Arguments for a Left Tackle in the 2010 Draft.

[Saccopoo]

While the vast majority of drafturbators around here think that Branden Albert is doing a remarkable job and had a great last half of the season, some people believe that adding a competent offensive left tackle would be a prudent and viable selection for the Chiefs with their first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Some supporting arguments for a left tackle:

Wes Bunting: Well, after Suh, McCoy and Berry, Russell Okung's a pretty safe pick. Sure, he might not be the sexiest of guys, but honestly Branden Albert was one of the highest rated guards I'd seen and yet he hasn't yet had the type of career because he's be a run-of-the-mill tackle. You'd be surprised how quickly that offensive line would improve if you got a legit offensive tackle in there and kick Branden Albert inside. Some good things could happen.

From Walters 2010 Mock:

Fortunately, Pioli, who is a big believer in positional value, can take Okung without sacrificing too much of his team's payroll into the left tackle position. Albert makes less than $1 million in each of the next two seasons, and was a guard at Virginia anyway.

Okung is the real deal. He could take the Chiefs' offense to the next level, though the team will ultimately struggle in the playoffs because of Cassel's limitations.

From Walters/Matt McGuire's Mock:

Russell Okung - This pick is a no-brainer and barring a huge screw-up, I think we can all be 99-percent assured the Kansas City Chiefs are handcuffed to taking a left tackle at this pick. It will be interesting to see whether it ends up being Okung, Anthony Davis or Bruce Campbell, as the battle for the No. 1 tackle spot is one of the best storylines of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Okung was the most consistent lineman in the nation this year and he will test out on a very high level athletically.

From Draftcountdown:

The Chiefs have plenty of needs and could go in a number of different directions here but their offensive line play has been particularly troubling. In fact, Kansas City ranked among the worst in the league when it comes to sacks allowed. Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung isn’t an elite prospect in the mold of Tony Boselli, Jon Ogden or Orlando Pace but he has clearly emerged as the top offensive tackle in this class and will likely be a Top 10 pick. With good size, long arms, great strength, above-average athleticism and feet as well as top-notch intangibles, Okung is just a very good all-around blocker. Okung could slide into the starting lineup at either left or right tackle for the Chiefs and any investment in keeping franchise quarterback Matt Cassel upright is money well spent.

From Mel Kiper:

I think the Chiefs could use help at safety as well, but Berry likely won't fall this far, and they'd be reaching on either of the two other safeties with first-round grades. Okung could solve two problems, making him a good value -- he could step in at LT and allow the Chiefs to move Brandon Albert to the right side. A pick that can pay immediate dividends for the Chiefs.

From Don Banks/Sports Illustrated:

If Berry should get this far, the Chiefs would be the benefactors, but Okung seems like the right fit in the right spot for Kansas City. The Chiefs have tons of needs, but in Okung they would be getting a franchise left tackle, allowing them to shift Branden Albert back to his more natural right tackle position.

It's damn near a cultural universal!

Also in opposition to people who believe that Branden Albert had a very good last four games, in the Buffalo game, he was penalized three times (tied for most in a game in 2009) and gave up a whopping five quarterback pressures. In the Cincinatti game, he was penalized twice and allow a hit on the quarterback. In actuality, taking out the fluke Denver game, which was a drive block fest as Jamaal Charles racked up a Chiefs single game rushing record, Albert did not perform well in the last quarter of the season. Yes, he didn't give up any sacks, but there were a lot of qb pressures and penalties.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

I would say that's debatable. He was only sacked 15 times in the last 8 games, as opposed to 27 in the first 7. And he was dropping back a bit per game more the second half of the year than the first. I'd say a lot of factors played into the first half of the year, ranging from problems with the blocking scheme, installing a new offensive system, total lack of a running game, and so on.

I would also go on to say that while the line did improve to a degree, it was not as drastic as Charles' performance would seem to indicate. Because much of the time he was making yards on his own (in a way I don't think anybody expected him to, at his size; he showed an amazing capacity for running through contact). In the passing game, even in the second half of the year, the "protection" was often a turnstile, especially in the middle. The play of the center and guards was not very good a lot of the time.

Which is separate from the fact that Cassel was making mistakes on his own late in the year, even on the occasions when the blocking was there...

I agree. Which is why i think we need a new QB and D. The O-line got better, Charles also made them look much better than they were. But i wouldn't call the O-line the weakest spot on the team anymore. Especially with the young talent we already have.

The QB play is awful.

And we KNOW what's wrong with the D. Opposed to the O, in which "this could've been causing this to look worse, or that made this player look worse/better," blah blah blah.

With the D, we KNOW what's wrong. So lets fix that first.

[WildTurkey]

Originally Posted by Mecca

I'm still enjoying this thread because I think the Chiefs will have Charles Brown as their top OT.

I have a feeling they like Bulaga so if they did take an OT high it would be him IMO

[RustShack]

I wish Saccocrap would have just watched every Chiefs game this year instead of just looking over the stats after the season. Hes such a dumbass when it comes to the draft and just football in general.

[WildTurkey]

Originally Posted by RustShack

I wish Saccocrap would have just watched every Chiefs game this year instead of just looking over the stats after the season. Hes such a dumbass when it comes to the draft and just football in general.

I disagree with his take on the Okung pick.. but he seems to do his research and usually knows his shit so I have to give him some credit

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by RustShack

I wish Saccocrap would have just watched every Chiefs game this year instead of just looking over the stats after the season. Hes such a dumbass when it comes to the draft and just football in general.

And see...you got your wish even before you butchered the English language once again - as you do in every single post.

I did watch every single Chiefs game this past season. Twice. And more often than not, thrice. (Some of us actually got the NFL Ticket (like I do every single year), which allows a person to watch every game.)

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

I agree. Which is why i think we need a new QB and D. The O-line got better, Charles also made them look much better than they were. But i wouldn't call the O-line the weakest spot on the team anymore. Especially with the young talent we already have.

I would, I think the middle of both lines are the weakest spots on the roster at the moment. They need a nose tackle, and they need a center, both in the worst way. Neither of those are positions I'd address early in the draft, however.

The QB play is awful.

I would say the QB play was inconsistent. Either way, no position in team sports is more dependent upon the players around him; I just can't look at it in a bubble, not when there are obvious problems with the line, not when there are obvious problems at receiver and tight end. The only reliable thing the Chiefs offense had in 2009 was Jamaal Charles, and it took them half the year to figure that out. I said this before the year started, and I said it after the year ended: it reminds me of Trent Green in 2001. Half the offense they put on the field last year were players cut from other teams, several cut during the season. I'm not going to tell anybody their opinion is wrong, but speaking for myself, I will say that I can't fairly gauge the performance of Cassel last year, because, simply put, that was the worst offensive roster I have ever seen, and I don't believe anybody could succeed under those circumstances. Not Cassel, not Manning, not Joe frikkin' Montana.

Just how I see it. And I should note that that's not a statement in support of Cassel. I have no idea if he can transform from Trent Green 2001 to Trent Green 2002-2005. I just don't know what he is.

And we KNOW what's wrong with the D. Opposed to the O, in which "this could've been causing this to look worse, or that made this player look worse/better," blah blah blah.

With the D, we KNOW what's wrong. So lets fix that first.

How about they do something crazy and select the best player on the board. The Chiefs have plenty of holes to fill, I don't think they need to go out of their way to limit their additions to one side of the ball. If that's Berry, great. If that's McClain, great. If they think it's Bryant or Spiller, great.

Anything but a LT who's no better than the starter they already have...

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

How about they do something crazy and select the best player on the board. The Chiefs have plenty of holes to fill, I don't think they need to go out of their way to limit their additions to one side of the ball. If that's Berry, great. If that's McClain, great. If they think it's Bryant or Spiller, great.

10 to 1 that "best player on the board" is Okung.

What truly befuddles me is that it's painfully obvious to most people in the football industry who are objectively analyzing the Chiefs seem to have the general consensus that they desperately need improved play from the LT position. And then you got this board who thinks it's fine and dandy to keep the entire turnstile operation going with the current players because they have the ultimate in trust and undying loyalty for a Carl/Herm project pick at LT.

I mean, they could have picked Curry last year but there was this collective meltdown because we needed to give DJ another year to prove himself and god forbid that you would ever consider taking a linebacker with a top five pick (unless you happened to watch the recent National Championship game and heard Brent Musberger say that McClain watched game film, which then made it okay to draft a MLB with a top five pick). Now it's the we can't draft a LT or DE because we had Carl/Herm take a DT and a OG two drafts ago, and while they haven't panned out performance wise, are playing out of position and are having a negative impact on the overall performance of the Chiefs because of it, we can't possibly look at upgrading either spot because, well, we trust Carl/Herm's talent evaluation process so we are willing to let these players substandard performance slide until it becomes so painfully obvious that they are not producing on the field. Well, other than the purported performance explosion of Branden Albert in the second half of the season (even though he was thoroughly owned in the Buffalo game - and we all know how good Buffalo is), and that Dorsey got a sack against Denver, so he's got to be improving, right? (Albeit his only sack of the entire season.)

Well, I'm here to tell you - **** 'em. They are out of position, playing in the wrong scheme and need to be traded (Dorsey) or reassigned (Albert).

In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Chiefs draft board top ten looked like:

1. Ndamukong Suh
2. Russ Okung
3. Joe Haden
4. Dan Williams
5. Dez Bryant
5. Rolando McClain
6. Eric Berry
7. Jared Odrick
8. Sergio Kindle
9. Jonathan Dwyer
10. Charles Brown

If they keep to their (my) board above, I think that they will be fine with their first round selection.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

10 to 1 that "best player on the board" is Okung.

What truly befuddles me is that it's painfully obvious to most people in the football industry who are objectively analyzing the Chiefs seem to have the general consensus that they desperately need improved play from the LT position. And then you got this board who thinks it's fine and dandy to keep the entire turnstile operation going with the current players because they have the ultimate in trust and undying loyalty for a Carl/Herm project pick at LT.

I mean, they could have picked Curry last year but there was this collective meltdown because we needed to give DJ another year to prove himself and god forbid that you would ever consider taking a linebacker with a top five pick (unless you happened to watch the recent National Championship game and heard Brent Musberger say that McClain watched game film, which then made it okay to draft a MLB with a top five pick). Now it's the we can't draft a LT or DE because we had Carl/Herm take a DT and a OG two drafts ago, and while they haven't panned out performance wise, are playing out of position and are having a negative impact on the overall performance of the Chiefs because of it, we can't possibly look at upgrading either spot because, well, we trust Carl/Herm's talent evaluation process so we are willing to let these players substandard performance slide until it becomes so painfully obvious that they are not producing on the field. Well, other than the purported performance explosion of Branden Albert in the second half of the season (even though he was thoroughly owned in the Buffalo game - and we all know how good Buffalo is), and that Dorsey got a sack against Denver, so he's got to be improving, right? (Albeit his only sack of the entire season.)

Well, I'm here to tell you - **** 'em. They are out of position, playing in the wrong scheme and need to be traded (Dorsey) or reassigned (Albert).

In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Chiefs draft board top ten looked like:

1. Ndamukong Suh
2. Russ Okung
3. Joe Haden
4. Dan Williams
5. Dez Bryant
5. Rolando McClain
6. Eric Berry
7. Jared Odrick
8. Sergio Kindle
9. Jonathan Dwyer
10. Charles Brown

If they keep to their (my) board above, I think that they will be fine with their first round selection.

If their board even remotely resembles that, Clark should fire everyone from Pioli to the ****ing parking attendants.

Then again, it would explain why this organization hasn't won a playoff game in almost two decades.

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Chiefs draft board top ten looked like:

1. Ndamukong Suh
2. Russ Okung
3. Joe Haden
4. Dan Williams
5. Dez Bryant
5. Rolando McClain
6. Eric Berry
7. Jared Odrick
8. Sergio Kindle
9. Jonathan Dwyer
10. Charles Brown

If they keep to their (my) board above, I think that they will be fine with their first round selection.

Why would Suh be on their board but not McCoy? Odrick at #7??

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

10 to 1 that "best player on the board" is Okung.

What truly befuddles me is that it's painfully obvious to most people in the football industry who are objectively analyzing the Chiefs seem to have the general consensus that they desperately need improved play from the LT position. And then you got this board who thinks it's fine and dandy to keep the entire turnstile operation going with the current players because they have the ultimate in trust and undying loyalty for a Carl/Herm project pick at LT.

Anybody who's at all familiar with the team knows that Albert was asked to lose a significant amount of weight, was coached with a focus on technique instead of relying on strength and weight, was put into a new blocking scheme in a new offensive system that was implemented the week before the season started (as a 2nd year pro), and eventually made major strides over the second half of the season.

Unfortunately most people in the football industry who are "objectively analyzing the Chiefs" don't have any clue about any of that.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Why would Suh be on their board but not McCoy? Odrick at #7??

Because Suh and Odrick are prototype five tech players where McCoy is a pure three technique guy. (I wouldn't be surprised if a team like the Lions have McCoy rated over Suh on their board.)

If Odrick is sitting there when the Chiefs pick in the second round, I can pretty much guarantee you that they would pick him. I don't think he'll be there though. I wouldn't put it past McDaniels/Xander to pick him with Denvers first round selection.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Anybody who's at all familiar with the team knows that Albert was asked to lose a significant amount of weight, was coached with a focus on technique instead of relying on strength and weight, was put into a new blocking scheme in a new offensive system that was implemented the week before the season started (as a 2nd year pro), and eventually made major strides over the second half of the season.

Unfortunately most people in the football industry who are "objectively analyzing the Chiefs" don't have any clue about any of that.

I'm sure they do and they are able to understand that Albert is in the wrong system while playing at LT. He's not a zone blocking type of player (at least on the edge), and he doesn't have, or hasn't shown to this point, the reaction time to be effective in that type of scheme. I think he's got enough athleticism at his size to be effective in the phonebooth in Haley's scheme, but not on the edge.

Maybe it's the fear of irony that prevents people from seeing this - that we've given the Raiders so much shit for moving Gallery over, that people around here have called Leonard Davis a bust because he ended up being a Pro Bowl guard instead of a tackle.

But I'll tell you what - I'd rather have an All-Pro guard than a turnstile LT.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

10 to 1 that "best player on the board" is Okung.

What truly befuddles me is that it's painfully obvious to most people in the football industry who are objectively analyzing the Chiefs seem to have the general consensus that they desperately need improved play from the LT position.

They're not objectively analyzing, they're cursorily analyzing. They see that Matt Cassel has been sacked a lot and think that means the Chiefs need better protection on the blindside, when it should be pretty obvious that Matt Cassel takes a lot of sacks no matter how good the protection is. A deeper look at the team reveals that the middle of the defense is wet toilet paper and is the team's biggest problem by far.

[philfree]

FWIW

OTs Okung, Williams have work to do

Thursday, January 21, 2010 | Print Entry


Posted by Scouts Inc.

Offensive tackle, particularly left tackles, are among the most highly-valued prospects in the NFL draft, and now that the Senior Bowl has come and gone without any of our top-ranked tackles taking part it's time to take stock of where they stand.



[+] Enlarge
Scott Boehm/Getty Images

Russell Okung's decision to skip the Senior Bowl could be costly.
We've had some shuffling in our rankings, and Russell Okung (Oklahoma State) and Trent Williams (Oklahoma) opting out of the Senior Bowl was a missed opportunity for the two tackles on our board who are sliding a bit. None of the tackles in attendance in Mobile played well enough to surpass Okung or Williams but good showings there certainly would have firmed up their standing.



Part of the reason their stock has taken a hit is the emergence of juniors Anthony Davis (Rutgers) and Bryan Bulaga, but it's questions raised during our film study that have played the biggest role in Okung and Williams slipping down the board a bit.



Okung gets good hand placement and shows sound footwork once he's engaged with defenders, so he rarely gets beaten once he gets his hands on the defender in either the running game or the passing game. There's also a lot to like about his tenacity and he can be seen on film pancaking defensive ends and linebackers.



However, there is reason to believe Okung won't be as effective in pass protection in the NFL. First, he is not as strong at the top of his pass set as teams would like because at 6-foot-8 he struggles to sink his hips. More importantly, Okung does not appear to have elite foot speed so his footwork will always have to be sound. He also lacks the agility and flexibility Davis has shown.



Holding up against elite NFL edge rushers is an even bigger concern for Williams, who moved from right to left tackle prior to the 2009 season and never looked truly comfortable there. He had problems preventing speed rushers from turning the corner because he is a split second slow getting out of his stance and he doesn't always kick out wide enough to force pass rusher to go through him rather than right around him.



We still think Williams has what to takes to start at right tackle in the NFL but he will have to be protected at times within blocking schemes because he won't always match up well. He is not a franchise left tackle by any means, while Bulaga has shown the quickness in his sets to hold his own on the left side in the NFL.



Davis and Bulaga are virtual first-round locks thanks to their overall skill sets, but a potential fall from the top 10 to the later portion of the first round could cost Okung a whole lot of money. As for Williams, he could still come off the board in the first round because teams are so intent on finding quality tackles, but we see him as an early-second rounder at this point.


Also keep an eye on Maryland's Bruce Campbell and USC's Charles Brown, both of whom are expected to show well at the combine and in individual workouts and could challenge Williams for the No. 4 spot among offensive tackles.
---------------


PhilFree

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

I'm sure they do and they are able to understand that Albert is in the wrong system while playing at LT. He's not a zone blocking type of player (at least on the edge), and he doesn't have, or hasn't shown to this point, the reaction time to be effective in that type of scheme. I think he's got enough athleticism at his size to be effective in the phonebooth in Haley's scheme, but not on the edge.

Maybe it's the fear of irony that prevents people from seeing this - that we've given the Raiders so much shit for moving Gallery over, that people around here have called Leonard Davis a bust because he ended up being a Pro Bowl guard instead of a tackle.

But I'll tell you what - I'd rather have an All-Pro guard than a turnstile LT.

Unfortunately for your argument, he was not a "turnstile LT", not for most of the second half of the year.