It’s time to release the hounds… so to speak. I’ve done an AFC West Mock Draft but today I’m focusing strictly on the Kansas City Chiefs. The following Mock was generated at FanSpeak.com and the Big Board I chose from was called the “Composite” which combines and averages the 13 other Big Boards available on their site. I also used the Team Needs based on the “NFL Mocks” by the writers, players, and ex-GMs at NFL.com. Alright, so here’s how the Mock turned out:
Note: the pick which FanSpeak shows the Chiefs to have at #196, should be #206. Other than that, I believe this is correct… as of March 14 ( the beginning of the new league year, when all trades will become legal).
DE, Taven Bryan, 6-4, 291 – apparently, NFL.com’s Mike Mayock thinks Taven Bryan is first round material. Also, it’s been some time now since analysts were comparing Bryan to a well known defender for the Houston Texans, J.J. Watt. Following the combine, NFL Research compared the two men:
Florida's Taven Bryan has drawn J.J. Watt comparisons. His 2018 Combine supported them. @GatorsFB pic.twitter.com/XMrRyZGEKX
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) March 4, 2018
Mayock goes on the say,
“I think his value to teams is where they’re going to look at him and say, ‘OK, we know he’s a tough kid, and he can defend the run, but can he affect the pass game?’ And I believe he can. So, regardless of your scheme, I think he can affect the pass game, and I think teams are going to look at him as an ascending talent. And I do believe he’s going to go in the first round.”
So, if Taven Bryan is there in the second round at pick #54, I’d sure hope Brett Veach agrees with me… or at least Mayock!
OC, Frank Ragnow, 6-5, 309 – Frank Ragnow is the best rated Center on both DrafTek and CBS Sports. While D-Tek has him ranked as the 32nd best overall prospect, CBS Sports has Ragnow at #54. So, if for some reason Taven Bryan is gone, maybe Ragnow will still be there. Ragnow needs to learn to keep his hands inside the man he’s blocking and while he’s considered an average athlete, he’s also a considered a mauler and a tough guy. Frank Ragnow has been a team leader and since we know the Chiefs love those leader-types, it increases the possibility that we may see him in red and gold next year.
From a whole draft standpoint, I like the idea of picking studs along the defensive and offensive lines with the first two picks.
Quenton Meeks, 6-1, 209 – first of all, Quenton Meeks knows how to defend against the pass. Secondly, he likes to take on blockers and come up to stuff the run. Would Meeks be a day one starter at CB? Probably not but he will get plenty of snaps in a DB rotation and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take over one of the corner spots by year’s end. Yes, he is that good. Once again, Mike Mayock agrees with me: “I think that kid is going to play for a lot of years.” Also, ProFootball Focus pointed out that opposing QB’s like to stay away from throwing to Meeks side of the field,
“Stanford CB Quenton Meeks often blanketed wide receivers in coverage, forcing opposing quarterbacks to throw the ball elsewhere. Meeks ranked No. 1 among returning Pac-12 cornerbacks with at least 40 targets in 2016 in coverage snaps per reception allowed (15.5).”
LB, Darius Leonard, 6-2, 234 – Leonard was a sweet surprise. I’d not studied him before this but he is one of those “quick-twitch” athletes, meaning, their muscles flinch and react quicker than other athletes so they’re usually better able to respond. That describes Leonard perfectly. He can be seen reacting quickly to a play on most every down. NFL.com projects him to the 2nd or 3rd round so if the Chiefs were able to get him in round 4, they should count their lucky stars. I don’t know why Leonard chunked up a bit for the Combine because he was listed at 213 during the season so 234 must be the ILB weight he’d like to show the league scouts and GMs. Darius Leonard is the type of developing player — physically — that I can see one day being a star in the league. Lance Zierlein quotes an AFC Area Scout (and for all we know it could be a Chiefs scout, so I like to pay better attention when they are quoted) as saying,
“He’s a good worker and good learner and I think he has a chance to be a war daddy once he has an NFL training table and strength program behind him.”
Please pay special attention to Darius Leonard’s wingspan (below):
https://twitter.com/SleeperAthletes/status/969655934057439233
TE- Hayden Hurst, 6-4, 250 – I’m sure that every other scout or GM who interviewed Hayden Hurst at NFL Combine asked him the same question, “Are you a baseball player, or a football player?” That’s because Hurst was originally going to be a major league baseball player and was even drafted in the 17th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates (maybe that’s why he gave up the game). However, Hurst is one of my favorite prospects. He’s got good hands and has a nasty streak once he gets the ball. It’s silly, I know, to say he reminds me of Travis Kelce, but watch two places on the following video: 1) at 0:45 seconds, is a reason I think that Andy Reid will love him because he accurately throws a pass on a trick play back to the QB who has lateraled it to him earlier in the play… and it works, and 2) at the 1:15 mark, he catches a pass over the middle, eludes one DB and is hit for the first time by the other DB but it’s not until 15 yards later that the DB is able to bring him down. The play has made me laugh out loud — it’s that good — every single time I watch it. This is one of those plays that Gil Brandt used to talk about… “you can sometimes tell everything you need to tell about a prospect in one play.“
Sometimes there are players you just love to watch… that’s TE Hayden Hurst for me. I’ll be praying on draft day weekend that he comes to the Chiefs.
LB, Shaquem Griffin, 6-1, 227 – Shaquem took the Combine by complete surprise and was the toast of the town. I doubt he’ll be around in the 6th round… but he was there, so I had to take him!
In the 7th round, I took diminutive RB Ito Smith (5-9, 195) and the larger Safety Tre Flower (6-foot-3 1/4, 202). Both could possibly contribute in year one and that’s all you can ask of 7th rounders.
What do you think? Where would you substitute another player? Would you be happy with this draft?
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