ChiefsPlanet - Chiefs Whitlock: Character counts for Chiefs at draft

Character counts for Chiefs at draft
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star

If Scott Pioli conducted an experiment over the first two days of the NFL draft, I hope his theory is correct. Character counts.

From Eric Berry to Dexter McCluster to Javier Arenas to Jon Asamoah to Tony Moeaki, the Chiefs’ general manager appeared to choose good character over team needs.

A day ago, I gushed in this column space about the spotlessness of Berry’s resume. The Tennessee safety and Kansas City first-round pick is a big-time player and a big-time human being. His addition fit a positional need and foreshadowed what we’d see Friday during the second and third rounds of the NFL’s primetime draft.

With the 36th pick, Pioli made a somewhat surprising choice, plucking Ole Miss running back/receiver Dexter McCluster, a tiny scatback who will remind fans of Dante Hall.

Why? There were highly sought linebackers, defensive tackles and offensive tackles still available. The TV talking heads bought the trade-bait hype that new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis couldn’t live without his former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

Why take a running back/third receiver when the Chiefs have Jamaal Charles and a gaping hole at No. 1 receiver?

The pick seemed odd at the time.

With the 51st pick, Pioli grabbed Alabama corner Javier Arenas, the best return man in the draft. A returner over Arenas’ college teammate Terrence “Mount” Cody, a classic 3-4 nose tackle?

It seemed strange.

With the 68th pick, Pioli tabbed an offensive guard, Illinois’ Jon Asamoah. Wow. After the offseason acquisition of Ryan Lilja, guard is one of the strongest positions on Kansas City’s roster.

And finally, after trading for a late third-round pick, Pioli picked an injury-prone tight end from Iowa, Tony Moeaki.

The common thread connecting all the players is high character.

McCluster was on the SEC’s “community service team.” Arenas was selected as Alabama’s 2007 academic excellence award winner and in 2008 won Alabama’s “I like to practice” award. Asamoah was an academic All-American. Moeaki was given the Hayden Fry Award for extra effort and was a member of Iowa’s leadership council for four years. All five Chiefs draft picks were team captains.

This is interesting. As best I can recall, I’ve never seen a team concentrate this much on acquiring solid citizens. Most teams give lip service to character. Every general manager or head coach talks about stressing character when it comes to acquiring players. Very few decision-makers back up their talk with action. Pioli has.

I hope he’s right. It would be a great message.

Talent trumps everything in professional sports. If O.J. Simpson could still average 4 yards per carry, Jerry Jones would hire a dream team of attorneys to file an appeal on Simpson’s behalf.

“The core of your team has to be the right kind of guys,” Pioli told the media at the end of day two.

Pioli said Carl Peterson’s regime left a solid foundation of good citizens. Peterson also left behind Larry Johnson and Dwayne Bowe. But I’m not going to beat Peterson up about those mistakes. Under Dick Vermeil and Herm Edwards, Peterson distanced the organization from the “Bone, Thugs and Marty” era, the Marty Schottenheimer-coached teams that featured Andre Rison, Chester McGlockton, Bam Morris, Tamarick Vanover, Wayne Simmons and Dale Carter.

Pioli is building a foundation of high-character players. Friday night, he seemed to indicate that if the Chiefs were going to add a player of questionable character it would be talented veteran who had learned the error of his ways.

That was the formula in New England. The Patriots took on Corey Dillon and Randy Moss after they’d made messes elsewhere and wanted to prove they could contribute to a winner.

“People change,” Pioli explained.

The approach makes a lot of sense. If you build a roster filled with young people of strong character, they’re less likely to be swayed by an older player with the wrong attitude.

In retrospect, there was no chance of the Chiefs drafting receiver Dez Bryant, my favorite player in this draft. I guess I’ll have to wait six or seven years, and maybe then Pioli will sign Bryant to save KC’s stale receiving corps.