ChiefsPlanet - NFL Draft Teicher: Tackle crop is a bumper one

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Tackle crop is a bumper one
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Jake Long is the type of player that offensive tackle-deficient teams like the Chiefs dream about. Long, who played in college at Michigan, is big and powerful enough to be a dominant run blocker but also athletic enough to someday become a skilled pass protector.

In the early days of draft preparations, the Chiefs believed Long would be available to them next Saturday when they make the fifth pick in the NFL draft. Now, it appears he could get selected at any of the draft’s stops before Kansas City is called.

But even if Long is gone, all won’t be lost for the Chiefs in their effort to grab a tackle.

“If Jake Long is there for the Chiefs, that’s going to be the fastest pick in the history of the draft. It’s going to be immediate,” said Matt Miller, who runs an Internet scouting site at www.newerascouting.com.

“If he’s not, they’ll have other options to get a very good tackle. As far as numbers, this is the best crop of tackles we’ve seen in a long time. It’s been awhile since six tackles went in the first round. That’s almost unheard of, but it could happen this year. There’s a lot to pick and choose from among those players. There’s a good variety of different types of players.”

Those options start with Ryan Clady, who potentially could develop into a better player than Long even though he played only three seasons against mostly inferior competition while at Boise State.

They include Virginia’s Branden Albert, a college guard who could play left tackle in the NFL, and several other candidates who could be attractive to the Chiefs if they pick lower in the first round because of a trade down or a deal involving defensive end Jared Allen.

Clady and Albert met with the Chiefs last week at Arrowhead Stadium. Most draft analysts believe either player would be worth the fifth pick.

“The reason everybody is so high on (Clady) is because he’s a superior athlete and that’s what the NFL looks for in left tackles,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “There aren’t a lot of superior athletes amongst the 300- to 330-pound set in America.

“He has some technique deficiencies. He’s a grabber instead of a puncher. Sometimes he doesn’t use his feet, he just reaches with his hands and grabs instead of using those great feet he has. But if he gets with a good offensive line coach at the next level … the reason teams really like him is they feel like he can be a dancing ballerina, which is what you need as a left tackle in the NFL.”

Albert’s size — 6 feet 5 and 311 pounds — and athletic ability suggest he will at least be tried as a left tackle in the NFL.

“I’ve been playing (guard) the last three years of my career,” Albert said. “It’s something I know very well. I am a guard, but I am comfortable playing tackle.

“Wherever a team wants to draft me, either position, I feel comfortable playing.”

The Chiefs could also install him as their immediate starter at right guard, where they also have a vacancy.

It’s unconventional to draft a guard so early in the draft. Quality guards can usually be found in later rounds.

“He’s such a dominant guard that it’s almost a waste to move him over,” Miller said. “I think you can spend the fifth pick in the draft on a guard if he’s a dominant guard.”

Options for later in the first round, if the Chiefs have a pick in that part of the draft, include Chris Williams of Vanderbilt, Gosder Cherilus of Boston College and Jeff Otah of Pittsburgh.

Williams is the only left tackle in the group and maybe even a better pass blocker than Long or Clady. He suffered at times in college blocking for the run.

While the Chiefs would prefer to have a left tackle, obtaining one isn’t essential. They have Damion McIntosh, who signed last year as a free agent.

“Go back and look at his performance,” Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson said. “When he played, when he wasn’t injured, he played very, very well.

“We can’t right now say that offensive left tackle is our number-one need. Do we need offensive linemen? Of course we do.”

The Chiefs could move McIntosh to right tackle or even right guard if they draft a left tackle.

If the Chiefs don’t get a tackle in the first round, other options exist with their second-round pick. They met last week with Virginia Tech’s Duane Brown. Southern California’s Sam Baker would be another possibility.

“If the Chiefs pass on a tackle in the first round, (Baker) would be a good choice in the second round,” Miller said. “Bull rushers are going to bother him because he’s not really strong. But he’s a quick thinker and is able to read the blitz and pick it up. He’s a really good blocker, but if he became stronger, he’d be a dominant blocker. He could step in and start as a rookie at left tackle without any problems.”

Chiefs’ tackle options
If the Chiefs can’t land Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long in the NFL draft next weekend, there are several others they could be interested in. They could go for Branden Albert of Virginia, Gosder Cherilus of Boston College, Ryan Clady of Boise State (above), Jeff Otah of Pittsburgh or Chris Williams of Vanderbilt.

First-round tackles
The Chiefs have taken six tackles in the first round of the NFL draft.

Year Player Pick
1999 John Tait 14
1998 Victor Riley 27
1995 Trezelle Jenkins 31
1986 Brian Jozwiak 8
1984 John Alt 21
1970 Sid Smith 26