Mock Draft (2/6/12)

[Direckshun]

I'm just going to get ridiculous here and play the game I want to play.

I am not going to be committing to need as much as might be demanded. I'm just going to give you guys a little bit of a look as to some alternate ideas the Chiefs could embrace.

Assumptions:

1. ILB Jovan Belcher is tendered.

4. WR Dwayne Bowe is franchised.

5. The Chiefs are outbid on Brandon Carr and Wallace Gilberry, losing both.

6. FB Le'Ron McClain, TE Leonard Pope, ILB Brandon Siler, OLB Andy Studebaker, CB Travis Daniels, and S Jon McGraw are all signed to one-year deals.

7. RB Thomas Jones, WR Jerheme Urban, OT Barry Richardson, C Casey Wiegmann, NT Kelly Gregg are all parted with.

On with the show.

1. CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama



Losing Brandon Carr? Fear not. Well... fear a little. You're losing a starting caliber, big-bodied corner who plays the angles so well, he's in the rare echelon of corners that quarterbacks simply don't test. The problem is, he's going to cost $50 million when you've already spent that on your other corner. Resigning Carr would be good for the on-field product, but potentially ugly for the cap situation.

So, let's go with somebody bigger than Carr, and faster than Carr. Somebody that will be able to play that incredibly valuable role that Carr plays: the ability to be left out on the island against some of the most physically intimidating receivers the NFL has to offer.

If we let Carr go, Kirkpatrick is our best pick. No QBs justify the #11/#12 overall, and all the other talent play the devalued positions of right tackle, guard, or running back. Let's stay with the tried and true pattern of spending the best picks on the best players at the best positions, and continue this rebuild at the fastest possible speed.

2. DE/DT Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati



This is a pretty narrow draft if you're looking for somebody to create havoc in your opponent's backfield from the middle of the defensive line. Ever Brockers and Still, the two best defensive tackles in the 2012 draft class, aren't sack artists.

Wolfe is. With Dorsey likely in the last year of his contract, and Allen Bailey on deck to fill his spot, the Chiefs will need to continue beefing up their defensive line rotation to wear down offensive lines over the course of the season.

And unlike Dorsey (and Jackson), Wolfe is a tireless machine who lives in the backfield. He totaled 9.5 sacks last season. No other tackle comes close. If he somehow slips down into the second round, this is a pick we'd be smart to make.

3. OT Mitchell Schwartz, California



A team captain, Schwartz is the kind of offensive lineman that Pioli drools over. He is huge with fantastic athleticism. I thought this guy looked great all season for Cal, but in that mid-round overachiever way. His performance at the Senior Bowl was aces, however, opening up great lanes and stoning at both tackle positions. A born and bred right tackle.

4. RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati



We all saw Pead spring out at the Senior Bowl. Such great athleticism and ability to blast through holes. Jamaal Charles is a brilliant runner, but we can't rely on him coming off his horrific injury. At the very least, Pead offers this team yet another playmaker who will try harder than everybody else on the field.

5. RB Tauren Poole, Tennessee



The bruiser this team needs, Poole boasts good size and great vision. Thomas Jones is out the door and Battle has no contract. Poole is tailor-made for the zone blocking system, and size-wise is a perfect compliment for Charles, Pead, and McCluster.

6. FS Rashard Hall, Clemson



Hall is a really special athlete by late-round standards, and his highlight reels have all kinds of high-flying acrobatics as he makes countless plays on the ball. Hall is a ball hawk that this team sorely needs to groom behind Kendrick Lewis and push him for that starting position. Hall's weakness is between the ears, primarily as he struggles with discipline and keeping his assignments. I am taking the assumption at this point that Hall can be coached up.

7. C/OG Adam Gettis, Iowa



A perfect Pioli offensive lineman prospect. He comes from a school that loves offensive line, and Pioli's no doubt been spying him for months as he plays a couple spots down from Riley Reiff. Gettis (the guy opening the hole above on the left) is super athletic, and can pull as well as most of the prospects coming out in this draft. It's a perfect fit for Kansas City.

The problem is that he's only 280 lbs. You can start him on the interior line depth chart behind Darryl Harris as Asamoah, Hudson, and Lilja man the posts. But he's going to take a year or so to get up to the size he needs to be at. If you can get him there, he already has the skillset he needs to be successful.

[Direckshun]

Depth chart:

QB: Cassel, Stanzi
RB: Charles, Pead, McCluster, Poole
FB: McClain

WR: Bowe, Breaston, Baldwin, Copper, McCluster
TE: Moeaki, Pope

LT: Albert, Schwartz
LG: Lilja, Harris
C: Hudson, Gettis
RG: Asamoah, Harris
RT: Schwartz, Maneri

DE: Dorsey, Bailey
NT: Gordon, Powe
DE: Jackson, Wolfe

OLB: Hali, Sheffield
ILB: Belcher, Siler
ILB: Johnson, Williams
OLB: Houston, Studebaker

CB: Flowers, Kirkpatrick, Arenas, Daniels, Brown
S: Berry, Lewis, McGraw, Hall

K: Succop
P: Colquitt
LS: Gafford
KR/PR: Arenas

[jd1020]

Re-signing McClain and drafting back to back RBs in the 4th and 5th. Seems like solid logic to go along with the 2nd round DE.

At least your are fairly sure that most of those picks could happen, since they are pretty much all reaches, minus Pead dropping to 4 and Rashard Hall who is going back to school.

[Direckshun]

Kickpatrick is a reach in the 1st?

Schwartz in the 3rd?

Poole in the 5th?

Those are reaches? Really?

[The Franchise]

The Matt Cassel Project: Have 5 RBs on your roster and run the ball 60 times a game.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

The Matt Cassel Project: Have 5 RBs on your roster and run the ball 60 times a game.

Say what you will but we are THIN THIN THIN at the running back position.

Draft 1 midround RB is not enough. Charles is not a 20 carries/game guy.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Say what you will but we are THIN THIN THIN at the running back position.

Draft 1 midround RB is not enough. Charles is not a 20 carries/game guy.

I would take a RB in the 2-3 round range. McClain should be getting the short yardage work. With Charles, McCluster, McClain and a rookie......we're good at RB.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

I would take a RB in the 2-3 round range. McClain should be getting the short yardage work. With Charles, McCluster, McClain and a rookie......we're good at RB.

Until there's another injury.

[gonefishin53]

Not to be overly critical, but you have OG Lilga "parted with" in the OP and listed as a starter in #2. Signing some young, under the radar free agents would help with depth. I like TE Kellen Davis (Bears), OG Jeremy Zuttah (Bucs), and OT Anthony Collins (Bengals) for offense. Since this is all speculation, speculating on some free agent signings not named Manning or Orton would would be a reasonable addition to your off-season blueprint.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

I would take a RB in the 2-3 round range. McClain should be getting the short yardage work. With Charles, McCluster, McClain and a rookie......we're good at RB.

Nah, we need 2 more RBs. 4 just wont do. No reason to use one of those picks on a TE when Pope is good for another year to start after Moeaki goes down with an injury.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by gonefishin53

Not to be overly critical, but you have OG Lilga "parted with" in the OP and listed as a starter in #2. Signing some young, under the radar free agents would help with depth. I like TE Kellen Davis (Bears), OG Jeremy Zuttah (Bucs), and OT Anthony Collins (Bengals) for offense. Since this is all speculation, speculating on some free agent signings not named Manning or Orton would would be a reasonable addition to your off-season blueprint.

Fixed. I copy-and-paste my assumptions from other mocks I've done and tweak them, so I missed that.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Kickpatrick is a reach in the 1st?

Schwartz in the 3rd?

Poole in the 5th?

Those are reaches? Really?

I'd say Kirkpatrick, who was viewed as a top 20 pick before his stock started dropping would be a reach at 11/12.

I'd say Schwartz who isn't on anyone's top 100, from what I can tell, would be a reach in the 3rd just because of 1 week at the Senior Bowl.

Poole is probably the closest thing out of your draft that wouldn't be a reach. But he's still a 5-6th projection that hasn't done anything to improve that.

[gonefishin53]

College TE Steve Maneri (6'6", 290#s) as the only OT backup leaves the position pretty thin. I'd make him the blocking TE anyway. Resembles the Giants Jake Ballard more than an OT. Add David Mims and maybe free agent pickup Anthony Collins to the OT depth chart and you get some cover if Albert leaves next season. I only see 48 names on the depth chart so more players can be added.

[suds79]

I hate that in this scenario we have to use our 1st on a CB and still downgrading at that spot. (because there's no way he comes in at Brandon's level)

Would be ultimate fair on the GM's part that we get outbid when we're 30 mil below the cap.

Unacceptable.

[RealSNR]

Direckshun, why do all your mocks assume that we won't re-sign Carr? Just for once, to play devil's advocate, couldn't you make a mock that assumed we DO sign Brandon Carr?