Kansas City Chiefs Post Draft Commentary

The Chiefs were once again a disappointment as they finished with only 2 games. Such futility led to removal of Carl Peterson and Herman Edwards. The Chiefs have seen a quite a few changes since new GM Scott Pioli has taken control of the Franchise. Matt Cassel has been brought in to guide the offense along with new Head Coach Todd Haley and the defense will be switching to a 3-4 scheme.

The problems for the Chiefs are numerous and one draft will not cure all of them. Perhaps the area that is worst off is the defensive line. I say this as I do not believe there are many players amongst the group that adequately fit the needs of a 3-4 front. The team drafted Tyson Jackson at #3 overall; which says a great deal about how the front office feels about their depth. Coupled with the selection of Alex Magee in Round 3 it is clear that a change in personnel along the front is inevitable. The safest member of the old regime up front may be Glenn Dorsey, but that is due to the cap hit if he were to be moved. However, if the team could get an offer that would make the hit palatable I think Dorsey would be on his way out of Kansas City.

The Chiefs lack a great deal of pass rushers and I am surprised the team did not use one selection on a conversion candidate to help bolster the unit. Clancy Pendergast’s ability to bring pressure from a schematics standpoint will be tested this season. Tamba Hali is the team’s best pass rusher, and he is not expected to generate more than 5-8 sacks at best. Outside of Hali, the well is dry and this lack of a pass rush may end up holding the Chiefs back from improving their record. The team added several veterans in the hopes of providing depth and quality to the inside linebacking corp in the form of Zach Thomas and Monty Beisel but neither player is a truly adequate measure. Look for the Chiefs to scour the waiver wire in the hopes of adding talent to both the inside and outside linebacker spot. The secondary is adequate, but could still use more playmakers as there is a lack of depth after the starters. The Chiefs did add Donald Washington to the mix, but that may not be enough to make the unit as good as it needs to be.

The Chiefs did not have too many issues offensively other than right tackle and wide receiver. The Chiefs elected to wait until the 5th round to try and address their issues along the offensive line in the form of Colin Brown, but there is still insecurity at left guard with the trade request of Brian Watters. The Chiefs did not select a guard, unless they plan on kicking Damion McIntosh inside to the position. The Chiefs did add veteran Bobby Engram to the group of receivers, but Dwayne Bowe could use more help with him. The Chiefs elected to use two draft choices on the position in an effort to improve the bottom half of the depth chart. Hopefully one of these two players works out as the Chiefs do not have much after Bowe and Bradley, even with the aging Engram in the fold.

The Chiefs have many holes to fill, coupled with the switch in defensive philosophies and it is clear that the team cannot be fixed in a one or two year time period. The team could improve as the other teams in the division did not help themselves a great deal either but there is still too much ground to make up. The Chiefs will likely be selecting in the Top 10 again next year as their lack of quality linebackers, a true nose tackle and issues along the offensive line should all influence the Chiefs final win total. The Chiefs will in all likelihood have to wait until year two under Pioli to see any marked improvement just given the lack of quality amongst the front 7 seven on defense. I cannot see the team winning more than 5, possibly 6 games at best next year, which is unfortunate given the loyalty and quality of the fan base in Kansas City.

Pre Draft Needs: DL, OL, CB, LB, WR, S