ESPN's Bill Williamsons' AFC West Mock Draft - 1st Round

[AirForceChief]

AFC West mock draft: Take I
January, 14, 2013
Jan 1411:00AM ETBy Bill Williamson | ESPN.com

Now that every team in AFC West is done with their 2012 season, here is my first AFC West mock draft for the teams' first-round picks. We will periodically update as we move closer to the April draft:

1. Kansas City Chiefs: DL, Star Lotulelei, Utah: It’s been well documented that there are no great position fits for the Chiefs at this spot. This is a top player who would add even more young talent to this defense.

3. Oakland Raiders: DE, Damontre Moore, Texas A&M: The Raiders will fill a big defensive need no matter where they go, and right now I think Dennis Allen gets a fellow Aggie. The ceiling is high for Moore.

11. San Diego Chargers: CB, Dee Milliner, Alabama: The Chargers’ top need is tackle, but some key players went back to school so I don’t know if there is a fit here. Milliner can be a dynamic player and the Chargers will have a need. San Diego will have options, but I like Milliner here.

28. Denver Broncos: DT, Kawann Short, Purdue: The Broncos will likely take the best available defensive player. Right now, I think it is Short. Denver has gotten better at this position, but it could use some more help.

Given Dorsey's committment to taking the "best player on the board", I can see him moving away from the QB position...and then the Planet imploded.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Gravedigger

Yeah this was posted before we decided to stay with the 3-4 so I'll give Williamson a slight break on that, but yeah it pretty much goes imo:

Geno Smith
Jarvis Jones
Trade Down
Dee Milliner
Luke Joeckel

Jarvis Jones has a spinal condition that makes it hard for me to believe he'll go in the upper half of the first round, if at all in the first.

He's a medical risk.

And unless Albert's career is over, Joeckel would be a massive blunder.

[keg in kc]

I've said it before, this draft pick will be a statement. If they take a lineman at #1, they're telling the fanbase that they're maintaining the status quo. Which is a terrible message to send when you haven't won a playoff game in nearly 20 years. I may be a Smith guy, but I don't care who it is, take Wilson, hell, take Barkley if that's who you like. Just take one. It's time. The statement they make needs to be "look, there's finally some hope!" Star Lotulelei, god bless him, doesn't send that message. Neither does Luke Joeckel or Jarvis Jones. Picking one of those guys now, even after Reid, even after Dorsey, is just going to deflate the balloon. Energy, gone. Excitement, gone. This team needs a face, someone that's going to excite people, someone that's going to make them believe that things can get better. Yes, that's a lot of weight to put on a rookie's shoulders, and yes, maybe the guy will bust. But they can't keep making safe decisions, and the franchise will never move forward if they continue to predicate the moves they make on what might happen if they're wrong. Enough with the defeatist crap. Identify the guy. Take him. Enjoy some success for a change.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Jarvis Jones has a spinal condition that makes it hard for me to believe he'll go in the upper half of the first round, if at all in the first.

He's a medical risk.

And unless Albert's career is over, Joeckel would be a massive blunder.

Jones also doesn't play the run that well.

Why is nobody talking about Damontre Moore? He is easily that 2nd best option if QB were to somehow miraculously not be the pick.

Guy is everywhere and excels at all parts of the game.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

I've said it before, this draft pick will be a statement. If they take a lineman at #1, they're telling the fanbase that they're maintaining the status quo. Which is a terrible message to send when you haven't won a playoff game in nearly 20 years. I may be a Smith guy, but I don't care who it is, take Wilson, hell, take Barkley if that's who you like. Just take one. It's time. The statement they make needs to be "look, there's finally some hope!" Star Lotulelei, god bless him, doesn't send that message. Neither does Luke Joeckel or Jarvis Jones. This team needs a face, someone that's going to excite people, someone that's going to make them believe that things can get better. Yes, that's a lot of weight to put on a rookie's shoulders, and yes, maybe the guy will bust. But they can't keep making safe decisions, and the franchise will never move forward if they continue to predicate decisions on what might happen if they're wrong. Enough with the defeatist crap.

I agree that the Chiefs should take a QB at #1 overall, if they love him.

I disagree that they should take a QB, just to take a QB, because the stats favor a first round QB over any other round.

[Gravedigger]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Jarvis Jones has a spinal condition that makes it hard for me to believe he'll go in the upper half of the first round, if at all in the first.

He's a medical risk.

And unless Albert's career is over, Joeckel would be a massive blunder.

Did not know about Jones spinal condition. Makes sense.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I agree that the Chiefs should take a QB at #1 overall, if they love him.

I disagree that they should take a QB, just to take a QB, because the stats favor a first round QB over any other round.

There's a reason 12 QBs were selected at #1 over the last 15 years. Even going back to before the new CBA took the cap danger out of it. That's a trend we would be absolutely insane to buck.

None of the non QBs we're discussing are generational players. There's no "plug him in and he's a hall of famer" tackle or end or receiver or db. So there's absolutely no reason in the world to value any of them over the equivalent qb(s) in this class. It's the same line people have been saying for weeks: if Wilson or Smith or anyone else behind center has top 10 value in this class (and I haven't seen many "prognosticators" who don't think that at least one of them does) then they have #1 value in this class, #1 value to us specifically, and that's the guy we need to target.

We're scared. As a fanbase. Terrified that we pull the trigger on the wrong guy and get Akili Smith. I get that. But that's the defeatist thinking we need to move past. Because, on the flip side, it's absolutely impossible to draft Peyton Manning if your pick's a lineman or a back. We've got to stop being afraid, we've got to stop assuming that whatever we do, it's going to be wrong so we better make the safest move we can. Making the safe move is what's gotten us where we are.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

If we're going off the reservation, just for the sake of argument, give me Milliner.

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

Dee Milliner

Not sure when the ceremony for Sac's initiation into the Gang of 14 took place, but I'm a little pissed that I wasn't invited.

[ptlyon]

I knew if I opened this thread I'd break something

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

I've said it before, this draft pick will be a statement. If they take a lineman at #1, they're telling the fanbase that they're maintaining the status quo. Which is a terrible message to send when you haven't won a playoff game in nearly 20 years. I may be a Smith guy, but I don't care who it is, take Wilson, hell, take Barkley if that's who you like. Just take one. It's time. The statement they make needs to be "look, there's finally some hope!" Star Lotulelei, god bless him, doesn't send that message. Neither does Luke Joeckel or Jarvis Jones. Picking one of those guys now, even after Reid, even after Dorsey, is just going to deflate the balloon. Energy, gone. Excitement, gone. This team needs a face, someone that's going to excite people, someone that's going to make them believe that things can get better. Yes, that's a lot of weight to put on a rookie's shoulders, and yes, maybe the guy will bust. But they can't keep making safe decisions, and the franchise will never move forward if they continue to predicate the moves they make on what might happen if they're wrong. Enough with the defeatist crap. Identify the guy. Take him. Enjoy some success for a change.

This this and more this.

[okoye35chiefs]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

this is how he finds his penis

that made for a good breakfast...thanks...

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by frazod

It's almost like these pricks don't want us to have a good quarterback.

Or they have followed the history of the Chiefs for the past 30 years and are just going with that.

It you were a casual Chiefs observer, not wanting to go out on a limb, what position would their history dictate to you?

[Frosty]

If you take a DT #1, he better be a cross between Suh and Sapp. Star is a space eater with no pass rush. No way is he worth the #1 pick. At this point, if they don't take a QB, I'm hoping for Moore, though it would be a disappointment.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Or they have followed the history of the Chiefs for the past 30 years and are just going with that.

It you were a casual Chiefs observer, not wanting to go out on a limb, what position would their history dictate to you?

Mainly I'd see several decades of fail.

[Easy 6]

Guess i'd rather have another defensive tackle than Slack Jawed Joeckel.

But yeah, williamson... reading his stuff is the informational equivelant of eating the blandest retirement home food you can find.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by frazod

Mainly I'd see several decades of fail.

Exactly.

Hopefully, once Reid and Dorsey break that trend, people will be on notice that it is not SOP at 1 Arrowhead drive any longer.

I disagree with Dane, you draft a QB #1 no matter what, end of story. There is nobody in this draft that is so outstanding at any other position to take them ahead of one of these QBs.