When the Kansas City Chiefs are your obsession… err… hobby… alright, alright… passionate preoccupation… when the offseason rolls around — and I’m specifically talking about the infinity between the playoffs and free agency, there often doesn’t seem like there’s much to get excited about. Then, along comes a particular mock draft that you’ve created on one of those mock draft generators — in this case First-pick.com — and you get pretty darn giggly about the way the planets have lined up while you were doing this particular draft. Some of you may be tired of reading mocks already — and you’re about to get tireder-er — but here’s one that meets most of the Chiefs needs — except OLB — and (“Sur-prise, sur-prise, sur-prise!“… think Gomer Pyle) it includes some players at the bottom of the draft who can actually play the game. Here then is, everything but the kitchen sink, and an OLB.
Several people have already expressed their interest in OT Forrest Lamp being the Chiefs first pick in this draft in an attempt to solve their offensive line woes. So, those fans should be happy here.
The codes on the left: R= Round, P=Pick in that round, and O=Overall #.
When a guy like Mike Mayock says of Lamp, “He may be my favorite guy in this draft so far” then you have to wonder if Lamp will even be there by the time pick #27 rolls around. However, Mayock compared Lamp to Cody Whitehair, Nick Martin, and Mitch Morse in that they all played Tackle in college and then bun=mped inside to become some of the league’s best (actually, it was nice to hear Mayock speak in such glowing terms about Morse). Forrest Lamp has short arms but that doesn;t show up on tape and he’s done well against the likes of Alabama. There’s a lot to like about Lamp and I think he’s good enough to be successful at Tackle.
Christain McCaffery would be a fantastic addition to the Chiefs offense. He’s not only versatile and talents as a runner and receiver but he’s got a high football IQ and pedigree to go with it. I’m sure the Denver Broncos would love to have him but Denver is in need of offensive linemen so badly that if they might take three of them in this draft. So, if McCaffery slips to the Chiefs in the second round he’d be a real steal… as in steal the Broncos thunder. Christian McCaffery’s father Ed, played for the Broncos for 9 seasons and he just hammered the Chiefs so many times and he was such a clutch player… you have to think he passed those traits along to his son. Christian would make a great addition to the Chiefs locker room and besides that, he’s incredibly talented.
The 6-foot-1 inch, 203-pound corner, Rasul Douglas had eight interceptions in 2016. Let me repeat that: 8 INTS! His highlight tape is called, “THE INT MACHINE” for a reason. What I like best about his play, is that once the ball goes in the air, he thinks it belongs to him. Walterfootball says of Douglas:
“Sources say that Douglas has good size to him for the NFL, and they see him being a big press-man corner with ball skills. He also has early round potential, but sources say that since Douglas is a 1-year wonder there is some risk to him. Douglas had some highlights and lowlights at the Senior Bowl.”
Rasul Douglas may be too much of a risk taker for John Dorsey’s blood right now. They have one of those kinds of CBsalready in Marcus Peters but Douglas plays an coverage on an island and while his learning curve may be steep to the NFL, he’ll have d=soem great coaches and support from his cornerback core group, including Paters. He looks like he’d be a perfect fit for Bob Sutton’s scheme.
Anyone interested in a QBOTF? I’ve watched a lot of tape on Sefo Liufau and it looks like all he needs is time to develop. The 6-foot-4 inch, 230-pound senior from Colorado has four years of experience, and 41 games, under his belt, and we know that both John Dorsey and Andy Reid like that. Liufau can throw the long ball with accuracy and Colorado called for the long ball regularly. He can also tuck it and run knowing both how to slide and when to dive head first. Liufau owns the Colorado record for passing yards and knows the nuances of the position: pump-faking, looking a safety off, rolling out when he reads pressure, throwing the ball away when it is necessary and pulling the ball in and taking the sack when he has to. His 60-to-35 TD-to-INT ratio may not be appealing to many but he wasn’t throwing to anyone like Lynn Swann during his stay at Colorado. Take a look at his game tape against CSU.
Riley Bullough is a good inside linebacker. I watched him get kicked out of a game for targeting with his helmet on three tackles but that’s not something I’m going to use to keep from drafting a good ILB. At 6-foot-2 inches and 227-pounds, Bullough is probably too small to make it in the NFL. However, NFL.com’s Lance Zeirlien (who projects him as a UDFA) has this to say about him as well:
“Football smart and understands his run fits. Willing to play downhill and get dirty. Gets most out of his natural play speed. Will accelerate into contact to maximize his force. Senses running back’s shifting path and responds. Makes well-timed leaps to take down perimeter runs before they hit the corner. Reads and responds to quarterback’s eyes in space.”
Zeirlien goes on to share about Bullough’s weaknesses but Bullough’s brother Max has played for the Houston Texans for the past three years and Zeirlien says Riley is a better athlete. The only real limitation I think Riley has is his ability to cover well, then again, he had four INTs in 2014-2015. BTW, Riley led the Spartan in tackles.
When the UCLA Bruins could field both Kenny Clark and Eddie Vanderdoes along their defensive line in 2014 it gave them a dynamics one-two punch and it was hard to distinguish one from two. Then is September of 2015 Vanderdoes suffered an ACL injury and had to sit out the rest of the season. This past season Vanderdoes came back but not until the Senior Bowl has he been able to return to his old dynamic form. Eddie Vanderdoes is also a colorful guy and would give the Chiefs a flavor in the locker room they haven’t seen since Jared Allen was in K.C.
I’m not sure about drafting a player from USC right after drafting a guy from UCLA because I grew up in the Southern California area and know about that rivalry. However, Darreus Roger’s hands can’t be passed up because of a rivalry. Rogers doesn;t run perfect routes but his hands can’t be denied. At 6-foot-1 inch and 215-pounds Rogers can go up and fight for most balls and win. He’s a possession-type receiver and could help the offense in 2017.
Justin Senior has good feet. When I watch tape of his play he is tough against the pass rush and that begins with his feet.
Austin Rehkow is a two-position kicker/punter and is good at both. Walterfootball has him ranked as the #1 Punter in this draft and here’s what they have to say about him:
“2/4/17: In 2016Rehkow averaged 41.6 yards per punt and made a long of 60 yards. He also kicked field goals for Idaho and made 26-for-29 with a long of 50 yards.
8/20/16: Rehkow has been a model of consistency over three seasons. He averaged 47.8 yards per punt as a freshman and sophomore. Rehkow had long punts of 73 and 65 yards, respectively, so he has a powerful leg as well. As a junior, Rehkow averaged 45.7 yards per punt with a long of 65 yards.”
