Thoughts on the Chiefs 2010 Draft, Free Agency (More Berry Mania!)

     First off, I'd like to say that this is my very first Fan Post on Arrowhead Pride.  I'm beyond excited that I came across this page a while back, and get to interact with die hard Chiefs fans from all across the nation that are as knowledgeable, and at many times, more knowledgeable about our Chiefs than I am myself.

     With that being said, with the 2010 Draft approaching I thought it would be interesting to write about some thoughts I have regarding the Chiefs, including the draft and free agency.

After the jump, I'll throw out a few ideas of mine regarding the draft. Some of them are probably ideas that you have heard before, but I still believe they are worth reading.  Feel free to read them, critique them, tear them apart. Constructive criticism is always a good thing in my book. Or just feel free to let me know your thoughts on free agency, the draft, etc,  and what direction you feel the Chiefs should go in regards to them.

1. I know this is going to sound like beating the dead horse, but I truly believe that if Eric Berry falls to us, we need to draft him. The kid is a super talent, he fills a need for us, from all accounts he is a great person, and he will excite the fan base (all the proof you need to prove this last opinion is to look here). Now I understand safety is not perceived as our "biggest need." I understand this. But it is my belief that players like Berry don't come along very often, and at the top of the draft I want a play maker that can be a force on this team for years to come. I believe Eric Berry is that kind of player. I believe if he's there at five he'll be head and shoulders the best prospect left on the board. So, if Berry IS there, I feel we must draft the guy.

2. I don't believe we'll be able to trade out of the 5 spot in the draft. I just feel like there won't be a quarterback teams will feel comfortable enough with to want to trade up into the top 5 to nab one of them. So I think we are stuck at 5, and if Berry is not available with that pick, I think that will leave things wide open as far as to who we will draft, although my gut instinct is to think we will draft OT if Berry is gone. I would be happy with a number of players at that spot. However, if Berry is gone, my perfect scenario would be to trade down to around the 10th pick or so in the draft, and then pick up someone along the lines of McClain (great fit for the 3-4), Haden (40 time doesn't bother me one bit), or one of the OT prospects still on the board. Dez Bryant's talent suggests we should be happy to land him as well, but I'm not big on guys with character issues, and neither are Pioli/Haley, so I think we'll pass on him. I'd love to team him up with Bowe, and Chambers, but all you need to do is look at Brandon Marshall to realize that talent is only half the equation in what makes a great player. Not saying that Dez will turn into Brandon Marshall as far as off the field issues go, but there's a good chance it could happen based off what we know about the kid already.

                                        Will Dez Bryant become Brandon Marshall version 2.0?

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3. I think one thing that we have to keep in mind is that the Chiefs have a lot of holes to fill (WR, S, LB, DT, OL), and that we are not going to be able to fill all of these positions all in one draft or one free agency signing period. It's  going to be a process that takes a few years, but we are slowly but surely laying the foundation for a great team. So with that being said, I'm not going to be too upset when we aren't able to fill all of our needs this year. It's just not going to happen. My hope is that we keep moving forward, building primarily through the draft, and keep making wise free agent pickups if they come at the right price. Which brings me to my next thought;

4.I've been very pleased with the signings we have made in free agency thus far, particularly the Thomas Jones signing, which I think was a steal. When you look at the fact that Chester Taylor (backup running back with the Vikings) will be getting paid around $7 million dollars a year from the Bears, you realize how great of a deal we got on Jones (third leading rusher in the NFL last year) for $2.5 million a year. Also, the fact that we convinced Jones to sign a contract that only runs for two years is amazing. I feel completely confident that Jones could have went somewhere else for more money, and for a longer deal, but he came to Kansas City anyways, which speaks well to the idea that we are headed in the right direction.

5. I'm hoping we try and sign Ryan Lilja. I think he's a player that could come in and really help shore up our offensive line. I'm not saying that we shouldn't draft O-Line prospects as well because I believe that we should, but I think Lilja would be a considerable upgrade to our line who is in the prime of his career.

6. I'm not too upset about us not trading for Anquan Boldin.  It's not that I don't think Boldin isn't a very good player because he is. It's not that I don't think he could have helped bolster our WR corps, because he definitely would have done that. Actually, I would have liked to acquire Boldin, but I understand there comes a point where you have to be able to walk away from a potential trade, just like Pioli did in this situation. Personally, I'm glad that we will not be paying Boldin $7 million dollars a year over the course of the next four years for a couple of reasons. One; he's had a history of injuries over the years, and two; he's going to be 30 years old this upcoming season, and at some point in time the wheels are going to come off. Now I know you are probably thinking "Well what about the fact that we just resigned Chris Chambers? He's already 31 years old!" I understand this, but there's one big difference between Boldin and Chambers, and that is the fact that Chambers is a deep threat where as Boldin is a more of a possession receiver, and we already have a possession receiver named Dwayne Bowe. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I wouldn't have liked to have Boldin. I'm just saying that I won't lose sleep over it, because we already have a receiver like him in Bowe (if Dwayne could start catching the easy passes), and Chambers is a deep threat WR. We don't have any other receiver on our roster that I would consider a deep threat WR, thus, I understand why Chambers was a priority over Boldin.  Here's to hoping that Golden Tate will  fall to us with our 2A pick in the draft.

Well, there you have it. Those are a few of my thoughts on the Chiefs' off season thus far. Looking forward to some input from my fellow Arrowhead Pride followers.