Chiefs Red Zone: A mulligan on the NFL draft

Deberg_1990 · 12-05-2008, 08:16 AM

Heh,

This should get some interesting responses..

Flacco and Albert would have made one hell of a draft for the Chiefs.

http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/490

They say you don't really know how the NFL draft went until months after the final pick is made. The Chiefs ended their draft last April with some rare swagger around Arrowhead. Experts graded Kansas City's class among the best in the NFL.

Would they still?

If you count only the first round, which actually is the money round, perhaps the Chiefs' first picks were good but maybe not great. Much of that is because Glenn Dorsey hasn't made the noticeable impact some hoped he would, although we wrote in a blog last week that Dorsey's performance isn't all that unusual.

Branden Albert has been a very good player, and Chiefs coach Herm Edwards made a point last week that you hadn't heard much about Albert -- and that's a good thing, considering most offensive linemen become famous for mistakes.

Still, if you could know now about injuries and how those players turned out, how much different would the draft have been? Here's how I think the top 10 picks would've played out:

1. Miami Dolphins Reality: Jake Long, OT Mulligan: Ryan Clady, OT
Long has been good, but Clady has been the gem of this year's offensive line class.

2. St. Louis Rams Reality: Chris Long, DE Mulligan: Matt Forte, RB
Like Dorsey, Long hasn't had that immediate impact. By picking Forte, they could have avoided the Stephen Jackson holdout/injury debacles and moved forward with the now fashionable two-back system.

3. Atlanta Falcons Reality: Matt Ryan, QB Mulligan: Matt Ryan, QB
Ryan is the frontrunner for rookie of the year. He was a candidate to go tops overall in this make-believe world. This is one that reality got right.

4. Oakland Raiders Reality: Darren McFadden, RB Mulligan: Eddie Royal, WR
With Justin Fargas playing well for Oakland, the Raiders have bigger needs -- like giving last year's top pick (and future bust candidate) JaMarcus Russell a reliable target.

5. Kansas City Chiefs Reality: Glenn Dorsey, DT Mulligan: Joe Flacco, QB
The Chiefs lost their top two quarterbacks to season-ending injuries. We might never have heard the inspiring tale of Tyler Thigpen, but we also might not still be debating whether the Chiefs need to draft a quarterback, either.

6. New York Jets Reality: Vernon Gholston, DE Mulligan: OT Jake Long
Long might be a reach in the mulligan universe, but he'd be a good long-term investment for the Jets, and a solid short-term cushion for Brett Favre's blind side.

7. New Orleans Saints Reality: Sedrick Ellis, DT Mulligan: Jerod Mayo, LB
The Saints wanted Long here, but they'd be happy with this year's most dynamic defensive rookie.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars Reality: Derrick Harvey, DE Mulligan: Dustin Keller, TE
David Garrard would love to have a reliable target now. If the Jaguars had passed on Keller, they would have grabbed linebacker Curtis Lofton. When they didn't ...

9. Cincinnati Bengals Reality: Keith Rivers, LB Mulligan: Curtis Lofton, LB
After Rivers broke his jaw to end his season, this one is a no-brainer.

10. New England Patriots Reality: Jerod Mayo, LB Mulligan: Charles Godfrey, S
Rodney Harrison's injury changed things for the Patriots, more so than losing Tom Brady. New England needs a solid defensive back now, and Godfrey -- a third-round pick in reality -- would have been a perfect fit.

For the record, I debated on whether to have the Patriots take Brandon Flowers over Godfrey. Flowers has played like a first-round pick, even though he was a second. I think Branden Albert would have been taken about where he was in reality, somewhere around No. 15 overall. In fact, the Chiefs probably would have gone after him with that second first-round pick.

As for Dorsey, the way defensive tackles have been slow to develop this year makes him a bigger question. He'd probably still be, at worst, a top-20 pick because of his potential, but it's doubtful he'd have gone in the top 10 had scouts and executives known now what they didn't last April. The Chiefs loved Dorsey on draft day, but if there had been a quarterback available, there's no doubt that, knowing what they do now, they'd have passed on Dorsey and taken Flacco.

12-05-2008, 08:16 AM	Topic Starter
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3754454	Red Zone: A mulligan on the NFL draft Heh, This should get some interesting responses.. Flacco and Albert would have made one hell of a draft for the Chiefs. http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/490 They say you don't really know how the NFL draft went until months after the final pick is made. The Chiefs ended their draft last April with some rare swagger around Arrowhead. Experts graded Kansas City's class among the best in the NFL. Would they still? If you count only the first round, which actually is the money round, perhaps the Chiefs' first picks were good but maybe not great. Much of that is because Glenn Dorsey hasn't made the noticeable impact some hoped he would, although we wrote in a blog last week that Dorsey's performance isn't all that unusual. Branden Albert has been a very good player, and Chiefs coach Herm Edwards made a point last week that you hadn't heard much about Albert -- and that's a good thing, considering most offensive linemen become famous for mistakes. Still, if you could know now about injuries and how those players turned out, how much different would the draft have been? Here's how I think the top 10 picks would've played out: 1. Miami Dolphins Reality: Jake Long, OT Mulligan: Ryan Clady, OT Long has been good, but Clady has been the gem of this year's offensive line class. 2. St. Louis Rams Reality: Chris Long, DE Mulligan: Matt Forte, RB Like Dorsey, Long hasn't had that immediate impact. By picking Forte, they could have avoided the Stephen Jackson holdout/injury debacles and moved forward with the now fashionable two-back system. 3. Atlanta Falcons Reality: Matt Ryan, QB Mulligan: Matt Ryan, QB Ryan is the frontrunner for rookie of the year. He was a candidate to go tops overall in this make-believe world. This is one that reality got right. 4. Oakland Raiders Reality: Darren McFadden, RB Mulligan: Eddie Royal, WR With Justin Fargas playing well for Oakland, the Raiders have bigger needs -- like giving last year's top pick (and future bust candidate) JaMarcus Russell a reliable target. 5. Kansas City Chiefs Reality: Glenn Dorsey, DT Mulligan: Joe Flacco, QB The Chiefs lost their top two quarterbacks to season-ending injuries. We might never have heard the inspiring tale of Tyler Thigpen, but we also might not still be debating whether the Chiefs need to draft a quarterback, either. 6. New York Jets Reality: Vernon Gholston, DE Mulligan: OT Jake Long Long might be a reach in the mulligan universe, but he'd be a good long-term investment for the Jets, and a solid short-term cushion for Brett Favre's blind side. 7. New Orleans Saints Reality: Sedrick Ellis, DT Mulligan: Jerod Mayo, LB The Saints wanted Long here, but they'd be happy with this year's most dynamic defensive rookie. 8. Jacksonville Jaguars Reality: Derrick Harvey, DE Mulligan: Dustin Keller, TE David Garrard would love to have a reliable target now. If the Jaguars had passed on Keller, they would have grabbed linebacker Curtis Lofton. When they didn't ... 9. Cincinnati Bengals Reality: Keith Rivers, LB Mulligan: Curtis Lofton, LB After Rivers broke his jaw to end his season, this one is a no-brainer. 10. New England Patriots Reality: Jerod Mayo, LB Mulligan: Charles Godfrey, S Rodney Harrison's injury changed things for the Patriots, more so than losing Tom Brady. New England needs a solid defensive back now, and Godfrey -- a third-round pick in reality -- would have been a perfect fit. For the record, I debated on whether to have the Patriots take Brandon Flowers over Godfrey. Flowers has played like a first-round pick, even though he was a second. I think Branden Albert would have been taken about where he was in reality, somewhere around No. 15 overall. In fact, the Chiefs probably would have gone after him with that second first-round pick. As for Dorsey, the way defensive tackles have been slow to develop this year makes him a bigger question. He'd probably still be, at worst, a top-20 pick because of his potential, but it's doubtful he'd have gone in the top 10 had scouts and executives known now what they didn't last April. The Chiefs loved Dorsey on draft day, but if there had been a quarterback available, there's no doubt that, knowing what they do now, they'd have passed on Dorsey and taken Flacco.
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