Chiefs: Draft graders need a refresher course

By Mike Ash  |   Thursday, May 03, 2007  |  Comments( 8 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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In the aftermath of the NFL draft, is there anything sillier than the rampant draft grading that goes on? No matter which team you follow, we all see the same scenario unfold every year. Someone who doesn't closely follow a team compiles a list of positions they think need filling for that specific organization. Then the national pundits, people who also tend to lack knowledge on specific teams, use that list and little else to make judgments and hand out their grades.

Of course, none of the grades can take into account how well the drafted players will actually perform at the next level. And, more often than not, it seems like the graders miss the mark anyway. Because of the almighty "need list," many opinions are based more on what a team didn't do than on what it actually accomplished.

The grades the Kansas City Chiefs have been getting this year are an excellent example. Although many have been fair, some reviews have been negative because the team didn't pick more offensive linemen. Most notably, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has heavily criticized the Chiefs' draft because they dared to pass on offensive tackle Joe Staley in Round 1.

When the Chiefs made their initial pick and Kiper delved into his first of many rants on the subject, you had to wonder if he was even aware of the fact that Kansas City signed a new left tackle in free agency. Is that to say that Damion McIntosh is the next Willie Roaf? Of course not. But he's a few steps up from Jordan Black, and the team just signed him to a six-year contract. At least for the moment, Kansas City has addressed that position.

If it's Staley who turns out to be the next coming of Roaf, then maybe the Chiefs will regret their decision one day. But doesn't it make sense to see how McIntosh pans out before immediately drafting his replacement?

The team may choose to focus heavily on the offensive line in next year's draft, but its current unit isn't nearly as depleted as some seem to think. Black has been replaced at left tackle, the ultimate example of addition by subtraction. Pro Bowler Brian Waters will return at left guard and Casey Wiegmann will stay at center. Considering the noticeable decline of the now-retired Will Shields, John Welbourn won't be much of a drop-off at right guard. And, when healthy, Kevin Sampson has been a capable starter at right tackle.

One area of deserved criticism, though, is the lack of cornerbacks the Chiefs drafted. In fact, they didn't take a single one. Yet when it came time to review their draft, hardly anyone outside Kansas City actually noticed. You can't blame the Chiefs for not reaching just to fill a need, but the depth chart behind Ty Law and Patrick Surtain is frighteningly thin. They will almost surely have to pick up a CB or two in free agency before the season starts.

Looking at the players the Chiefs did take this year, their draft appears pretty solid. Four of their seven picks -- Dwayne Bowe, Tank Tyler, Turk McBride and Justin Medlock -- may see immediate playing time in '07.

Bowe could be the upgrade at receiver that the Chiefs have needed for years. A few analysts have remarked that, if not for Calvin Johnson, Bowe might have been considered the cream of the WR crop this year. He wasn't the fastest receiver in the draft, but he's a big, powerful, physical player who seems to enjoy jacking up linebackers just as much as he likes catching touchdown passes.

That type of receiver seems ideally suited for the kind of power running offense that head coach Herm Edwards wants to use. If Bowe can produce the way he did in college, he should be able to take attention off tight end Tony Gonzalez and open up room for running back Larry Johnson. It would be very surprising if he doesn't start his rookie year.

With its second- and third-round picks, Kansas City solidified its defensive line and may have gotten one of the draft's better steals in the process. Tank Tyler was graded by some as a late first- or early second-round pick, but he likely slipped to the third because of character issues. Turk McBride's ability to play both tackle and defensive end made him too appealing to pass up.

The Chiefs added Medlock in the fifth round. After Doug Brien missed two late field goals that would have put the Jets in the 2005 AFC Championship game, Edwards -- New York's former coach -- used his first pick in that year's draft to get himself a new kicker, Mike Nugent, in the second round. He may not have done it quite as early this time around, but it's no surprise that Edwards wanted to address that position after Lawrence Tynes blew an important 23-yard field goal indoors against the Colts in last January's playoffs.

Still, as the first kicker taken, Medlock was one of the more surprising picks of the weekend, considering most seemed to agree that Colorado's Mason Crosby was the best in the draft. But the Chiefs weren't the only team to pass on Crosby, who was expected to be a first-day pick before finally being plucked in the sixth. Reports say he performed rather poorly in pre-draft workouts and his stock fell as a result.

Of course, it remains to be seen just how good these four players will be. But if a team can get instant contributions from a majority of its rookie class, as it appears the Chiefs can, then that's a pretty good draft by anyone's standards.

Except, it seems, Mel Kiper's.

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