Teicher: Picking through the picks
 

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/11480442.htm

Picking through the picks

After acquiring players in draft, trades and free-agency, Chiefs must come together as team

By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star


The flurry of player acquisitions finally ended for the Chiefs Sunday when they made seven picks in the final four rounds of the draft.

Now comes a potentially bigger task: Sorting through the pile of bodies and determining exactly what they have.

The Chiefs begin the process of fitting the pieces together this weekend when they hold a rookie camp at their Truman Sports Complex practice facility. It continues in the middle of May when they open a series of offseason practices and then in June with a three-day full-squad minicamp.

The process may not be seamless, but coach Dick Vermeil wasn't concerned.

“I don't think it will take long,” Vermeil said. “Obviously, (cornerback Patrick Surtain) won't take long. He will fit right in. He's been playing press coverages and all the other variations of coverages we've been playing all along. He's the kind of guy you won't change many of his techniques. He'll just fit how he plays into our scheme.

“(Safety Sammy Knight) already knows our defense. He's into the books and studying how he does it. He's ahead of schedule.”

The Chiefs still have to figure out exactly how they will use two of the offseason's most important acquisitions, linebackers Kendrell Bell and Derrick Johnson. Bell, a free agent from the Steelers, is tentatively scheduled to play in the middle while Johnson, the first-round draft pick, could battle with Scott Fujita, if he's healthy, for one outside spot.

Shawn Barber, if he's healthy, will start at the other outside spot. If he's not ready, Kawika Mitchell and Keyaron Fox are the leading candidates.

The injuries to Fujita, Barber and Maslowski are clouding the issue.

“I'm looking down the road and expecting them to be healthy,” Vermeil said. “I think Maslowski is the furthest away because he's been out (a year and a half). Maz has the biggest jump to make.”

The Chiefs added seven rookies Sunday to Saturday's draft haul of Johnson and third-round punter Dustin Colquitt. None of Sunday's picks have a good shot of doing anything more than contributing on special teams as rookies.

The Chiefs started their day by adding to their depth at wide receiver by picking Florida State's Craphonso Thorpe in the fourth round. The speedy Thorpe had a big junior season before breaking his right leg late in the season.

He returned to play for the Seminoles last year, but his numbers were down in receptions (51 to 40), yards (994 to 496) and touchdowns (11 to two).

Before the day was over, the Chiefs added a developmental quarterback in Tulsa's James Kilian (seventh round), two offensive-line prospects in Stanford's Will Svitek (sixth) and Southern Mississippi's Jeremy Parquet (seventh) and three defenders in Illinois State linebacker James Grigsby (fifth), Miami of Ohio cornerback Alphonso Hodge (fifth) and Baylor defensive end Khari Long (sixth).

Other than some undrafted rookies the Chiefs will sign this week, their roster today may look similar to the one they bring to River Falls, Wis., for the start of training camp in three months.

“We all feel pretty comfortable about the tentative roster we have right now,” said president/general manager Carl Peterson, who indicated the activity of the last few days had gobbled up much of what remained in the Chiefs' salary cap. “We made a sincere effort to address our needs.”

The Chiefs plan to see how things settle and then may continue their shopping after June 1, particularly if they're concerned the injured linebackers aren't recovering at a satisfying pace.

The Chiefs may do some roster trimming in June when the unamortized portion of bonuses can be stretched into next year for salary-cap purposes. The strongest candidate for June release is wide receiver Johnnie Morton unless he agrees to a reduction in his scheduled base salary of $3 million.

“Right now, we're planning on him being back,” Vermeil said recently.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/11480917.htm

CHIEFS' SNAPSHOTS

SUNDAY'S SELECTIONS

Craphonso Thorpe

• Position: WR • Round: 4

• Height/weight: 6-0, 187

• College: Florida State

• Fast fact: Suffered a gruesome leg break near end of junior season. Says he's back to full speed.

• Career: Finished with 123 catches for 2,153 yards, and his receiving yards rank seventh on the Seminoles' all-time list.

• Scouting report: With a graying Chiefs receiving corps, Thorpe might get an early look.

• Whom this affects: Chris Horn and Marc Boerigter are getting some competition.


James “Boomer” Grigsby

• Position: LB • Round: 5

• Height/weight: 5-11, 249

• College: Illinois State

• Fast fact: Boomer has become the hometown hero of Canton, Ill. He excelled in gymnastics, winning trampoline championships.

• Career: Recorded 580 tackles, breaking the Gateway Conference record.

• Scouting report: With injuries leaving at least three Chiefs linebackers questionable, anything is possible.

• Whom this affects: Could beat out Rich Scanlon at the bottom of the depth chart.


Alphonso Hodge

• Position: CB • Round: 5

• Height/weight: 5-10, 203

• College: Miami (Ohio)

• Fast fact: Played with Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in college.

• Career: Fastest player in the Mid-American Conference, clocking a 4.36-second 40-yard dash.

• Scouting report: Hodge joins Patrick Surtain on the list of new cornerbacks. Hodge will try to add depth.

• Whom this affects: If Hodge progresses quickly, Julian Battle may be looking over his shoulder.


Will Svitek

• Position: OT • Round: 6

• Height/weight: 6-6, 300

• College: Stanford

• Fast fact: The Czechoslovakian played defensive end for the Cardinal, but scouts were convinced he belonged on the offensive line.

• Career: Played tight end and defensive end in 2002, including two games in which he played both ways.

• Scouting report: Dick Vermeil calls Svitek a definite project, but he also calls him “a man.”

• Whom this affects: With the big transition, Svitek's best hope is practice-squad fodder.


Khari Long

• Position: DE • Round: 6

• Height/weight: 6-3, 257

• College: Baylor

• Fast fact: Baylor coach Guy Morriss gave Vermeil rave reviews on Long. Morriss played for Vermeil in Philadelphia.

• Career: Established himself as a solid edge rusher with the ability to flush the quarterback out of the pocket.

• Scouting report: This is another project for Vermeil. The coach says Long is athletic enough to develop into a solid NFL pass rusher.

• Whom this affects: A long shot to make the practice squad.


James Kilian

• Position: QB • Round: 7

• Height/weight: 6 feet 3, 218 pounds.

• College: Tulsa

• Fast fact: Played eight-man football in high school in Oklahoma.

• Career: Two-year starter, but he also played in 13 games his first two seasons at Tulsa.

• Scouting report: Has showed an arm strong enough to make all the necessary throws.

• Whom this affects: Possibly third-string quarterback Damon Huard, but Kilian must play well beyond expectations.


Jeremy Parquet

• Position: OT • Round: 7

• Height/weight: 6 feet 6, 321 pounds.

• College: Southern Mississippi

• Fast fact: Graduated with a degree in coaching and sport administration.

• Career: Three-year starter at right tackle. All-Conference USA first-team as a junior and second team as a senior.

• Scouting report: Parquet's techniques need refinement, but he's a good athlete and has long arms.

• Whom this affects: Nobody. The best Parquet can hope for is a spot on the practice squad.

— Adam Teicher and Elizabeth Merrill/The Star

This quote worries me. Still taking advice from other coaches. Ryan Sims II ?

Fast fact: Baylor coach Guy Morriss gave Vermeil rave reviews on Long. Morriss played for Vermeil in Philadelphia.

How is that possible that he will be at the bottom of the depth chart much less get beaten out by a rookie? This is Rick f*ucking Scanlon the stud of NFLE were talking about.

Though in that late in the draft its not a big deal. Don't doubt my bears.

They all do it. I'm just glad he isn't taking John Bunting's advice anymore.

And as far as I'm concerned, I really don't give a damn who they consult with about a 6th round pick. Now, the no.6 in the 1st round is a whole different matter. They better make sure they get it right. Unfortunately with Ryan Sims, they whiffed.

Well, they did take advice from Greg Robinson on selecting Derrick Johnson.

:evil:

uh-oh!!

A story by — Adam Teicher and Elizabeth Merrill/The Star

Give me a break . :rolleyes:


On a side note, Hodge had 0 career INT's in college. Another Bartee ?

That s*** is flat-out wrong :cuss:

It really sounds like the Chiefs do not intend to start both Johnson and Fujita. I think this is too bad, as I'd rather see Johnson in there with Fujita than with Barber or Mitchell.

Awwwww. Someone's mad that their boyfried was mentioned as possibly getting cut due to a better player being picked up.

Who's mad ? I have no reason to be mad.

As for Boomer cutting Rich off the squad, if it happens it happens.

Personally I don't see it. Gun's schemes are complex and takes time to learn. Rich & Boomer could make the squad depending on how both do, injuries, etc.

This is nothing but a Star beat writer making a comment ,nothing more than you, I or whomever at making an observation, comment or an opinion.

Time will tell.

I agree 100% Barber hasn't shown me anything to make me want him over Fujita.

I'm probably in the minority, but I'd rather have Barber over Fujita, all things being equal. Not sure Barber can come back 100% though so maybe that's moot.