Some undeniable truths about the Chiefs @ 23.
 

12 facts that are incontrovertibly true, in my estimation.

1. Andy Reid's offense does not require elite WRs.

2. It does require fast route-runners who can get quick separation.

3. Those types of WRs are all over this draft.

4. The Chiefs are relatively satisfied with their play at CB: Flowers, Smith, and Cooper will be their top three guys in 2014, with Ron Parker up and coming.

5. This draft, like most drafts, is pretty deep at CB.

6. The value at QB, RB, and ILB is pretty weak at 23.

7. Probably will be weak at safety, as well, if Pryor or Clinton-Dix are off the board.

8. It is generally not wise to spend two first rounders at safety in a span of five years.

9. It is very unlikely the Chiefs cut Anthony Fasano. It would only save $1m against the cap.

10. Drafting a TE in the 1st round means that either Fasano ($4.5m in 2014), Kelce (last year's 3rd rounder), or the 1st rounder will become the 3rd TE.

11. The Draft value at OL (both guard and tackle) is very strong in the first couple rounds.

12. The value at DL and OLB is questionable, and will be further clarified after the Combine.

At this point, I would say it is far more likely that the Chiefs bring in OL or DL/OLB than any skill position player.

Some more facts:

1. You can draft an OL and plug them in right away.

2. The Chiefs do not need a rookie OL plugged in right away in 2014.

3. You typically need to give a rookie DL/passrusher a season or two to learn the ropes.

4. The Chiefs will likely pay Justin Houston next offseason.

5. That payment will put the squeeze on Tamba Hali.

6. That squeeze may end up sending him on his way if he can't make his cap number more manageable.

7. A OLB drafted in the first this year would give the Chiefs the best possible understanding of what to do next year at the OLB position.

I have my money, right now, on DL or OLB.

It would be just like the Chiefs to waste another 1st round draft pick so I fully expect it.

What happened to GMs just picking the best player available at that spot in the draft?

It's not like this team isn't in need of depth at nearly every single position.

I'm suspecting that is where we go too. Lots of good OL talent available at that pick and it also depends who drops. The offensive talent is superior to the defensive talent this year, particularly at the WR position.

I don't think we'll go OL with our 1st pick two years in a row. I hope not.

Given this list of 28 players what 5 players are on the board when the chiefs select at #23?

Teddy Bridgewater
Johnny Manziel
Blake Bortles
Derek Carr

Sammy Watkins
Mike Evans
Marqise Lee
Kelvin Benjamin

Jake Matthews
Greg Robinson
Taylor Lewan
Zack Martin
Cyrus Kouandjio

Jadevon Clowney
Kony Ealy
Stephon Tuitt

Louis Nix
Ra'Shede Hageman

Anthony Barr
Khalil Mack
C.J. Mosley

Darqueze Dennard
Justin Gilbert

Ha-Ha Clinton Dix
Calvin Pryor
Deone Bucannon

Eric Ebron
Jace Amaro

I highlighted the players I currently think will last to our pick.

Boom.

Given the attention Zach has been getting I figure he will be gone, plus a couple of guards not on this list;

Not sure if KC stays at 23 when it looks very likely they could drop a few spots and pick up mid round pick or two and still make a good selection in the first.

We need more than 2 players in the top 100 picks, we don't have a second I say they move down and at least a few spots.

With what will be available when the KC is on the board they will be on the phone with a few teams.

Your probably right they just may go DL/OLB but dam seems like a lot of good talent at OL this year.

If Dorsey truly is a strict BPA guy, then the majority of the points in the OP won't matter much.

Who's that? I looked it up and it says Reid Brooks, Freshman.

Someone to keep an eye on in the coming years?

Dee Ford....OLB for Auburn.

That's weird, they show him as #30 on the Auburn site, but the pictures show him wearing #95.

Anyways... I'll check him out.

He may have changed numbers one year. I just searched for a picture and posted it.

Dee Ford changed to #30 last year. But just the same, he was a beast and is completely underrated as far as I can tell. Projecting him to go in the fourth is shameful. If he is there when we pick in the third, we should take him and not look back.

I see us going defense at 1.23

I see probably a WR/TE/OL/CB at 23 depending on who is on the board.

If see ford is there when we pick in the 3rd, you run to the podium

Ford was projected to go in the 4th BEFORE the Senior Bowl. He's protected to go in the 2nd...possibly as high as the 1st.

I could see Ford in the first. Chief's can't have a replay of Hali or Houston being out this year.

Curious, outside of the obvious Barr and Mack, how do you rank your 3-4 OLB prospects? Ford would have to be up there, no? He was fluid as hell in drills at the Senior Bowl and had the best first step in pass rush there.

Actually, I think fords a bit of a tweener. I'm not sure he is very great in space, but he's to small to have his hand in the dirt.

There's just a lot of ways we could go.

Wr is a possibility, but with the depth of the draft, and the way Reid uses the wr position, would it be better to take a Josh Huff in the 4th round?

TE is the same, if the top 3 are gone.

Ol might make sense, it's not very deep. Same as pass rusher.

Frankly, that's why I'm so high on Hageman or DONALD. There isn't any or much dl depth with game changer abilities late like either of those guys.

Will Auburn's Dee Ford be first-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft?

By Charles Davis NFL Media analyst
Published: Feb. 6, 2014 at 12:53 p.m. Updated: Feb. 6, 2014 at 01:51 p.m. 5 Likes | 4 Comments Email Like Print Read Discuss

Davis: Buzz surrounding Auburn pass rusher Ford totally justified

As we move closer to the next big step in the draft process -- the combine (Feb. 19-25) -- I don't think anyone should underestimate what Dee Ford did for his draft stock at the Senior Bowl.

He created plenty of buzz with his performance, and the high praise he has received is justified.

Ford flashed in every aspect of practice during the week. It was clear he was on a different level as I watched him go through agility drills with other defensive linemen -- and when the game started, he did it again (he earned game MVP honors).

He did it all week long, and the former Auburn defensive end wasn't one of those guys who needed the game to rescue him from a tough week. He wasn't a player who had a great week and then just shut it down in the game. He carried all the way through, and it was impressive.

It wasn't a surprise, though.

Ford had been building up to the moment throughout 2013, and it was clear he had the ability he showed in Mobile as he racked up 10.5 sacks during the season. He played well on the biggest stages, including against Missouri in the SEC title game, and he got after Jameis Winston in the national championship game. He's always around the ball and wasn't one of those guys that just feasted on inferior opponents and piled up stats.

What can a strong Senior Bowl performance do for a prospect on the rise? Look no further than last year, when Central Michigan's Eric Fisher went from being penciled in as someone who would go in the second half of the first round to the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. His Senior Bowl performance helped start his ascent. Of course, Ford's circumstances are different. I wouldn't project him as anything less than a second-rounder at this point, but the Senior Bowl is a big-time testing ground and Ford helped himself quite a bit over the course of the week, perhaps enough to put him in the discussion for some teams as a potential late first-rounder.

That is the big question for him: Can he convince teams in the next few months to vault him up to Round 1 on their draft boards? It will depend, in part, on how teams want to play him as clubs determine whether he's a fit for them.

He lined up as a defensive end all week at the Senior Bowl, but I think he will be best utilized as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the pros. At 6-foot-2 and 243 pounds, he's a speedy guy who can rush the passer. His athletic ability, agility and foot skills are outstanding, and when he goes to the combine, I think he's going to test off the charts. I think he's going to blow NFL teams away, and he's going to be one of those defensive linemen that will get pulled to go through additional linebacker drills. Teams will want to see how he fares in those situations, and I think he'll show them he has the skill set to excel at the position.

If a team departs the combine thinking that Ford is worth nabbing in the first round, I will not be surprised.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap200...2014-nfl-draft

Please not ford in the first.

It is most likely they stick to their philosophy and draft the BPA at #23

Curious as to why Ford hasn't been projected higher sooner? Was he not a premier pass rusher all year for Auburn? The last two games I watched the man was unblockable.

Doesn't have the length that teams look for in a DE/OLB.

Ford is definitely an option in the 1st. For my money he's the third best pure passrusher in this draft, and he's a fit in the Hali role.

Amen.

Don't give a shit about anything else. Ford can dominate.

I wonder, Malcolm Jenkins a possibility this off-season? Saints won't be able to bring him back with the salary cap problems that they have.

Freeney minus the patented spin move.

I like Dee Ford but once you win vs. him with initial punch he cant do shit.

This team needs a DE in the worst way and right now all I see is Hageman, Tuitt and Donald.

After that it drops off big time. So, I think DE will be the pick. We all know Reid gets a chubby for fatties.

The value for pass rushers and WR's is enormous in this draft. Draft them in the 3rd, 4th and 5th round.

Also, I believe they will take a CB somewhere. There were looking pretty hard to CB's at the Senior Bowl. Lot of attention to CB's and WR's. Hmmm

I'd honestly be fine with taking a mid rounder WR who is a good route runner and a dependable pass catcher over someone in the 1st.

I think the pick will be corner if dennard or Gilbert is there.

That's honestly not a bad comparison.

If Ford is there at 23, he's probably in my top 3 or 4.

I am not sure how well Donald projects to 3-4 DE.

I'd be willing to find out, though...

I think we could probably skate by with Bailey at DE for a year, and there is some decent DE talent later in the draft -- Taylor Hart of Oregon comes to mind.

My guess is that the Chiefs bring TJax back in. But I'd love for them to take a shot at Hageman or Tuitt in the 1st. Tuitt's looking less and less likely, but he shouldn't be.

:wayne::wayne:

Care to enlighten me as to why Donald is a poor fit for KC/ why Hageman/Tuitt are clearly better fits?

Size. I dunno that he could hold up at de, but he is strong like bull.

I guess it's a bummer we'd have a player to split reps with in Allen Bailey, as well as a DC that utilizes a variable front philosophy, ensuring he's not 2-gapping every single play.

Yeah and I actually think he could play nose and kick Poe outside in nickel sets.

But I think Hageman has higher upside

Because we played so much in our base 3-4 defense last year. I would take Donald in a heartbeat and let him rush next to Poe in our nickel package which we'll probably be playing in 60% of the time.

Hey, you would know better than me.

My general line of thinking is that it's a scheme thing. Obviously the Combine could absolve me of these concerns, but it seems like he lacks the length that Tuitt and Hageman have, which limits how well he'd be able to take on tackles.

Ideally, you want a guy in the 1st round who plays 80%ish of your snaps. Not a Tyson Jackson-esque 45%.

What do you guys think about Ryan Shazier? Any chance to be our #23 pick? He intrigues me, i do not know if he would be a nice fit but with a DC with a creative mind can be a really nice player for any defense.

I think Shazier is a Top 25 player in this draft. In our defense, he'd play the WILB, however, when we already have DJ for (at least) the next two years.

Some have speculated he could play the Kam Chancellor role at SS, but we have an All Pro at that position already.

Shazier can ball, though.

If berry could transition to FS and e as good there as he is at SS, he would make sense

If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a merry Christmas?

Ha. Just re-read this.

Really took a risk by going out on that limb and it paid off!

Well done, sir.

Damn....I ****ing called Ford.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/bb/showp...4&postcount=20

yep