Chiefs: Does the Scouting Combine Cause Spasms in Your Brain?

It’s a whopping lollapalooza of an event and it lasts for 4 days, Ending on March 6th.

On Day One, I could not keep up with all the players, different events, and metrics. Day two for me was basically a wash. I was thinking looking at the Tight Ends that participated, “this draft is not a deep draft for TEs.” As far as Quarterbacks are concerned, I merely provided the role of being a witness. The Chiefs do not need a QB. It was a titillating day viewing the WRs. Especially when speed was the thing being measured. Player after player rang the bell on the 4.3 seconds 40-yard dash and the 4.4 type results were numerous. What I was watching for wasn’t speed. I knew it was there. I was interested in the catches of passed balls. I really like to see how the players do in the Gauntlet also. A “smooth” performance is a good indicator of a cool head by the player running the drill. At the end of the day, it became apparent to me that the list of talent at WR was going to be very deep.

A look Backwards — Drafting the “Steals of the draft”

As I was watching the various events, my thoughts drifted away to prior years and drafts. I thought about the situation of the draft when John Dorsey drafted Travis Kelce(Cincinnati).

Kelce was a “steal of the draft” in round 3. his Draft Prospect Grade was 80.0. The reason he fell in the draft was due to his having surgery and being unable to showcase himself in the spring of 2013. That factor scared off many teams. Indeed, Travis Kelce only appeared in a single game in 2013 and recorded no stats.

My thoughts then turned pages and landed squarely on the 2021 Draft Chapter. In a similar way to Kelce’s status in 2013, the Cardio-vascular problem of Trey Smith(UTenn), scared away suitors.

This gave the Chiefs the “steal of the 2021 draft”.

I had Trey Smith as one of my “To Draft” players on my personal board and hoped we could take him in the 3rd round. I feared he would be gone in the 2nd. As it turned out, Brett Veach snatched him in the 6th round. Smith had the same type of opening season that you would expect of a round one or two draft pick. In his second year, we will see Smith Improve as he addresses weaknesses. Trey is very “coachable”.

Another player that fits the scenario was when John Dorsey Drafted Tyreek Hill in the 5th round of the 2016 draft. There were clear reasons that teams avoided selecting Hill — dealing with legal problems including violence. Dorsey took a shot at bringing him aboard and Hill has proved himself to have been a steal as well. Recall that the legal problems carried into the 2017 season. Due to the fear that the legal issues might make Hill unavailable, John Dorsey drafted Mecole Hardman. In the aftermath of all that arose and fell by the wayside, the Chiefs had acquired one of the top Wideouts in the game. It worked out in KC’s favor. Hill’s persona and his work in the charity field have been exemplary.

Those are just three players that I thought about as I watched the events taking place on Day One.

The Tight End’s that I thought had a high upside? The TE that caught my eye was Trey McBride(Colorado State). I think he is the only round one type of talent.

Next up is Jalen Wydermyer(Texas A&M) who showed he had great strength, and I thought Greg Dulcich(UCLA) helped his cause He also showed strength. His performance in the gauntlet was very smooth. There are 3 other TE’s that are ranked higher that Dulcich but nothing that struck my fancy.

Still, my view of the TE Field instructs me that even if a player is on the board, he likely is not the type of talent that will fit him well to Veach’s draft board.

Day Two

Again, I was acting in the role of a “witness”. I do not think the Chiefs will use a draft pick for either a Running Back(RB) or an Offensive Lineman. With their first Five Picks. It’s possible that Veach and Co have such a player on their draft board that cannot be left to other teams. On Day One, I watched the WRs with great interest. I can see a WR being high on Veach’s draft board. It’s possible that a TE could be up on the board as well so my attention to them was more than just cursory. On Day two, It was not my cup of tea. I hope that the Chiefs draft a RB or Offensive lineman on Day 3 but not with the first five picks.

The Chiefs did have a visit with Rachaad White(Arizona St) RB. White is a day 2 type ranked pick, perhaps round 3 even.

Upcoming Player Groups – Day Three DL & LB

I expect to see him fly up the boards with what he does today. I also want to get my eyes on Cam Thomas(San Diego St),

Today is the meat and potatoes of the draft for Kansas City. The Chiefs sorely need a playing partner to line up opposite Chris Jones who is also a pass rush threat. True, in-house players on the roster are part of the picture, such as Derrick Nnadi, or Tershawn Wharton. Last season Veach signed Jarran Reed to add to the interior pass rush but it didn’t work out favorably. Hence, I can see a DT in the draft mix. Near and dear to most Chiefs fans is the Defensive End position. I most heartily agree with most Chiefs fans, observers, analysts, and pundits: The Chiefs sorely need to draft a DE in this draft. The problem to be solved is problematic when your draft selections are so late in the order of draft picks. Day One had us peek at the possible Wideouts that will be on Veach’s draft board. Day three will give us a good glimpse of the Edge Players who fit the Chief’s need. I have my own view of players and I have a player that I very much see as the type of player who has the persona of the Chiefs and who I think might just be a true player with the Terez Paylor Juice. Doing research into the players who will be drafted gives me a list of 6 potential round one selections. I do though, think this draft is at least 10 or 11 players deep who will hit the NFL for their respective teams in their season one. My draft crush is Boye Mafe(Minnesota). I expect to see him fly up the boards with what he does today.

Day three will give us a good glimpse of the Edge Players who fit the Chief’s need. I have my own view of players and I have a player that I very much see as the type of player who has the persona of the Chiefs and who I think might just be a true player with the Terez Paylor Juice. Doing research into the players who will be drafted gives me a list of 6 potential round one selections. I do though, think this draft is at least 10 or 11 players deep who will hit the NFL for their respective teams in their season one. My draft crush is Boye Mafe(Minnesota). I expect to see him fly up the boards with what he does today.

Near and dear to most Chiefs fans is the Defensive End position. I most heartily agree with most Chiefs fans, observers, analysts, and pundits: The Chiefs sorely need to draft a DE in this draft. The problem to be solved is problematic when your draft selections are so late in the order of draft picks. Day One had us peek at the possible Wideouts that will be on Veach’s draft board. Day three will give us a good glimpse of the Edge Players who fit the Chief’s need. I have my own view of players and I have a player that I very much see as the type of player who has the persona of the Chiefs and who I think might just be a true player with the Terez Paylor Juice.

Doing research into the players who will be drafted gives me a list of 6 potential round one selections. I do though, think this draft is at least 10 or 11 players deep who will hit the NFL for their respective teams in their season one. My draft crush is Boye Mafe(Minnesota). I expect to see him fly up the boards with what he does today. I also want to get my eyes on Cam Thomas(San Diego St), David Ojabo(Michigan), Drake Jackson(USC) George Karlaftis(Purdue), and Jermaine Johnson(FSU). I doubt Veach has a shot at TrevonWalker(Georgia). Arnold Ebiketie(PSU) is another player to watch.

Linebackers

Day three also provides a look at Linebackers. This draft doesn’t have highly touted as Round one picks for the position group. But the next tier-down players could fit in Brett Veach’s wheelhouse. As you can see from this table, only Lloyd and Dean are round 1 rated players. If Brett Veach follows through with the idea of finishing the LB Corp after drafting Gay and Bolton, I can see a draft pick coming from among the players listed below as round 2 quality candidates. What I’d like to see is a player who plays outside and can cover RBs or TEs in the passing game or drop into a zone cover 2 for example, effectively. Since my view is to build from the draft and since Anthony Hitchens has departed, the 3rd piece of the puzzle is missing. It could come from Round 2 or 3. In fact, from this list, I personally think it would be great if our Maverick GM is able to get the right player in the draft to break in as Bolton did in 2021. In my outlook, Henry To’o To’o(Alabama) or Brandon Smith(PSU) are Matches. The thing about Smith is his speed(4.3x) and pass defense. He would be a great addition as the “nickel” LB. To’o may not enter the draft. But his value is that he can play the outside but also the Mike. Both are good examples who could be a quick study and a player who fits the “Chiefs Way.”

Day three will be fun to watch and it encompasses the position groups on Defense that I believe are also defense positions of need.

David Bell – ArrowheadOne