Your Top 5 picks for the #3 overall.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by H5N1

not sure where you're going with this one, dude. kyle turley was the seventh overall pick in the first round in 1998. so, technically, they had two tackles who were first round (and even top ten) picks. sure got them a long way, didn't it?

I misread the original post. You'll notice I addressed it in the post right before yours.

They took Chris Naole at #10 overall the year after Turley as a guard.

And they won nothing.

[Ebolapox]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I misread the original post. You'll notice I addressed it in the post right before yours.

They took Chris Naole at #10 overall the year after Turley as a guard.

And they won nothing.

yeah, I was a bit too slow on the typing front.

kinda sad, though, that some will never learn--you don't HAVE to have a premium offensive line to win in the nfl. we have, what, HOW many playoff wins with several stretches where our offensive line was all-world?

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I misread the original post. You'll notice I addressed it in the post right before yours.

They took Chris Naole at #10 overall the year after Turley as a guard.

And they won nothing.

The days of Danny Wuerfeul and Aaron Brooks at QB.

[htismaqe]

**** me, you said the SAINTS.

So they drafted Turley in 1998 and drafted G Chris Naole at #10 overall in 1999. They basically did what alot of people here want us to do.

And what happened is exactly what will happen with Albert - the Saints couldn't get Turley to agree to a contract after his 1st was up and he forced a trade to the Rams. During the years that those guys all played together, the Saints managed to peak at 10th in point and 13th in yards. They had losing seasons in 3 out of the 5 and made the playoffs only once.

Hardly a dynasty.

[KCChiefsMan]

I can live with Curry or Crabtree. Besides Stafford and Sanchez, I dont see any other option at #3. I really really hope we trade down and pick up one of them middle linebackers and get a 2nd round pick or something

[BigChiefFan]

I think some of you could be a little more open-minded. Read this older article that shows the OTHER SIDE of the argument...


Chris Malumphy at [email protected].

Saturday, February 04, 2006
Steelers and Seahawks Used High Draft Picks to Build Strong Offensive Lines
If you want to understand how the most successful franchises use the draft to build their teams, a good place to start is to analyze the starting units of the Super Bowl contestants. Both the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers have starting lineups whose trenches are more often manned by high draft picks than are the so called skill positions. In short, winning football is played by real men, not by tippy-toed, small, finesse players.

The Seattle Seahawks will likely start seven first round draft choices in the Super Bowl (four on offense and three on defense) while the Pittsburgh Steelers will send eight first round starters onto the field (5 on offense and 3 on defense). But you may be surprised at the positions those high draft choices play. Not one is a wide receiver. Only two of the eight defensive backfield starters are first rounders, cornerback Marcus Trufant of the Seahawks and hard-hitting safety Troy Polamulu of the Steelers, who plays almost like an additional linebacker. The Seahawks and Steelers each have only one skill position player on offensive drafted in round one, running back Shaun Alexander for Seattle and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for Pittsburgh.

Both the Steelers and the Seahawks have focused on building strong lines through the draft. On offense, Pittsburgh will start three linemen drafted in the first round (guards Alan Faneca and Kendall Simmons and center Jeff Hartings, who was actually drafted by the Lions). Toss in tight end Heath Miller and four of the six front-line blockers are first round picks. Then note that left tackle Marvel Smith was taken with the seventh pick in round two and you'll truly realize where the draft focus of the Steelers has been the past decade. Seattle also expended top picks to build the left side of the line to protect Matt Hasselbeck's backside and to clear half the field for the running of Shaun Alexander. Perennial all-pro left tackle Walter Jones, perhaps the best in the business, was taken with the sixth pick of the 1997 draft. His sidekick, left guard Steve Hutchinson was taken with the 17th pick of the first round in 2001. Toss in tight end Jerramy Stevens and three of the six members of the offensive line are first rounders.

Amazingly, there have only been 10 guards taken in the first round of the draft since 1996, about one per year, two of whom have been switched to center and one to tackle. More amazingly, four of the 10 will be playing in the Super Bowl this year (Hutchinson for the Seahawks and Faneca, Simmons and Hartings, who will be playing center, for the Steelers). Even yet more amazingly, two of the remaining six (Jermane Mayberry of the Eagles and Ross Verba who was drafted by the Packers and later played tackle for the Browns) also played in the Super Bowl.

The only guards drafted in the first round in the past decade who have not gone to the Super Bowl are Chris Naeole, Pete Kendall, Vernon Carey and Logan Mankins. Naeole was picked by the Saints in 1997 and is now playing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team with reasonable Super Bowl aspirations. Kendall was drafted by the Seahawks in 1996 and now plays center for the Jets. Vernon Carey was drafted by the Dolphins in 2004, another team that can easily be envisioned as a Super Bowl participant in the next few years if they can improve at quarterback. Mankins was drafted with the last pick of round one in 2005 and contributed to the Patriots' second-half surge that led to the playoffs after the team was decimated earlier in the season by injuries.

The focus of this year's Super Bowl contestants on amassing high draft picks to man the offensive line is in sharp contrast to the fact that in recent years there have been more defensive backs and wide receivers taken in the first round than any other position. During the past five drafts the first round picks have included: 29 defensive backs, 25 wide receivers, 21 defensive ends, 20 defensive tackles, 15 quarterbacks, 14 tackles, 13 running backs, eight tight ends, eight linebackers, four guards and two centers. In each of those years, either defensive back or wide receiver was the position with the most players selected in round one. (Defensive end tied defensive backs with six picks each in 2003).

On defensive, there are also a few surprises. Both the Steelers and the Seahwaks have formidable defenses. In the AFC, only the Indianapolis Colts allowed fewer points than the Steelers. In the NFC, only the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers allowed fewer points than the Seahawks. Yet both the Steelers and the Seahawks have fewer first round starters on defense than on offense.

The Seahawks will play a 4-3 defense with first round draft picks Marcuss Tubbs and Grant Wistrom on the line and Marcus Trufant in the defensive backfield. The Steelers will counter with a 3-4 defense with one first rounders Casey Hampton at nose tackle, James Farrior at inside linebacker (originally drafted by the Jets) and Troy Polamalu at safety.

Now don't get the impression that the Steelers and the Seahawks are infallible in their draft selections or that they have a consistent strategy that sets them apart from all other teams. We know that isn't true because they have both made first round selections that just haven't worked out for the team and that have been inconsistent with the idea that they have focused entirely on using high picks to build their lines. The Steelers, for instance, expended first round picks on wide receivers Troy Edwards (1999) and Plexico Burress (2000) and defensive back Chad Scott (1997). Those picks never paid big dividends for Pittsburgh. The Seahawks missed badly when they selected wide receiver Koren Robinson with the ninth pick in 2001 and never made it very far with defensive back Shawn Springs, the third pick in 1997, who is an all-pro player who eventually became too expensive for the Seahawks to keep. The Seahawks also didn't receive any benefit from drafting tackle Chris McIntosh with the 22nd pick in 2000.

Nevertheless, it would be wise for teams with Super Bowl aspirations to note that this year's Super Bowl teams are built around high draft picks on the offensive lines and that the defensive line has not been overlooked either.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by BigChiefFan

I think some of you could be a little more open-minded. Read this older article that shows the OTHER SIDE of the argument...


Chris Malumphy at [email protected].

Saturday, February 04, 2006
Steelers and Seahawks Used High Draft Picks to Build Strong Offensive Lines
If you want to understand how the most successful franchises use the draft to build their teams, a good place to start is to analyze the starting units of the Super Bowl contestants. Both the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers have starting lineups whose trenches are more often manned by high draft picks than are the so called skill positions. In short, winning football is played by real men, not by tippy-toed, small, finesse players.

The Seattle Seahawks will likely start seven first round draft choices in the Super Bowl (four on offense and three on defense) while the Pittsburgh Steelers will send eight first round starters onto the field (5 on offense and 3 on defense). But you may be surprised at the positions those high draft choices play. Not one is a wide receiver. Only two of the eight defensive backfield starters are first rounders, cornerback Marcus Trufant of the Seahawks and hard-hitting safety Troy Polamulu of the Steelers, who plays almost like an additional linebacker. The Seahawks and Steelers each have only one skill position player on offensive drafted in round one, running back Shaun Alexander for Seattle and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for Pittsburgh.

Both the Steelers and the Seahawks have focused on building strong lines through the draft. On offense, Pittsburgh will start three linemen drafted in the first round (guards Alan Faneca and Kendall Simmons and center Jeff Hartings, who was actually drafted by the Lions). Toss in tight end Heath Miller and four of the six front-line blockers are first round picks. Then note that left tackle Marvel Smith was taken with the seventh pick in round two and you'll truly realize where the draft focus of the Steelers has been the past decade. Seattle also expended top picks to build the left side of the line to protect Matt Hasselbeck's backside and to clear half the field for the running of Shaun Alexander. Perennial all-pro left tackle Walter Jones, perhaps the best in the business, was taken with the sixth pick of the 1997 draft. His sidekick, left guard Steve Hutchinson was taken with the 17th pick of the first round in 2001. Toss in tight end Jerramy Stevens and three of the six members of the offensive line are first rounders.

Amazingly, there have only been 10 guards taken in the first round of the draft since 1996, about one per year, two of whom have been switched to center and one to tackle. More amazingly, four of the 10 will be playing in the Super Bowl this year (Hutchinson for the Seahawks and Faneca, Simmons and Hartings, who will be playing center, for the Steelers). Even yet more amazingly, two of the remaining six (Jermane Mayberry of the Eagles and Ross Verba who was drafted by the Packers and later played tackle for the Browns) also played in the Super Bowl.

The only guards drafted in the first round in the past decade who have not gone to the Super Bowl are Chris Naeole, Pete Kendall, Vernon Carey and Logan Mankins. Naeole was picked by the Saints in 1997 and is now playing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team with reasonable Super Bowl aspirations. Kendall was drafted by the Seahawks in 1996 and now plays center for the Jets. Vernon Carey was drafted by the Dolphins in 2004, another team that can easily be envisioned as a Super Bowl participant in the next few years if they can improve at quarterback. Mankins was drafted with the last pick of round one in 2005 and contributed to the Patriots' second-half surge that led to the playoffs after the team was decimated earlier in the season by injuries.

The focus of this year's Super Bowl contestants on amassing high draft picks to man the offensive line is in sharp contrast to the fact that in recent years there have been more defensive backs and wide receivers taken in the first round than any other position. During the past five drafts the first round picks have included: 29 defensive backs, 25 wide receivers, 21 defensive ends, 20 defensive tackles, 15 quarterbacks, 14 tackles, 13 running backs, eight tight ends, eight linebackers, four guards and two centers. In each of those years, either defensive back or wide receiver was the position with the most players selected in round one. (Defensive end tied defensive backs with six picks each in 2003).

On defensive, there are also a few surprises. Both the Steelers and the Seahwaks have formidable defenses. In the AFC, only the Indianapolis Colts allowed fewer points than the Steelers. In the NFC, only the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers allowed fewer points than the Seahawks. Yet both the Steelers and the Seahawks have fewer first round starters on defense than on offense.

The Seahawks will play a 4-3 defense with first round draft picks Marcuss Tubbs and Grant Wistrom on the line and Marcus Trufant in the defensive backfield. The Steelers will counter with a 3-4 defense with one first rounders Casey Hampton at nose tackle, James Farrior at inside linebacker (originally drafted by the Jets) and Troy Polamalu at safety.

Now don't get the impression that the Steelers and the Seahawks are infallible in their draft selections or that they have a consistent strategy that sets them apart from all other teams. We know that isn't true because they have both made first round selections that just haven't worked out for the team and that have been inconsistent with the idea that they have focused entirely on using high picks to build their lines. The Steelers, for instance, expended first round picks on wide receivers Troy Edwards (1999) and Plexico Burress (2000) and defensive back Chad Scott (1997). Those picks never paid big dividends for Pittsburgh. The Seahawks missed badly when they selected wide receiver Koren Robinson with the ninth pick in 2001 and never made it very far with defensive back Shawn Springs, the third pick in 1997, who is an all-pro player who eventually became too expensive for the Seahawks to keep. The Seahawks also didn't receive any benefit from drafting tackle Chris McIntosh with the 22nd pick in 2000.

Nevertheless, it would be wise for teams with Super Bowl aspirations to note that this year's Super Bowl teams are built around high draft picks on the offensive lines and that the defensive line has not been overlooked either.

That's good read. Haley? Pittsburgh? I wouldn't count out the Chiefs picking an OT in the 1st and that's even if they trade down. If they go that route IMO Andre Smith would be the best pick for the Chiefs to mkae the O line the best. I know you don't draft RTs in the top 10. Don't tell me tell Pioli.

PhilFree

[BigChiefFan]

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80f8d4df

[beach tribe]

Stafford
Raji
Brown
Orakpo
Curry

[eazyb81]

I have come to realize that I will most likely be disappointed in who we use our #3 pick on, so now I'm attempting to focus on who I will be least disappointed in.

Raji would fill a much needed role in the 3-4, so despite the fact it might be a reach, I'd be fine with the pick. Sadly, I'm also starting to warm up to taking Monroe, because he reminds me a lot of Walter Jones and I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have two elite tackles. Like Raji, Brown would fill a much needed role, but it would be a pretty big reach because he's not close to being Ware or Merriman.

I really, really don't want Curry. I would have been okay with it if we were still going to run a 4-3, but using a top 3 pick on a 3-4 ILB would be a massive waste of a pick, IMO.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

I really, really don't want Curry. I would have been okay with it if we were still going to run a 4-3, but using a top 3 pick on a 3-4 ILB would be a massive waste of a pick, IMO.

As much as I'd hate it, I'd rather have Curry over Monroe.

The Chiefs don't need another left tackle. They do need linebackers.

But I'd only take Curry if Stafford and Sanchez are gone.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

As much as I'd hate it, I'd rather have Curry over Monroe.

The Chiefs don't need another left tackle. They do need linebackers.

But I'd only take Curry if Stafford and Sanchez are gone.

I'd take Crabtree if it meant passing on another LT.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I'd take Crabtree if it meant passing on another LT.

Me too, but like you with Curry, I'd hold my nose while doing so.

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I'd take Crabtree if it meant passing on another LT.

I wouldn't hate that choice, but I think Monroe or Smith would be much better value at 3 than Crabtree.

We would end up moving Albert to guard or RT so it would decrease the value of that choice last year, but I think the overall combo there would be more valuable than taking a small possession WR with a top 3 pick.