An extremely premature version of who I want in the Draft.

[Direckshun]

Really, the only qualifier here is that I'm not sure what picks, if any, we've received in the 2008 Draft for Michael Bennett, so there's probably a 6th or a 7th in there that I'm missing.

That said, treat yourself to who I'd like to draft in 2008. Criticize at will!

Round 1. DT Sedrick Ellis (USC)

This pick is a combination of things. First of all, it is a pick that takes advantage of the deep class of OTs this year. Several 1st round quality guys will fall to the 2nd, and I'm willing to bet on one of those guys to regard this severe need here.

Secondly, Ellis is the man to break the DT curse for the Chiefs. The Chiefs' history of drafting DTs is littered with risks and reaches, including last year (Tyler being the former, McBride the latter). It's time we draft a DT that not only fits the Cover 2 DT mold (fast, able to get to the QB up the middle), but he's a bonifide slamdunk at the 6ish draft spot we'll have.

Round 2. OT Barry Richardson (Clemson)

Here, I assume that Baker, Clady, Long, Cherilus, Oher, and Otah have been taken. Any other year Richardson would have been first-round material, and seeing how he's a gigantor who's tailor made for smashmouth runblocking, he's a slam-dunk right tackle on day one.

Another massive plus is his durability. This aging OL (and the RT especially) has been plagued by a rotation of guys because of injury and futility -- Richardson's streak of nearly 40-consecutive games in his career will end that pain.

Round 3. WR Dorien Bryant (Purdue)

This isn't the most impressive Draft for WRs, but it's very deep when it comes to sheer speed. WR is a position of sore need for the Chiefs, and I love Dorien Bryant as either a #2 to compliment Bowe or a #3 slot receiver. He's an incredibly fast receiver who plays in a pro-style offense, ideal to stretch the field and be the possible ying to Bowe's yang.

In addition, he's a really good kick returner -- another sore position of need for the Chiefs. So this is very much two for the price of one.

Round 4. CB Darnell Terrell (Missouri)

Finally, a replacement for Law. Mr. Surtain, you've got 'til 2009.

Terrell's biggest draw is his nearly-elite speed and impressive size. At 4.39, he's not getting blown away by speed demon WRs, who've been an awful problem for the Chiefs this year. And at 6'3", north of 200 lbs, he's not going to get bullied by very many of the physical guys, either.

His tackling could get better but he's got a lot of experience on an opportunistic defense. His instincts seem to be solid and if he's physical enough, he might become an ideal Cover 2 CB. Possibly even a #1.

Round 5. C Fernando Velasco (Georgia)

What this OL needs in the middle is two more Brian Waters, one at C and one at RG. Velasco fits the mold. He is nasty, he is simply huge (6'4", 320 lbs.), and he is fast. He engages very well from the video I've seen and he can eat DTs alive.

The major problem here is noted often when you talk about Velasco: that he's incredibly raw. He's only played C for a year or two after being converted from OG, but that's more of an asset to me. I expect the Chiefs to be active in the FA market and in the Draft when it comes to the OL, so this is a guy that could fit into possibly two positions of need, either C or RG.

Round 5. FB Jerome Felton (Furman)

Who? We're likely choosing between this no-name from a 1-AA school and LSU's Jacob Hester, and we're going with this guy?

Yes. We need a ****ing battering ram at FB to properly transform our offense into the thunderous smashmouth it needs to be. I like Hester, but he's lighter than LJ. We need a guy who brings weight and brings the pain. Felton looks bigger than he's listed (and he's already listed at 250), and he's regarded as a top notch blocker who can occasionally be trusted with the ball.

Round 6. OG Brandyn Dombrowski (San Diego State)

I'll admit I don't know much about Dombrowski, and have never viewed him in a game. But he did play at San Diego State, a college that apparently Herm's spent a lot of time scouting personally, so there's that.

Then there's this: he has better size and speed than Velasco. He's a towering 6'6", 335 with decent speed. He's durable, having played almost every game in his career with SDSU, and let's face it: if we're going to be a between-the-tackles run team, we're going to need behemoths like this guy plowing the way.

Round 6/7 (not sure). K Taylor Mehlhaff (Wisconsin)

This pick is wishful thinking; it's almost entirely certain that Mehlhaff will go sooner. He's kicked in the awful weather of Wisconsin, but he's put up consistently solid stats during his entire career for the Badgers (career 5 of 6 from beyond 40).

The bad news is that he's really the only kicker in this draft worth a draft pick, so he'll certainly go higher than the 6th. He'll probably go in the 5th. But if he falls to this pick, the Chiefs would be borderline insane not to go this route.

Round 7. OG Leon Hart (Auburn)

I hear a collective grumbling at ChiefsPlanet, but I must persevere forward. I know this is the third interior lineman I've drafted, but this pick is insurance in case either Velasco or Dombrowski don't pan out (to say nothing that Stallings has already been a flop, and Herb Taylor's been nowhere to be seen).

This team needs depth on the OL, and an eventual heir for Brian Waters. From what I've seen, Leon Hart can be a sleeper to make that happen. For one, he's very quick for an interior lineman (he's been administered a 5.00 40), and he can play every single position on the interior line, so this hedges our bets further that we can find a diamond in the late-round rough.

Round 7. DE Matt Kroul (Iowa)

Here's where we're gambling in the crapshoot. I'm throwing a DE out there because we need a tertiary rusher, so why not. Wilkerson isn't cutting it, and if we can find a halfway decent guy, he'll be replaced.

Kroul is not a particularly amazing athlete, but he comes from a good program that has numerous DEs declaring for the Draft. I've said this before, but I think there may be a Kolby Smith Factor with this guy, as he's a seemingly talented backup to even more talented starters. I'd take a flyer on him, and given that this pick is probably near the very bottom of the draft, I'd probably take a shot on him as well.