[planetdoc]

Possibility that Chiefs could draft a quarterback is nothing new

Originally Posted by TEREZ A. PAYLOR

Over the past few days, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport — a pair of respected national reporters — caused a bit of a stir by saying the Chiefs could be interested in drafting a quarterback.

I wrote about this possibility well over a week ago in my quarterback story for our NFL Draft preview series, and I also covered it in my draft primer in Sunday’s Star.

The reason I’ve written about this is because I do believe it’s possible the Chiefs will take a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday. I believe Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Doug Pedersen can absolutely get the most out of the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel or Derek Carr, and by drafting one of them, there’s a potential for enormous cap savings there over the next four years. Alex Smith was very good last year, but he will sign a lucrative extension if he returns.

But is it likely the Chiefs will take a quarterback? I believe it isn’t. Like it or not, the Chiefs surrendered two very valuable second-round picks for Smith. If they draft a quarterback in the first round, it’s essentially a waste of both picks. That’s why I believe it’s more likely the Chiefs will take a quarterback in the mid-to-late rounds. Like I’ve been writing, someone like Aaron Murray fits the Chiefs’ offense.

I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chiefs orchestrate some sort of draft-day trade. But I believe it’s far more likely they trade down than trade up. They only have six picks in a deep draft and they have plenty of holes. Trading up would likely require them to give up their third-round pick. I think they’ll be trying to acquire more top-100 picks, not give them up.

Remember guys, this is draft week. That means smokescreens abound. The Chiefs’ interest in a quarterback could also be tied to a desire to put pressure on the Smith camp to agree to an extension and/or entice quarterback-needy teams in the second round to trade with them or ahead of them. Either way, the Chiefs win. If the Chiefs swing a trade down, they get extra picks. If a team trades ahead of them, a player at another position falls. The Chiefs would take either.