Jump to content

Draft review of Chiefs- our first opponent


faba

Recommended Posts

June 15, 2005

Kansas City Chiefs '05 Draft Review

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scott Wright

President, NFL Draft Countdown

It is no secret what has been holding this team back: Defense. With that in mind the franchise thought that by keeping the same players and merely bringing in a new defensive coordinator things would get better in 2004. Think again. In fact, things got worse so this offseason the team has made a concerted effort to bring in playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. The question now is will these new cogs be able to gel in time for the team to make a serious Super Bowl run in 2005.

There was little doubt which side of the ball the Chiefs would look to in round one and while they missed out on the guy they apparently had targeting in Thomas Davis they still did pretty well for themselves. Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson is a playmaker in every sense of the word and few can go sideline-to-sideline as well as he can. In fact, the only reason he dropped all the way to #15 overall is because some felt he would struggle to take on blocks at the next level. While that may be true, if the Chiefs defensive line can keep blockers off of him and let him do what he does best the guy has the talent to be a Pro Bowler. For a team so desperately in need of playmakers on defense things really couldn't have worked out much better for them in the first round in my opinion.

After trading their 2nd round pick to Miami for Patrick Surtain the Chiefs had only one other first day pick, which they used on Tennessee punter Dustin Colquitt. One of the best punters to come along in years, this guy is the real deal and was well deserving of being picked as high as he was, and maybe even higher. Look for him to be a major weapon in the field position game right away. Then in round four Kansas City addressed their need at wide receiver by choosing Florida St.'s Craphonso Thorpe. A guy with good height and great speed, Thorpe needs to bulk up a little but could add a playmaking dimension to the offense that they lack outside.

In the middle rounds the Chiefs opted to add more depth to their defense, bringing in a lineman, linebacker and defensive back. With one of their two picks in round five they chose Illinois St. linebacker Boomer Grigsby, a small school sleeper who was extremely productive at his level. Also in round five they selected Miami (OH) cornerback Alphonso Hodge, a guy who has excellent physical tools but doesn't really have the production to match them. Next came Baylor defensive end Khari Long in round six, a bit of an undersized 'tweener who will likely contribute as a situational pass rusher. Look for all three of these guys to add depth initially and be developed for the future.

Late in the draft the Chiefs brought in a couple of offensive lineman as well as a developmental signal caller for the future. Stanford's Will Svitek played defensive end in college but will be moved to the offensive line at the pro level. He is obviously very raw and could be ticketed for the practice squad early in his career. Southern Miss offensive tackle Jeremy Parquet had the talent to go much earlier but doesn't always play with consistent effort. I wouldn't be surprised to see him develop for them down the road though and possibly turn out to be a steal. In round seven the team brought in Tulsa quarterback James Kilian, who will serve as the #3 man in 2005, if he is able to make the squad.

When looking at the Chiefs draft the conversation essentially starts and ends with their first two picks, Johnson and Colquitt. These two should make immediate contributions as rookies and along with the likes of Patrick Surtain, Kendrell Bell, and Carlos Hall will help form a much-improved defensive unit in 2005. Will it be enough? That remains to be seen, but at least they made a positive step forward and are now on the right track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Chiefs will still suck, IMO. They still can't stop the run (Johnson is soft and doesn't play the run well), and while I liked the trade for Surtain, their safeties are still the slowest in the league.

They got significantly worse at WR, and Priest Holmes is a year older and they just lost his back-up to us. IMO, the CHiefs will be lucky to nab 6 wins this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Chiefs will still suck, IMO. They still can't stop the run (Johnson is soft and doesn't play the run well), and while I liked the trade for Surtain, their safeties are still the slowest in the league.

They got significantly worse at WR, and Priest Holmes is a year older and they just lost his back-up to us. IMO, the CHiefs will be lucky to nab 6 wins this year.

I like your way of thinking & hope you're right. I do think vilma is the exception to the rule as far as 1st year linebackers go & I don't expect much from johnson either

Link to comment
Share on other sites

surtain was a good pickup, no doubt about it.

But in that crazy defensive blitzing scheme they need a good dline and they just don't have 1.

derrick johnson might have been a huge steal at 15.

Keep in mind they also signed miami safety sammy knight, but as we all know, he can be beaten deep. He plays the run well and hits hard.

We should beat the chiefs if we stop priest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i know it's june and too early to tell anything, but this is will be a huge game for the jets. nobody outside of ny will pick them to win - they will be 4.5-6 point underdogs. a win like this would be a great start to the season and immediately establish ny as contenders.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one is mentioning that the Chiefs also added Kendrell Bell. With a career year, he can offset the loss of Monty Beisel.

Thats right. Totally forgot about Kendrell Bell. He's a good player.

But I still say we'll have our way with that defense in the run game and in the pass game. Gunther Cunningham looked like a complete fool last year calling his defense IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jay Fiedler will start the game as Chad continues his <gasp!> rehab, and throws two picks. The Jets lose 24-17. Curtis Martin: 27 carries, 76 yards.

No way Curtis gets 27 carries. Here's how it will go:

Herm: Hey, Heimydingy, Curtis wants 30 carries today, so make sure to save room in the play-calling for that right?

Dinger: Who the hell are you? SECURITY!!!

{2 security officers arrive to remove Edwards from the stadium}

Herm: Hey, get your grubby hands off of me! I'm the head coach of this team!

security guard: Yeah, right. If you're the head coach, why don't you have any control over your two assistants? And why are you wearing that Patriots shirt?

{laughter}

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No way Curtis gets 27 carries. Here's how it will go:

Herm: Hey, Heimydingy, Curtis wants 30 carries today, so make sure to save room in the play-calling for that right?

Dinger: Who the hell are you? SECURITY!!!

{2 security officers arrive to remove Edwards from the stadium}

Herm: Hey, get your grubby hands off of me! I'm the head coach of this team!

security guard: Yeah, right. If you're the head coach, why don't you have any control over your two assistants? And why are you wearing that Patriots shirt?

{laughter}

80, fake conversations are my shtick. Do you mind? Scumbag?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

80, fake conversations are my shtick. Do you mind? Scumbag?

Hey, I've given you plenty of opportunities to jump in and do fake conversations lately. The door was left wide open for you in the "Herm on ESPN the Radio" thread, but you blew it, like, say, every man you know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...