I mocked-up the first 22 picks in the draft. You pick the 23rd.
 

1. Houston Texans: QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
2. St. Louis Rams: OT Greg Robinson, Auburn
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: DE Jadaveon Clowney, South Carolina
4. Cleveland Browns: QB Terry Bridgewater, Louisville
5. Oakland Raiders: WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson
6. Atlanta Falcons: DE Khalil Mack, Buffalo
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Blake Bortles, Central Florida
8. Minnesota Vikings: QB Derek Carr, Fresno State
9. Buffalo Bills: WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M
10. Detroit Lions: CB Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State
11. Tennessee Titans: OLB Anthony Barr, UCLA
12. New York Giants: OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
13. St. Louis Rams: WR Odell Beckham, Jr., LSU
14. Chicago Bears: DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: DE Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota
16. Dallas Cowboys: DE Kony Ealy, Missouri
17. Baltimore Ravens: OT Taylor Lewan, Michigan
18. New York Jets: TE Eric Ebron, North Carolina
19. Miami Dolphins: NT Louis Nix III, Notre Dame
20. Arizona Cardinals: S HaHa Clinton-Dix, Alabama
21. Green Bay Packers: S Calvin Pryor, Louisville
22. Philadelphia Eagles: CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
23. Kansas City Chiefs: ???

Poll will take a few minutes.

in b 4 poll

NB4

Depends. Are we signing Peyton Manning?

(No, seriously, what does our free agent situation look like?)

Brandin Cooks, WR, Beavers

Pretty standard, if you're familiar with the Chiefs rumors.

Chiefs will probably bring back TJax or sign his replacement in FA. They're also going to probably let all 3 OL walk (Albert, Asamoah, Schwartz).

Zach Martin is the only possibility on that list. c'mon man.

If those are the options available, I'd love to see us trade down about 3-5 spots with someone looking at one of those WRs or pass rushers. Because I'd be good with so many of those players.

If we have to stand pat, I'd probably go with Cooks.

Whore option

I went with Dee Ford. We need to upgrade the pass rush as well as prepare for Hali's leaving.

Oh yeah and who is this WR Greg Robinson the Rams are taking...

Amaro. Too much mismatch vs the other players on the board.

Honestly though, there aren't many I'd be upset with. I'd be upset with:

QB Zach Mettenberger, LSU
OT/G Zack Martin, Notre Dame
ILB C.J. Mosley, Alabama

BTW, I fully acknowledge that we will pick OL @ 23, and I reserve the right to be ****ing furious about it.

Seriously? **** you. We're bringing back either Schwartz or Asamoah. I refuse to take Zach ****ing Martin. Cooks all the way.

I like Cooks, Matthews, Ford, and Amaro.

But Amaro was my first love so I had to go with him.

I'm sticking with my guns on this one. Marquise Lee is as talented as any receiver in the draft, and has shown it over his whole career.

However, what this poll really shows us is that this is an absolutely perfect draft for us to trade back as far as we can. Because that's 14 players who would be great as our first pick. We could literally trade back into the second round and still pick up a day one starter. That's a hell of a value.

Trade scenarios always interest me. Who, at our spot, would someone be trading up for? Maybe Cleveland wants to trade up from 26 to grab a WR like Cooks? What do you think are possibilities?

I could see SF moving up for a WR.

Other than that, I'd go:

1. Dee Ford
2. Brandin Cooks
3. Marquise Lee
4. Stephon Tuitt

I'm going with Mathews. He is one of the best route runners in the class and he catches everything. What he did at Vanderbilt was incredible. He was their entire offense. Despite teams game planning for him every week, he still led the SEC in receiving (112 receptions / 1,477 yards). Those numbers are better than Evans, Beckham Jr., Landry and Moncrief. If Beckham is gone he is the guy I want.

I like Cooks after Mathews. Cooks just isn't very strong. Check out DraftBreakdown.com and watch the Oregon game. He struggles if he is bumped at the line. He is a terrible run blocker. Most importantly he gets the ball knocked out of his hands way to much. He catches the ball with his hands but this happens in every game. He seems very weak to me. NFL corners are going to swat the ball as it's caught at least half the time. I still like him but I think he will be a slot receiver.

I like Lee but am sick of the drops. We've been living with far to many drops for about 10 years now. We need someone who can catch.

I can't see the Chiefs drafting a tight end in the first round. The league currently has 13 tight ends that you could consider play makers. They aren't easy to find at all. I don't see any of these guys being a playmaker at the next level. Also, Reid has never really valued TEs. It's his offense and I don't think he is going to cater to Alex Smith. All three TEs we have now are in the mold of what he had in Philadelphia over the years. Same goes for Dorsey. I don't see him placing a big value on TEs either. Green Bay hasn't had a really good one since Chumura and that was long before Dorsey was there.

You knew he was going to leave Dee Ford still there to be picked. ROFL

I think Lee and Ford will be gone before we pick. I see the jets taking a wr before a te.
I like Mathews because I would rather take a potential #1 over a slot guy which is how I see Cooks. Cooks could become another Cruz I just think Mathews is more of a sure thing. I could see Mathews contributing faster than a lot of the wr's coming out this year. We need someday ready from day 1 more so than going on potential.

Cooks all day

I went with ILB Moseley. Really want Beckham but that's not looking good. Realistically we'll probably take an OL.

Robinson

If Dee Ford is sitting there I don't think 2x unless somebody offers next years 1st rounder to move back into 2nd. I do not think he'll be there though.

Honestly, aside from a slide from a pass rusher like Ford, I'm pretty sure I take the best trade back offer and get another pick or two. So many guys around the same level, let's try to get a couple of em.

ILBer CJ Mosley or WR Marquise Lee

I like Cooks over Lee but both would start day 1. But as far as trading back I disagree......who else on that list you see starting day 1? 14?? :hmmm: because I only see those 2 players as guaranteed day 1 starters actually

Remember when we had people pounding the table for David DeCastro?

****!

Cooks or Lee would be fantastic.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

Guy has hands and a lower body like Gonzo with a big enough frame to grow in to a solid blocker with time. Catches the ball with his hands and moves faster than his frame would suggest.

Right now he's polished at nothing. He'd be another raw pick based on talent.

But I like his talent...

Has it been mentioned that he is the freaking cousin of Jerry Rice?

Jordan Matthews, WR
School: Vanderbilt | Conference: SEC
College Experience: Senior | Hometown: Madison, AL
Height/Weight: 6-3 / 212 lbs.

Strengths Weaknesses

STRENGTHS: Chiseled frame that was more impressive than higher-profile names also at the Senior Bowl. Size/speed combination along with his hand/eye coordination and body control makes him an attractive prospect, showing the ability to make plays at all levels of the field and do damage after the catch.

Balanced route-runner with a sizeable catching radius. Size allowed him to be moved inside and out in Vandy's offense, allowing the team to find him favorable matchups. Detailed and reliable route-runner. Very good hand-eye coordination to haul in tough passes, including one-handed catches.


WEAKNESSES: Good, but not great build-up speed and may lack an elite second gear to gain separation. Lean-muscled and needs to do more in contested situations.


Compares To: Earl Bennett, Bears ? Matthews joins Bennett as potentially the best receivers Vanderbilt has produced to the NFL in years. Matthews is two inches taller than Bennett, but share a similar concern about whether he lacks the straight-line speed to consistently beat NFL cornerbacks.

Player OverviewA very productive target, the cousin of legendary Jerry Rice is an impressive prospect because of his athleticism, catching radius and determination with the ball in his hands. With a combined 201 receptions the past two seasons, Matthews became the first Commodores wide receiver to earn first team All-SEC honors from the coaches in consecutive seasons and in the process emerged as the clear-cut top senior wide receiver in this draft class.

He was invited to the Senior Bowl, where he sported a good frame with long arms (32 5/8 inches) and big hands, but he dropped a handful of passes throughout the week of practice and failed to consistently gain separation from cornerbacks.

SOLD!!

So when do you advocate signing Nate Montana?

Is now too soon? :D

If Lee falls to us we're taking him

If Mosley fell to us, I think Dorsey would take him in a heartbeat. I believe him when he says he's taking the BPA.

I'd be desperately trying to trade down...even if it meant dropping into the second round.

My dream scenario if the board falls like this is to move down 8-10 slots while adding a 2 and a few mid to late rounders this year.

Because of the talent pool in this class, that would be an amazing haul.

I went with Tuitt, but I almost picked Jordan. I figured we're more likely to find a decent WR later in the draft than a decent DE. If ILB was a bigger need and if Alabama players didn't scare me, I might have gone for Mosley.

Dream is right. The 23rd overall is not worth a 2cd and a FEW other picks.

That depends on what rounds those other picks come from.

A second to go along with a 5th and 6th would be a big time haul.

Those 4th-7th round picks this year all carry over a full round premium due to the depth of the class.

There are almost 200 players with a 3rd round or higher grade in this class.

Some big fat guard.

Cooks or Jimmie Ward.. but since only one is an option here..

Jace Amaro, too many game changing abilities to pass up on.

Dee Ford or Stephon Tuitt.

If we can't move down, I'm taking Amaro with Lee and Cooks tied for a very close second.

Trade down for an early 2nd, pick up Moncrief. Switch 3rd round picks and gain a 5th rounder.

If we're able to maintain the OL, then pick up Mathews with that early 3rd. If not OL...Joel Bitonio?? Jack Mewhort??

I'd go with TE Jace Amaro, Texas Tech. A good TE in this offense would provide immediate positive results. I think you would see the results quicker going with TE than WR. The guy I want is Ebron from NC, but no way he'll be there when the Chiefs pick. He reminds me of a young Tony Gates - virtually uncoverable.

I understand the thought, but I'm not sure we need a TE..we got one last season, he's just been hurt.

We got another Fasano last year. Kelce is primarily a blocking TE. He's not a dynamic pass catcher at all...

Dee Ford or stephon tuitt. The moment the pass rush disappeared was the moment this team fell apart.
We can get a quality WR in rd 3

This is so incredibly wrong.

Prove it.

Actually, you made the original statement. The onus is on you to substantiate your statement, as the de facto position is incredulity.

You have no authoritarian, infallible credentials where what you say is Gospel unless empirically proven otherwise by detractors.

In other words...

YOU prove it.

Here let me help you, since I watched him play quite a few times his senior year. Here's what you'll generally find in his scouting reports:

"primarily a blocker, dominates at run blocking"
"ideal size and catch radius but unproven because he only really produced one season"
"not a superb or explosive athlete"

Can he be a good TE? Sure. Is it a high probability? Nope. Better chance he's a 20-catch a year journeyman that ends up being primarily a blocking TE.

Just did, chief.

Travis Kelce is the classic case of "whoa, never heard of him but the Chiefs drafted him so he's gonna be good".

Chiefs are letting their 2 best linemen go. Think how absurd that is. This team is drafting Martin folks.

Kelce had micro fracture surgery on his knee.

Regardless of his perceived upside if he recovers, it would be somewhat irresponsible for the team to go into next season without a difference maker at such a crucial position.

Having a guy like Amaro running routes and taking attention away from Jamaal and Bowe would really help this offense and even more so if Kelce does return healthy...that would give us the ability to cut Fasano the following year.

Jace Amaro is gonna be a star in this league.

Because he's a WR in a TE's body. Something Kelce will never be.

Kelce had microfracture? Yeah he's done find another tight end.

Done? Nah, I don't think so.

But can we absolutely count on him to lock down the position? No. IMO, we couldn't do that BEFORE he got hurt.

I disagree on Kelces receiving skills.

I think he has a big time upside after watching him in camp ...and I was not a fan of the pick. The guy has a chance to be a damn good tight end if he can overcome this injury both physically and mentally. I don't think he can be Gronkowski good, but I think he could be a guy that's better than guys like Heath Miller (who is pretty good in his own right)

The guy showed the ability to beat coverage on DJ (one of the best coverage backers in the game) quite a bit while I was there and caught everything thrown to him, including some really nice catches. I think his drops in preseason were nothing but jitters.

My concern with him is his trust in his knee that it will hold up to all the shots it's gonna take. Micro fractures play a mental game with the people that get them because players know how problematic they can be if they don't heal perfectly.

This offense with a healthy and confident Kelce going along with a guy like Amaro would be extremely hard to stop. The safeties would need to stay in coverage and under those circumstances, Jamaal Charles could average close to 7 YPC if the line can open some holes.

Oh, and Bowe would rape.

Right on. It was the principle of the thing.

You got that right - he looked like he was "fighting" to catch anything last preseason. He might have been thinking too much, but still... If anyone on the planet watches Amaro run routes, they will easily see his ability to run circles around Kelce as a pass-catching TE. Absolutely no question about that. Not dogging Kelce, Amaro will make most TE's look that way. He's a WR playing TE. You can see that.

Well depends on what you are talking about here really.
If we simply trade back and stay in the first then those picks will all be at the end of their respective rounds.
Or trade back to the top part of the 2cd and then get those picks at the top of the rounds.
I don't know if I want to trade back 10+ places. It will all depend on who is available and how it all works out.

I've done it so many times, I sometimes just assume everybody has read it. My bad totally.

He's not done, but I bet anything they take it really slow with him.

Especially with the way the game is played across the middle in today's NFL...defenders are coached to go for the knees and if a helmet hits that thing at the wrong angle with enough pressure, that thing could shatter.

They need to make absolutely sure that its fully healed or else one hit could end his career.

I bet he starts out on pup even though his injury happened early in ps.

I don't see it but you saw him and camp and I didn't. I'm going only off of the games I saw him play in college.

Some guys adjust better to the pro game, that is for certain.

There are more than 10 players on that list that I'd be happy with at 23, that means we can move down AT LEAST 10 spots and still get a difference maker...there are 50 players in this class that currently carry first round grades, adding another second (even if its towards the end of the round) would be like adding another first round pick. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

absolutely. Some guys were used a specific way in college and once they get to the NFL, are better used to exploit their strengths and gifts. I was very excited to see him in this offense.

It was weird because I didn't see him drop a pass in camp, but he dropped everything in ps. That's what makes me think it was just jitters. The talent is there to be a big target with enough speed to get open. He needed some work on not rounding off his breaks, but the guy was sealing the edge like a vet and caught everything.

I think he can be a 60 catch, 700 yards and 7-10 tds per year guy if he can overcome the injury.

Kelce might have upside as a receiver, but the truth is we have absolutely NO reason to think that we can rely on him as a starting tight end. Maybe we can, maybe we can't.

A lot of us are on the same page, though, right? We'd prefer to trade back, pick up a second rounder, and hedge our bets with two picks in the top 50, right?

I'd rather have Jordan Mathews and Seferian-Jenkins than just Beckham or Amaro.

No question...but Matthews is gonna go a lot sooner than most think.

That guy is gonna be a ****ing stud if he goes into the right situation.

Yeah, he's not a polished route runner. SUPER raw in that department - in fact, you'll probably see your exact statement (rounding off his breaks) in his scouting reports.

See, I see him more in the 35-40 catch range and 4-5 TDs. Dependable, not dynamic.

Um yeah. That would be awesome.

Amaro, and it's not even close for me.

This.

Look at the OP. That's 14 guys who could all be all sitting on the board. Not one of them, but all of them. If we traded ten spots down, we'd STILL have a tough decision to make.

The problem is that the depth of this draft might prevent other teams from feeling a pressure to move up, though.

God-willing, a QB falls to us or someone falls in love with one player.

Regardless, there is going to be a damn good player that finds his way to #23.

Kelce ran a 4.64 and has a good catch radius. Reid is obviously going to use this guy at receiver sometimes. His senior year he proved he could be a good receiver. He's a vertical threat. Hell it's no coincidence that they compared him to Gronk.

I wouldn't use a first on a TE unless Kelce's knee is ****ed. We're fairly deep and have a good young capable guy.
I think the D is FAR more pressing, as in a mother****ing pass rusher

There's more to playing football than running fast. Especially at TE.

Furthermore, we need somebody that can be used as a receiver ALL THE TIME. Kelce isn't a guy that's going to dictate a defensive game plan. In today's NFL, you need guys like that.

And being called a "poor man's Gronk" isn't really all that flattering if you actually think about it.

Aren't you tired of our players being a "poor man's" version of some other teams stars?

We aren't deep at all. Fasano is utterly broken, McGrath is a nice story and that's about it, and that good, young capable guy has yet to see the field and has suffered a very, very serious injury.

And yes, this team needs defensive help. If a good pass rushing prospect is there, take him.

But don't just draft some guy because it's potentially a bigger need than TE. That's how you end up with guys like Sylvester Morris and Junior Siavi.

I sure would, if Kelce flops again, and that's distinctly possible with micro fractures... we're stuck with Fasano, McGrath and maybe some retread vet.

As much as Smith likes to utilize TE's, its a must to make sure that position is dynamic IMO.

Idk if I would call Fasano broken. He only missed 4 games in his 7 years before this year.

I would rather see us finally get a real DE, a valuable pass rusher or elite WR and draft a TE later in the draft. This team needs an influx of d talent bad