In the 2023 Draft: What Do We Do Now, Daddy?

David Bell

David Ferguson’s article yesterday caused me to cull thoughts from my head and go back to my original premise: Keeping Patrick Mahomes clean is Job One! The conclusion with the LOT position mirrors what I have thought all along. Please read David’s article, here called: “Chiefs Draft 2023: The Ghosts of Super Bowl LV Are Calling“

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Wavering Once Again

The past few weeks I have wavered back and forth between a LOT and an Edge Rusher. Just as I was about to turn my attention to a DE, Ferguson’s article hit me square in the forehead. Deciding that Mahomes makes up for defects elsewhere among the position groups, I returned my thoughts to the draft and worked up mock drafts with the intent of trading up to select Broderick Jones LOT(Georgia). All efforts failed as I tried to play GM and trade up to choose Jones. Even trading up to select Anton Harrison(OU), failed. Others were looking at the position as crucial to their own team’s foundation and outlook. The outlook would appear to be bleak without “Daddy’s” intervention (GM Brett Veach and his crew).

The team cannot do without experience at the LOT position even with Jawaan Taylor now a member of the roster. As David Points out, the Super Bowl LV offense fell apart with both Eric Fisher and Mitch Schwartz unavailable due to injury. The Chiefs did not score a TD. It was embarrassing, especially since they finished the regular season with a 14-2 record.

My attempts at Mock to get either Jones or Harrison, trying to trade up, failed. Others players were apparently looking at the LOT position as crucial to their own team’s foundation and outlook. The outlook would appear to be bleak without “Daddy’s” intervention.

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Broderick Jones (LOT, Georgia)

Jones (#59) Georgiadogs game photo

My initial take on Jones as he was the top LOT to go after. Lance Zierlein’s profile of Broderick Jones:

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“Ultra-athletic tackle prospect with the size, length, and potential to develop into a plus starter on the left side. Jones’ frame and technique are both in the developmental phase. His entry into block fits can be a little disjointed. He needs to improve his punch accuracy and timing to make the most of his length in pass protection. Jones is very talented at working into space and landing a block to help spring the running game. He has the nimble feet to mirror or recover against the rush. Jones isn’t a finished product, but the physical and athletic gifts allow for a projection as a good, long-time starter”. Truly, I feel he is going to be a top 5 OT in the NFL very quickly.

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I have a lot of respect for Lance and my assessment tells me that drafting Jones would be an “Ace” round-one draft pick.

Anton Harrison (LOT, OU)

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Anton Harrison – Game Photo (Soonerswire)

Anton Harrison has fit my profile of OTs for LOT from the start. He has a ton of college experience as a LOT and for me, that is a reason to ignore the fact that he’s 5/8″ shorter than the ideal. Reading the tea leaves, and Ryan Tracy at RGR, who believes Anton Harrison is a good fit with experience at OU on the left side, that would benefit the Chiefs right away.

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For the first time since Andy Reid arrived, the Chiefs could have two players geared to start on the left — unheard of in K.C.. I will point out that Tracy puts the kibosh on Dawand Jones at the same time — as do I. If the Chiefs are to draft an OT, it surely must be a first-round pick — but there is a “but.”

To get Jawaan Taylor to come aboard, the Chiefs had to ante up $20M to get him signed. That’s a hefty chunk of change to then turn around a draft of Broderick Jones or Anton Harrison, isn’t it? Laddie and I were talking about this very thing a few days ago.

The question is: ‘Do the Chiefs believe in Taylor as the starting LOT or not’?

All indications are that they do indeed intend for Jawaan to start on the left side. That Taylor made a video of him working on the first step in Hollywood Florida indicates that the plan is for him to play LOT (0:07).

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That very fact may indicate that the Chiefs will look to the Edge or WR positions as the first-round choice. My problem with choosing a WR is that there are only two true WRs who should have a round-1 rating: Quentin Johnston and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That being the case, unless a top CB or S is up high on the Veach draft board, it seems to me that an Edge Rusher would be the critical blue chip player selected in round one

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Jawaan Taylor – Jaguars Game Photo

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Brett Veach signed Taylor to a fairly big contract earmarked to become the Starting LOT. A recent video of Taylor working out the first step down in Florida shows why Brett Veach believes that Taylor could start the opposite side from his experience as a ROT. If you recall, both Laddie and I examined Lucas Niang working both positions in 2020. Laddie pointed out how smooth Niang looked when he was working the right side, as opposed to the left. After examining the video, I firmly agreed with Laddie’s assessment.

Meanwhile, I have believed that Niang’s decision to sit out 2020 coupled with the injury in 2021, prevented him from fulfilling the promise that I saw in 2020’s workout video. I do know that at present, Lucas Niang is penciled in as the starter on the right side. Beyond that? Darian Kinnard was drafted and I applauded that draft pick as well. I do not know what to make of Prince Tega-Wanogho who does have a lot of experience from his time as a college player. See the video breakdown of Prince Tega-Wanogho here and notice that Deshaun Davis called Tega-Wanogho the “most athletic Offensive Lineman I’ve ever seen.” Enjoy this 2:33 vid clip and you don’t want to miss the end:

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Daniel Harms of RGR broke down the tape on Taylor. Taylor has NCAA experience at LOT with the Jaguars and also played the position collegiately. The segment is called “The Man.” It’s a great session by Harms and worth watching, see it here (14:46):

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Taylor was drafted in 2019 and is only 25 years old. That is the right kind of player for the Chiefs to bring aboard. He can have an extensive, successful career in K.C. as a LOT. From the workout video recently posted, Taylor looks great working the first step with a medicine ball, firing it off to his left and squaring up for blocking (0:48).

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Taylor’s feet and speed are superior to Orlando Brown, so I am frothing at the bit to see him take on the role in camp.

So What Does This Mean, Daddy?

Look: It’s not going to hurt my feelings if the Chiefs wait on Harrison and draft him, letting Broderick Jones slide to another team earlier in the draft. It won’t hurt my feelings if Anton Harrison goes on the same type of path to another team. However, I do think that makes it a pertinent question about who the Chiefs might select in Round 2. If they don’t use a round-one pick for a LOT, it opens the draft up for Laddie’s “push-down stack” of picks (The Bump Method).

I can see Brett Veach maneuvering for Cody Mauch for example, in round two. Since I do not believe that there are more than two viable WRs with a true round-one rating, the edge role becomes more pertinent… or it could be that a DI, CB, S, or even a TE becomes the target to draft and certainly to draft up to make that choice.

The skin in the game is to get a round-one player who is a player you color in with “Blue.” If the Chiefs indeed draft a LOT in round one, it is my view they will trade up to get Broderick Jones, or… they will figure out a way to draft Anton Harrison. Either way, it would be selecting a blue-chip player. It would give the Chiefs depth at LOT at the same time, even if Jawaan Taylor moves to the right side and anchors that role.

That’s what we all hope occurs in 2023’s draft at Union Station, Right?

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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