy. 

Michael Travis Rose on Zack Baun

For the most part, I like the pick of Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun. There’s a few reasons. First off, he was a quarterback in high school. That denotes both leadership ability and a firm understanding of football. His athleticism is also without doubt, and as a linebacker who can play edge, Spags can make the most of his abilities and talent much like Big Red has with Mahomes on the other side of the ball. Besides, the Chiefs weakest link last year, in my humble opinion, was the LB corps. My only trepidation about Baun is that, although he was solid in the 2018 season, it was short of spectacular. Spectacular did not happen until the 2019 season, and it was spectacular! However, one spectacular season does not a spectacular season guarantee, but as always, in Veach, Spags, and Big Red, I trust! 

David Perkins on Zack Baun

Zack Baun, 6-foot-2 and 240 lbs. runs the 20-yard split in 2.75, a 40-yard dash in 4.65, a 4.31 short-shuttle, and 7.00 3-cone. He most closely resembles Damien Wilson and is about equally athletic. His only outstanding athletic trait is the 3 cone, but Ben Niemann is his equal, otherwise he is a step faster than Wilson in the 40, but half step faster in the 3 cone. Baun’s vertical indicates a lack of explosiveness. Good football instincts, non-stop motor, a fighter with versatility, which is why he is rated high on draft boards. However, if you’re looking for a sideline to sideline flyer, Baun is not it.

Laddie Morse on Zack Baun

Although we’re not doing trades today, I’ll be more surprised if Brett Veach doesn’t trade pick #32, than if he does. Also, it’s easy for me to see that there may be as many as three cornerbacks that the Chiefs rate as higher on their draft board than Zack Baun. However, if they do select Baun in the first, it should not preclude them taking a CB in a later round (maybe two) because the CB’s in this draft are nearly as deep as the good WRs. Baun offers a solid outside linebacker who can immediately contribute but his versatility means he could move inside to ILB on occasion. Although, I don’t see him staying there permanently. ILB is the greatest of all needs on the Chiefs roster outside of CB and CB depth, as the Chiefs need two CBs in this draft (if Veach hasn’t already signed one in free agency before April 23). Zack Baun has many things working in his favor as he projects to the NFL, not the least of which is his versatility. Him being able to do so many things really fits well into the different schemes that Steve Spagnuolo likes to throw at opposing offenses. Spags having a player he can move around on any down is the heart and soul of his approach. Confusion is the mother of illusion and Spags likes to paint one illusion after another with his defense to confuse the “H” out of the other team’s QB. In that sense, Zack Baun fits his scheme to a T. However, the primary place I see Baun having a challenge is in coverage. He can play the run, he reads plays well and is instinctive, he has very good lateral mobility, he slips blocks and has good play recognition, he can blitz and rush off the edge as well as up the middle but… he may not be a three down LB right away. Which, is exactly what the Chiefs really need. Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network points out that Baun “Does not show the greatest lower body tilt.” However, Crabbs also says of Baun:

    • He’s got a fair bit of burst and twitch
    • He’s reactive and fluid with his hands
    • He’s flashed a nasty cross chop
    • His hand pop is potent
    • Might be captain of the “try hard” team
    • Shows a better tackle radius than you’d expect
    • Ample versatility
    • Super smart

He may not be the most explosive LB but there’s also the chance we’re wrong about that, especially if you’ve watched him play basketball in high school (see above vid: dude’s got some hops). Gee, I wonder if the Chiefs have ever drafted anyone else in the first round who was also good at basketball?

Let us know what you think of Zack Baun as the Chiefs possible first round pick? Don’t miss tomorrow when Michael Travis Rose gives us his 2nd round pick for the Chiefs and other AO writers weigh in on his pick. See you then.

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