Kansas City Chiefs

Overview

The Chiefs were a disaster in Todd Haley’s first season as head coach losing 7 of their first 8 games and finishing the year with a 4-12 record.  The team did show some signs of improvement down the stretch with wins over the Steelers and the Broncos in the second half of the year.  The Chiefs own the fifth pick in the draft.

Assets

Quarterback Matt Cassel struggled quite a bit last season but a lot of that is likely due to not having a lot of weapons around him and an offensive line that struggled to give him any real pass protection.

Dumping Larry Johnson for Jamaal Charles was one of the few personnel moves that did pay off for Haley last season.  Charles made Haley look like a genius by running for 968 yards and 7 touchdowns over the second half of the season.

Dwayne Bowe spent a lot of time in Haley’s dog house last season and missed four games in the middle of the year for taking a banned supplement.  When Bowe is healthy and focused he is one of the best young receivers in the game.

Tamba Hali rebounded from a sub-par ’08 season to notch a career high 8.5 sacks.

Second year corner Brandon Flowers showed marked improvement last season notching career highs with 5 interceptions and 23 passes defensed.  He also stepped up on run defense pacing the team with 5 tackles-for-loss.

Needs/Liabilities

The offensive line is still a bit of a mess.  They allowed 42 sacks last season and Charles had to rely a lot on his speed to pick up yards last season.

The Chiefs used a variety of receivers last season and need to find more stability at the position opposite Bowe.

The team is still searching for a comparable replacement to Tony Gonzalez at tight end.  They will likely never find someone as good, but, surely they can do better than Leonard Pope, Sean Ryan, and Jake O’Connell.

They also need another running back.  Charles is the starter, but, the cupboard is pretty bare after Charles.

The pass rush was better last season but was still severely lacking.  Tyson Jackson was a bit of a disappointment and moving Glen Dorsey to end in the 3-4 front did not produce the desired results either.

Demorrio Williams and Corey Mays are solid a the inside ‘backer positions but neither guy is terribly dynamic.  Neither guy produced a turnover and combined for just 5 tackles-for-loss.

Mike Vrabel has seen better days at OLB and it is probably time to find a long term replacement for him as well.

Flowers and Brandon Carr would be much better corners if the Chiefs had a pair of safeties who could help make plays in pass coverage.  Neither Mike Brown nor Jon McGraw bring much to the table and the Chiefs would do well to upgrade the safety positions.

Bottom Line

Brandon Alberts is a decent left tackle, but, would probably be a great right tackle if the Chiefs chose to move him.  Upgrading the LT spot and moving Alberts to RT would go a long way to stabilize a rather shaky offensive line and give Cassel the protection he needs to succeed.

Rutgers Anthony Davis, Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung, or Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga look to be the front runners to land in Kansas City.

If Eric Berry were to fall to the Chiefs at #5 then he will surely be the guy, but, it seems highly unlikely that will happen.

The Chiefs could also decide to go with Jason Pierre-Paul (South Florida) or Derrick Morgan (Ga Tech) if they decide upgrading the pass rush is the top priority this off season.

Taking Dez Bryant seems like it would be a bit of a reach unless he goes out and starts running sub 4.4 40s in his workouts, and the Chiefs do not need a lead receiver as much as they need someone to compliment Bowe.

The Chiefs own both the 36th and the 50th pick giving them two second round picks.

Safety Nate Allen (South Florida) or receiver Arrelious Benn (Illinois) are likely targets for the Chiefs at 36 if either manages to fall out of the first round.

Clemson end Ricky Sapp is athletic enough to play OLB in a 3-4 defense and would potentially give the pass rush a much needed shot in the arm.

USC safety Taylor Mays is another potential second round pick if he falls out of the first round.  His athleticism may be too much for him to fall that far though.

Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon would give the Chiefs some local cache and they could look to move him inside if they do not think he is athletic enough to succeed Vrabel on the outside.

If the Chiefs pass on a tackle in the first round USC’s Charles Brown would be a likely candidate at 36 as well.

With several wide outs trending to be mid to late second round picks it seems likely the Chiefs would look at taking one with the 50th pick of the draft.  Demaryius Thomas (Ga Tech), Damian Williams (USC), Golden Tate (Notre Dame), and Mike Williams (Syracuse) all could potentially be there for the picking.  Thomas remains the most likely of the bunch to be off the board before then.

LSU safety Chad Jones is a potential pick for the Chiefs at this spot as well.

Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez would be awfully tough for the Chiefs to pass up if he is still on the board at 50.  He is a guy who trends as more of a Shannon Sharpe type than a Tony Gonzalez type though.  Hernandez is closer to one of the hybrid H-back type of tight ends than a traditional TE.

LSU’s Brandon LaFell and Minnesota’s Eric Decker are a pair of receivers trending to be early third round picks and could go to Kansas City with the 68th pick.

Alabama DT Terrence Cody has seen his stock slip a bit and is large enough to man the NT position in a 3-4 defense and would be a good fit for a Chiefs team that ranked near the bottom of the league in stopping the run last year.

Oregon’s Ed Dickson is another tight end who the Chiefs could look at landing in the third round.  Dickson needs to add about 20 pounds or so but he should be able to do so without sacrificing any of his speed or agility.  His overall blocking skills are what are keeping him from being a first or second round pick.