The world surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason has a “machiavellian” feel to it… in that it seems a bit treacherous. While some of you may recall that I’ve stated before , I like the offseason more than the regular season –sometimes — because of all the wheeling, dealing, dreaming, and scheming. However, there’s something very different about this offseason and it’s not just that the team has traded away it’s starting QB and inserted a QBOTF for the first time in 35 years. No, this is more than that. Every time I sit down to do a mock draft… I’m filled with angst. Normally, I can’t get enough of mocking up the joint. In previous years I would mock in a car, and mock in a bar, I’d mock in a train, and mock on a plane, I’d mock with a fox, and mock in a box… anyway, you get the idea (my apologies to the prodigious Dr. Seuss, RIP). Mocking was my offseason addiction… a happy-giddy one (if that’s possible). But not this year. In any event… let’s get down to a couple of different directions that Chiefs could go with the draft.
That last sentence… I think I may have hit on it. In most normal offseasons, it seems like the Chiefs were heading down a set number of optional roads (A, B, C, or D) but this year the outcome and focus seems clouded by so many determiners: they must wait until pick #54 (a second round pick and consequently there’ll be no first day pick when the time comes)… and who can possibly even know what the team’s needs will be when GM Brett Veach is right in the middle of “eject-and-jettison-job” on the roster… and the men making the offseason “goals” seem as mercurial as ever. First, they’re “building” then they’re not. It seems like Bob Sutton might be gone… then he’s not. The team is on a “youth movement”… then, I’m not so sure.
In any event, let’s get to it. Note: the following two drafts were created at First-pick.com:
This one is called the “Stock It To Me Baby Mock”
- Round 2 Pick 22: Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford (B+)
- Round 3 Pick 14: Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina (A)
- Round 3 Pick 29 (JAX): DeShon Elliott, SS, Texas (A+)
- Round 4 Pick 4 (IND): Frank Ragnow, C/OG, Arkansas (A)
- Round 4 Pick 22: J.C. Jackson, CB, Maryland (A+)
- Round 6 Pick 22: JK Scott, P, Alabama (A+)
Clearly, I made a trade to pick up and extra selection in the 4th round. GMs are making more and more draft-day trades so be ready to see this happen in 2018. The Chiefs need more picks so, moving down may be a part of life this year.
Here, I felt obligated to take a DT with my first pick. As you can tell, First-Pick.com gave me a B+ on that selection but DT Phillips is not without merit. At 6-foot-4, 295, he has a build that’s more like Chris Jones than a NT. In the 26 games he played for Stanford as a Junior and a Senior, he had 144 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, and 14.5 sacks. That’s par excellence for an interior defensive lineman. He’s not a great athlete but he’s very skilled at his position. His hand fighting is above average but when you consider his ability to get free from the O-lineman’s grasp, he gets top grades in that department. He’s not the fastest DL but he’s often double-teamed and is rarely pushed backwards almost always getting penetration. He needs to learn to shed and grab the RB as he’s approaching but he makes so many plays on the ball carrier it’s hard to complain about that.
The rest of this draft is meant to fill a lot of needs and it just so happens that all the other selections were BPA players. I like the idea of taking a TE like Hurst to give QB Patrick Mahomes another target over the middle… someone who can hold on to the ball and knows how to run good routes. Loading the SS position allows the Chiefs to begin to prepare for life without one of their Safeties. Frank Ragnow ranks as the best Center in this draft and I think that once the combine ends his stock will rise. I doubt the CB J.C. Jackson will be there that late but he was a must-have pick and if J.K. Scott is there with the Chiefs last pick in the 6th round, I hope they take him and begin a new 13 year stint with a talented Punter.
This one is called the “Bedrock and Broomsticks Mock”
- Round 2 Pick 22: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (A)
- Round 3 Pick 14: Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech (A+)
- Round 3 Pick 22: Holton Hill, CB, Texas (A)
- Round 4 Pick 22: Dalton Schultz, TE, Stanford (A+)
- Round 6 Pick 22: JK Scott, P, Alabama (A+)
What’s the bedrock of any NFL franchise? Right, the QB. I think Lamar Jackson will be gone near the end of the first round… or he should be. He’s an incredibly talented and athletic QB. However, if by some chance he’s still on the board when the Chiefs are set to pick, I wouldn’t mind seeing them take him. I don’t think this is out of the question either. Reid loves to have multiple QBs who are talented on his teams. For a team that’s been in a barren wasteland for talented QBs that they’ve drafted, it may seem like an indulgence. I like the idea because no one knows for sure if Mahomes will work out… or if he is the kind of QB who can stay healthy. I also like the idea of a QB drafted high who can push Mahomes the way Mahomes pushed Smith.
NT Tim Settle was suggested by an esteemed blogger here at ArrowheadOne so I thought I’d give him a shot. Holton Hill is a talented CB who’s stock will probably rise once the combine is complete too. His play reminds me of a cross between Marcus Peters and a Safety. Here’s a CB who actually loves to tackle plus he has length. If he could be molded in to the CB to play opposite of Peters and Fuller can move inside to play his natural slot CB position, it would be ideal. Dalton Schultz is a talented but little used TE who could end up being the answer to our Demetrius Harris woes. Punter J.K. Scott… see above.
This one is called the “Camelot Mock”
- Round 2 pick 22- LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama
- Round 3 pick 14- TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
- Round 3 pick 22- DL Trenton Thompson, Georgia
- Round 4 pick 22- CB Holton Hill, Texas
- Round 6 pick 22- OG Taylor Hearn, Clemson
This mock draft was created at FanSpeak.com. There are many more options there in terms of rankings and order of selection. That’s probably why I ended up with this utopian Camelot Mock.
Now that Derrick Johnson has been set free to seek another team, the possibility to draft Rashaan Evans would be other worldly. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com says of Evans, “Ascending linebacker talent who has the speed to fly around from sideline to sideline….” Does that remind you of anyone??? I was around when the Chiefs picked DJ and Evans would be a dream to replace him. Zierlein also says that Evans would be ideal in a blitz-happy 3-4 defensive scheme. Man oh man oh man… I guess a guy can dream!
Maybe you can see a pattern forming here because I’d love to see the Chiefs take a top TE in this draft. Dallas Goedert would be great as a Kelce understudy. As far as Defensive linemen go in this draft, Trenton Thompson is a favorite of mine. I think he’s even more aggressive than Chris Jones but with Thompson, one big plus he has in my book is, he never, and I mean never, gives up on a play. If he couldn’t tackle a RB at the los, he’ll continue to chase him down the field five, ten, twenty yards!. If you get the chance to watch this game tape, I’m sure you’ll notice that same great non-stop pursuit. CB Holton Hill from Texas… see above. OG Taylor Hearn from Clemson is a solid late round possibility. You can’t always tell everything you need to know about a prospect from watching one play… however… watch this 0:26 second clip of offensive guard Taylor Hearn picking up a fumble then advancing it for a first down. I love how he lowers his shoulder like a running back to pick up the needed yardage!
The more I work with the possibilities in the 2018 draft, the more I am of the opinion that it’ll be a two-year rebuild. The Chiefs appear to want to dump too many older players who will all need replacing for there to be a speedy transition. What do you think Chiefs fans? Do you have a one-offseason fix in mind. I’d love to hear it.
In fact, if you’re interested in writing for ArrowheadOne and would like to give it a shot, please contact me at laddiemorse@gmail.com
Go Chiefs!
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