Chiefs: Mocking the Right Birds or Picking off Pigeons

Chiefs: Mocking the Right Birds or Picking off Pigeons – uncle, you bet I am counting on the Kansas City Chiefs GM, Brett Veach! So this is an effort of “Mocking the Right Birds.” Things need to happen before we get to the draft. Veach, Reid and Co. have processed the results of the NFL version of looking at players via their athletic matrices at the Combine. Now the Pro-Days are taking place, Free Agency arrives on March 13th, and there are enough tasks on the collective organizations plate that it boggles the mind.

Consideration must be given to retention of their own free agents and extending players which increases the outgoing spondulix (English Etymology – slang for money or cash, more specifically a reasonable amount of spending money). Foremost among those considerations relates to the upcoming CBA and how much it will affect spending in the current season as well as obtaining cap space to work with.

1. Chris Jones remains: er, is tagged but, then traded. Much as I want Jones to remain a K.C. Chief, the cost for an interior DL is too much. This is Money not spent:  $15M-$20M and probably gains 2 top level draft picks in the current year. Maybe more than that with a player, tbn. Check your “Johnson” chart and let me know the value of the trading the #1 or #2 DT in the NFL. It has to bring a #1 pick — if not, the player is asking too much money. Do not get me wrong, I want Stone Cold to be in K.C. and he was on my 2016 must pick draft board if you recall. Sensibility must prevail though.
2. Sammy Watkins is released: don’t think we find a trade partner to pick up the tab. Cap gain is $14M, which is added back to the cap. Again, don’t get me wrong. I want Watkins in K.C..
3. The Chiefs also move LDT: trade or release him. Cap value added? $5M. This is the 3rd of 3 that I want to keep but a trade for monies makes more sense. Right there with these two players the Chiefs gain $19M added to the $13.7M cap space as it currently stands, gives the Chiefs about $32M in cap room.
4. Mike Pennel’s contract is extended — the Chiefs value his, up the middle run stopping ability.
5. Retention of Bell or Yelder occurs. Neither are significant but capable of blocking and being an occasional target. Were it I? I keep Bell.
6. Andrew Wylie is retained.
7. Cam Erving is released which adds $3.25M to the cap.
8. Austin Reiter is released: adding $3.425M to the cap.
9. Dustin Colquitt is released: add back $2M in cap space. With the last 3 cuts, the Chiefs cap space is a considerable force of about $39M.
   
10. Steve Spagnuolo gives Veach the snuff on the LB room. Damien Wilson is retained for a bit more than $3M. Ragland is not re-tendered (see draft below). Hitchens, Niemann and O’Daniel round out the group.
11. Cornerbacks are in short supply: with only Charvarius Ward and Rashad Fenton with contracts. Bashaud Breeland and Kendall Fuller are not retendered but I have considered keeping Kendall Fuller. True. I like the idea of Harris for a season or someone like Ron Darby — on a prove it deal — that may be a good possibility.
12. Demarcus Robinson is gone: our case for this mock is that Robinson also becomes a cap casualty note: with a newly garnered +$39M in cap space, Robinson could then be afforded. The Chiefs would then have WR’s: Hill, Hardman, Robinson, Pringle and others such as Kemp, Deiter and Fortson. A signed F/A would be possible as well.
13. The OL is now better off than we think: 2019 was an injury plagued season. To see this properly, the Chiefs had their own musical chairs at OG within a single season, not to mention Eric Fisher’s 8 week absence. Andrew Wylie Improved to gain a starter role in 2018 but faltered, was injured and finally replaced late by Stefan Wisniewski. LDT was injured and out which saw Rankin take over effectively only to be injured and out for the remainder of the season in week 10.
14. Wisniewski becomes the LOG: Wylie moves to Swing. 
15. Martinas Rankin is my targeted starting ROG: obtained on the cheap in 2019, played well enough that LDT wasn’t missed when out with injury. 
16. Nick Allegretti takes over the OC role, ideally.
17. K.C. still drafts an offensive lineman: if this is the case, it might be an OT who is selected who may be the IOL draft pick to be a future type, in round 4, for example. Veach will find the right opportunity and in my mind that player will be, a round 3 pick with a high likelihood of being an immediate contributor or even a starter. Here. I think Matt Connor of AA made a concise observation of OG’s in the Reid era: of Guards and musical chairs. He lists the players as: Jeff Allen (returned in 2018, not retained last year), Mike McGlynn, Ben Grubbs, Zach Fulton (the player Nagy shifted the blocking scheme for in 2017), Bryan Witzmann, Cam Erving, Andrew Wylie and finally Stefan Wisniewski.

The New CBA and Cap?

I see that the pending Salary Cap expansion ($240M in 2021?) with the new CBA is going to affect all decision making in the here and now so I am waiting on what the numbers are going to be… and how will it affect acquiring talent or signing our own Free Agents. It will have an effect. Clark Hunt though, is on the “just right” ownership committee and Veach knows how the money will play out and is able (already) to know how to make the money play.

Having saved money by tag and trade with Chris Jones, the Chiefs may have an ideal circumstance with an extra round 1 pick — the worst, it’s a round 2 which is still a high impact draft pick and probable starter, plus more or an arriving player in the trade. With the trade, and with the cuts made noted above, the Chiefs would have $39M in cap space to work with.

Is LB the greatest early draft need?

It’s true, Brett Veach must address this in one of several ways. First off, the Chiefs have a week room of linebacker choices right now. Note that Deron Lee gave us little, Reggie Ragland is a free agent, as is Damien Wilson: who does have a team friendly option money wise. Anthony Hitchens returns under contract and Dorian O’Daniel at least offers a “speed/cover” option LB.

Charles Goldman wrote about LB options in an a recent article but who knows? Oh heavens, I miss DJ at his peak! I think Veach re-signs Wilson, debates on Ragland and turns to the draft. Rumor is put forth about not bringing Damien Wilson back, but I would do so as long as my top LB pick is a starter.

Veach: A Highly Successful 2020 Draft

My view is the opportunity is great to field another Super Bowl competitive team in 2020 and beyond. In my example it is 3 rounds without consideration of added picks from trading Chris Jones, which, if such a trade does occur, places the Chiefs once again in position to harvest the right fruit and to be competitive in order to “Repeat” in 2021’s Super Bowl.

What follows — dependent upon the list of tasks illuminated above and how they are approached — will determine the course of action. As usual, my take on this is my own and not from some dreamed up expert. In other words, it is my own delusion and comes to evaluation after the fact.

Round One – UW Linebacker – Zach Braun: since the departure of DJ, the Chiefs have been sorely lacking in a fully functional leader and 3-down player in the Linebacker role. If the Chiefs make solid picks in the first three rounds of the draft, they will surely be able to build a roster that can be effective finding as well solid choices for the CB and IOL rooms. .

UW LB Zach Baun (6-2, 238 with a 4.65-40). Baun tested very well at the combine with a good Shuttle at 4.31 and a decent 3-cone time(Ragland a higher 40). I see this as a possible selection for round one of this draft bringing aboard a player who will immediately become a contributor to the LB room. To get Baun in round one is probably getting the 3rd or 4th ranked LB possible. The same would be true for Queen or Murray.

Right now, Baun is flying under the radar for round 1 so I think the pick makes sense. He is a 2019 All-American with 19.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks 76 tackles, 2 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an Int for 2019. Please note, that I have seen OU LB Kenneth Murray drop to the Chiefs at #32. If the Chiefs have two round one picks, Katy? Bar the Door.

Round Two – Utah CB,  Jaylon Johnson: my earmark Cornerback. Others might climb in evaluation, my list is below. I draft Johnson who I believe could be a special player. You can pick your own. Gladney would be my next choice but there are several worthies:

My group of corners for round 2:  Jeff Gladney (TCU), Bryce Hall (VA), AJ Terrell (Clemson), Cameron Dantzler (Miss. St).

Round 3 or later: Julian Blackmon (CB/FS-Utah) or Shyheim Carter (CB/FS-Bama).

Round Three – WR or IOL: an either or, fill In the blank [_____].  Having selected a LB and CB rounds one and two, I am turning the page to the OL. The Chiefs are sound at the bookends with Fisher and Schwartz. Our problem? The IOL. I can see players returning and playing well, especially Rankin. If Wisniewski returns the team is in pretty good shape but still needs an interior addition.

My list:

Tyler Biadasz (UW, OC/OG), Netane Muti( Fresno St), Nick Harris (Washington OG/OC), Solomon Kindley (GA), Ben Bredeson (Michigan OG),  Cesar Ruiz (Michigan, OG/OC). and Lloyd Cushenberry (OG/OC LSU), Shane Lemieux (Oregon OG), Jake Hanson (OG/OC-Oregon), Darryl Williams (OG/OC Ms St), Jon Runyan (OG-MI),  Logan Stenberg (OG). A player for late selection, should the Chiefs draft 2 Interior players.

OR: Swap in a WR instead

At WR there are just too many very good possibilities not to draft one. I can’t see the import of this above ILB and CB but I can see that there are so many viable possibilities that the players are not listed but they will be there.

Knocking off the Pigeons

I think you catch my drift to get to this point and consider the draft. Bring back Wisniewski for LOG. Wylie becomes a Swinger. Rankin take over at ROG and Allegretti at least gives solid depth and both advances in import in 2020: the Chiefs offensive line is improved from in house options without spending money except for perhaps Wisniewski’s contract.

This is three rounds of a five player draft without trading back and that option would give Veach another top 100 player and I am good with this as long as we get two top choices with our two front end picks.

Last observation, vis a vis, Mock Drafts. Using Draft Network, I was never able to get CB Jaylon Johnson due to picking late in round 2. I was able to get Baun in round one or Murray. AJ Terrell was also a 2nd round pick. The OL and WR possibles were both very solid, immediate contributor type picks.

David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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