FanPost

Chiefs Draft Class Evaluation

Here's my evaluation of the Chief's draft class. in general i really like in and think we have a repeat of the 2010 across-the-board home run. A few moves I did find suspect, but probably not the ones you're thinking of. We really sealed out critical needs in this draft. We upgraded and added depth in areas where it was needed as well. Like Pioli said, I think he did make this a better football team over the weekend. The draft as a whole gets an A- from me.

Round1.

Jon Baldwin - WR

I shot out of my seat in euphoria when his name was announced. This is just an incredible pick that will help the team immensely. Physically Baldwin is everything you could would want in a wide out. Hes massive, strong, very fast, and can jump like a kangaroo. What we've done is created a 15 yard hole in a defense for Matt Cassel(Stanzi?) to throw at. You don't need pinpoint accuracy when you're throwing to a guy like Baldwin who creates such a giant catch radius with his size + leap+ wingspan.Baldwin doesn't get separation in the classic way; he gets it with presence. Flowers said Brandon Marshall is the most difficult guy for hm to cover. Revis said it was the Johnsons of Dallas and Detroit. All of these guys are difficult to cover because even if the corner stays with them well, they will be defeated for the ball. A 5'9-6'1 corner has little recourse against a guy who is 6'5, has the wing span of a g6, and could hurtle them. This is what Baldwin brings to us. He also has 4.4 speed to provide the deep kill on the 9 route. He's got a bad base of sticky hands too. His character concerns seem overstated to me. Everyone is citing an assault charge that was dropped. i just don't see this as the risky pick many people do, unless you're talking about risk to health of opposing DBs.

Value: B round 1-2 prospect taken right in that range. got to move back for him.

Need: A Could not field second NFL caliber WR

Talent: A We have our own Calvin Johnson

Overall: A-

Round 2.

Rodney Hudson - C

He's smart, athletic, and technically sound. That's exactly what we want in a Center in KC. He was assuredly the number 1 C on our board and we were able to get him in a good spot. A lot of prospect rating agencies had him rated as their best C, while some had him rated 2nd or 3rd. The ones that had him lower typically cited scheme restriction as their reason, but were equally cognizant of his immense talent. Luckily for us the scheme restriction issue is a moot point as the scheme in question happens to be a ZBS, which we run. He should not have too bad of a learning curve given his smarts and already well developed technique. My only real complaint with him is the arms. They're shorter than you'd like. It's not so bad for a C, but it really restricts him in the NFL form exploiting his versatility to play G and even T. We're in good shape at C regardless of what happens with Wiegman.

Value: B 2nd rounder and we got him there at the end. Nice value.

Need: A Wiegman is 38

Talent: A Devloped. Fits the team

Overall: A-

Round 3.

Justin Houston - OLB

Wow. If you had told most of us that the Chiefs would nab Houston of draft day would would have presumed it was in the first round. We'd have been pretty happy with it too. He's very strong player with good speed for his size.He was a monster pass rusher in college but I worry about that holding up in the NFL. He won't get away with trying to just steamroll NFL tackles all the time. He will need to develop his technique to keep his college numbers. He's in a good place though. Crennel gets the most out of everyone and he'll have a technician like Hali to absorb from. I'm not concerned with the supposed risk on this pick either. Pot is pretty character neutral to me, and he's a pretty humble guy.

Value: A + The Don raped and pillaged. 1st rounder in the 3rd with a pick we stole from the browns. Holmgren raped.

Need: A Now you can't just stuff out Hali because Vrabel has QB blinders on.

Talent: B Technique technique technique

Overall: A

Allen Bailey - DE?

I had a feeling they liked him. He's got what you could interpret as versatility if you're being optimistic. A pessimist would say he plays everywhere because he fits nowhere. Pioli admitted that Bailey doesn't have one place on the team where he fits cleanly. They intend to use him as a Gilberry style nickle rusher and swing DE. Pioli gave OLB as an option too. Basically they will throw him at every wall and see which one he sticks to. That's fine and all, but I don't think you do it with a third round pick. I would have rather had a guy who can contribute today with this pick than a speculation on an athlete you haven't a good idea what to do with.

Value: B+ 2-3 rounder. we got him late in the 3rd.

Need: C DE was not a first tier need. Depth was an issue

Talent: C+ Talented athlete? oh yes. talented DE......?

Overall: C+

Round 4.

Jalil Brown - CB

I was turned off bu this pick initially. We still had needs that I thought we should have addressed. I've come around on this pick for two reasons. First, I really value the CB position and think you should take one in most drafts. Secondly, the rest of our draft worked out in such a way that this ended up being less of a luxury that I initially thought. Brown as a player seems to be the unknown right now. What I come across on him is very polar one way or the other. I've seen him praised as better than Jimmy Smith and I've seen him described as slow and amiss in coverage. What's the truth? I don't know, but inconsistency may be at play here. That was a common thing I read about him, so maybe the Chiefs think they can harness his ceiling. He's another utility guy as well. He's been projected at safety so he should be able to play all over a defensive backfield.

Value: B The draftniks thought we got him at the right time. could have gone earlier in the round.

Need: B- We're locked up with great starters. depth has been a serious issue in the secondary

Talent: C Hard to gauge. Looks like a hi- lo player. KC obviously liked something though.

Overall: C+

Round 5.

Ricky Stanzi - QB

I know AP was electric when we picked the Hawkeye, but I was underwhelmed. When evaluating a QB prospect, there is an eyeball test they should pass. Squint your eyes as you watch the tape and see if you could believe that you're watching a pro QB. For me Stanzi passes, but not by a big margin. He possess a textbook release that I imagine scouts were enamored with. Its pithy and over the top. It reminds me Manning's release actually (though his release point is higher). His footwork is the pocket looks good to me(i've heard complaints). He goes through his reads in a well coached manner. Arm strength is fine. Throws a very catch-able ball. Nice Frame. Can improvise on the move.He does have some concerning red flags thought. His decision making is very iffy. He strikes me as interception prone downfield. His accuracy isn't there on the long balls. He underthrows with regularity. Missed the out route shallow too often(thought this is one of the hardest throws to make, especially for a touch passer) He will need to be given lots of intermediate routes. Footwork is garbage on the move. His accuracy problems concern me because it appears like an innate thing. Usually you get downfield accuracy issues due to: Bad planting, weak arm, or small hands. He suffers from none of these. His hands are big for his size actually (10in) I'm given great pause by his accuracy and decision making problems. Greg McElroy was on the board and I rate him a superior QB. He has fabulous accuracy and is a great decision maker. He diced up SEC competition. Complain about his height and arm strength all you want, but he's got what counts. Don't be too shocked when he wrestled Sanchez's job from him. As for Stanzi, he's very boom or bust to me.

Value: A Surprising he slipped to us in the 5th

Need: A- We really need a backup QB with the talent to at least push Cassel

Talent: C Kiper says he'll be the best QB of the class. I'm hopeful but doubtful

Overall: B

Gabe Miller - DE/LB/TE/FB/ST

Hmm.I imagine Pioli was sitting in the war room congratulating himself on this one. He probably thinks he snatched a huge talent from everyone that didn't do the HW he did. I hope its right. We certainly got a ridiculous athlete with this kid. His size/Speed ration is slightly better than Houston's. Very Fast, very strong. Buzzsaw type guy as LB. Got to the passer a lot at Oregon St. He can play TE/H-B on offense as well. Pioli has to love the off-the-chart measurables, attitude, and versatility. Now the question is can he hold up in the NFL? Just a workout warrior? All unknowns. I Don't like that we overlooked guys like Herzlich, Steven Friday, Willie Smith, and Greg Romeus. All were on the board, would fill a need, are were productive players.

Value: F No one had a draftable grade on him. If you're set on locking him up trade the fifth for a couple sevenths.

Need: C We have depth at OLB. Maybe he's an ILB. TE? None are giant needs really.

Talent: C Has the measureables all day but obviously most scouts did't see an NFL player.

Overall: D+

Round 6

Jerrell Powe NT

I have concerns about Powe that I will get to, but first I must dismiss a phantom problem. Jerrel Powe gets accused of being stupid. Mr. Powe is in fact Dyslexic. I am quite dyslexic myself, so let me tell you that while it is a hurdle academically, it's not a matter of intellect. He won't have a problem learning a playbook like has been asserted. He will have a few minor issues, but they won't be crippling. I'm sure Kalo will be grading his play at some point next season and think to himself "That was clearly not his assigned gap". Dyslexic people have an awful time with directionality (right-left) so i can see him being told to fill the gap to his right and proceed to do it backwards. Anything that is linear or strictly ordered is problematic for dyslexics. It's the reason I've had to go back and re-spell 30% of the words I've typed herein. My point is that he's a NT. They don't do much sentence diagramming and calculus. He will have the occasional "oops" but I assure you he's not stupid. My realy problem with Powe is that i fear he lacks true anchor strength. He only put up 27 reps as the combine. For reference, Houston did 30, and McCluster did 22. 30 is typically viewed as the bar for NT anchor strength. I don't like to get caught up in measurables, but its a pretty clear delineation for current players.

Value: A+ Powe in the sixth!?!?

Need: A+ The last missing puzzle piece has been found.

Talent: B- He played well at Ole Miss but can he anchor in the NFL?

Overall: A

Round 7.

Shane Bannon - FB

This is a cool pick to me. He'll probably come in and start immediately. He has the diversity of talent to like up all over the offense. Rob Rang said "he's not the type of athlete that can succeed in the nfl." Really now? He's huge, strong, quick, can run the ball, and has great hands. Oh he's a nasty blocker too. Seems like a nice guy to have prowling around your offense.

Value: C probably a UDFA but given the labor situation, Locking him up makes sense.

Need: C We have fullbacks but he seems like an upgrade

Talent: B Looks good on paper

Overall B-

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.