Michael Ash critical of Chiefs' draft

[Hammock Parties]

I liked the tight end part. The tradition continues.

http://kan.scout.com/2/965172.html

Chiefs fans had an entire day to speculate about the talent the team would add in Day Two. With players like Jimmy Clausen, Terrence Cody, Sergio Kindle and Golden Tate available, it’s a pretty safe bet that the names Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas weren’t on anyone’s mind.

While technically listed as a running back, McCluster’s arrival in Kansas City shouldn’t have Jamaal Charles looking over his shoulder. McCluster is described as a jack of all trades and has drawn comparisons to Minnesota’s Percy Harvin, although that comes with the immediate disclaimer that Harvin is considerably bigger and faster. Even so, while playing at Ole Miss, McCluster was a potential game-breaker every time he had the ball in his hands. He probably fits best as a slot receiver for the Chiefs, though his versatility will give Todd Haley and Charlie Weis plenty of options to fit him into the mix. The prospect of defenses having to account for both Charles and McCluster at the same time is an appealing one. Still, even tempered by the ESPN report that Philadelphia planned to draft him one spot later, taking McCluster at the top of the second round is likely to draw heavy criticism. With holes at nose tackle, pass rusher, inside linebacker, and so on, the Chiefs had far more pressing needs than a luxury pick for their offense. Will McCluster even be an every down player? He’ll have to be a heavy contributor to justify passing on players who would have lined up on every snap. Ultimately, though, if Matt Cassel doesn’t play any better in 2010, it’ll be the decision to pass on Clausen that ends up getting scrutinized most heavily down the road. Similar criticism is also likely to surround the pick of Arenas. At the moment, it’s unclear how the Chiefs see him. Is he a cornerback who happens to bring elite return skills? Or, like fellow second-rounder Devin Hester a few years ago, do the Chiefs see him as a return specialist who happens to play corner? One thing’s for sure – Arenas either has to become the next Hester or unseat Brandon Carr as a starter to be worth the 50th overall pick. And, once again, this selection failed to address the more glaring holes on the roster. If we can take one thing away from the second round, it’s that Scott Pioli wasn’t kidding when he told Jack Harry that adding some playmakers was one of his top priorities. But whether or not it was a good idea to load up on big-play threats at the expense of needier positions will surely be debated in the coming days. Things briefly got back to normal in the third round, where the Chiefs – for the first time in several years -- finally invested a significant draft choice on an offensive lineman with their selection of Illinois’ guard Jon Asamoah. The only significant knock on Asamoah throughout the evaluation process seemed to be the fact that his arms are shorter than teams may prefer. Otherwise, he’s been described as an intelligent, high-character, hard-working interior blocker with a great locker room attitude and a mean streak on the field. Obviously, the immediate assumption is that Asamoah will be groomed to replace the aging Brian Waters. With off-and-on trade rumors circulating around Waters since last year, how long that grooming period lasts will probably be the subject of a fair amount of speculation. Finally, the Chiefs ended the third round by trading up for Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki. The former Hawkeye may turn out to be a great selection, but it only continues the bizarre fascination the New England brain trust seems to have with the tight end position. The Patriots drafted two tight ends in the first round in 2002 and 2004, and drafted eight total players at the position from 2000-2008. And despite all those picks, tight end has never been a strength of their team. Pioli seemed to bring the same mindset to Kansas City a year ago, trading up late in the draft for Jake O’Connell. This year, not to be outdone by the Patriots taking TE Rob Gronkowski, Pioli moved up for Moeaki and surrendered the Chiefs’ fourth-round pick and one of the three picks they held in the fifth. That means, to date, Pioli’s only draft-day maneuverings have been to trade up for tight ends. Again, Moeaki might become a fine player -- but if the Patriots’ success with the position is any indication, we probably shouldn’t hold our breath. All in all, the draft’s second day definitely brought some big-play talent to the Chiefs’ roster. Unfortunately, that talent didn’t come at the positions where the team needed it most. And with Kansas City now having just two picks over the final four rounds, that fact is unlikely to change tomorrow.