Looking at Scott Pioli's Draft Record in KC

Well, this is about the time of year that I realize there is only 1 football game left and I go into a mild depression. What I do to cope with this is look at things like mock drafts, free agents, etc. Anyways, I have been looking at a few of the past Chiefs drafts, and decided to post about it. Hope you learn something, or at least find this entertaining. First FanPost by the way!

Tyson Jackson, Alex Magee, Donald Washington, Colin Brown, Quintin Lawrence, Javarris Williams, Jake O'Connell, Ryan Succop

The more I look at this, the more depressing it is. Just about every pick in this draft hasn't worked out. Succop is probably the only player who has exceeded expectations. He has developed into a solid kicker for the Chiefs. Jackson, Washington, Lawrence, O'Connell, and Succop are the only players left on the roster. Jackson is the only starter (not counting Succop).

The interesting player from this draft is Tyson Jackson. I know most fans in KC hate the pick. For the first two years, I completely understand. Even to this day, it is still probably a reach. But, I think Tyson Jackson has developed into a good player. He was, in my opinion, the best Defensive Lineman for the Chiefs this year. Jackson was constantly eating up double teams, and finally started making plays consistently this season. He even was getting pressure on the QB, although that was only occasionally. I remember ProFootballFocus had him rated as one of the best 3-4 DEs in the NFL this year. I think that says alot. It isnt a sexy pick, but the success of Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, and Derrick Johnson has to say something about this Defensive Line. That is Jackson's job, to let those guys roam around and make plays, and that happened this year. Hopefully it continues into next year.

Finally, on to the rest of this class. Washington, Lawrence, and O'Connell are the only players left on the roster. They are all 3 role players at best. Washington was not very good this year. O'Connell doesnt need to be on this team going into next year, and Lawrence is an okay special teams player. That is about it. Not a very good first impression from Scott Pioli to say the least.

*Note, the rest of this draft class was bad in general. It wasnt just Kansas City.

..............

Finally we are moving into the very positive portion of this post. This is for sure Pioli's best draft in KC. Starters and very good role players are plentiful.

With the first pick, we drafted Eric Berry. It was devastating that Berry tore his ACL, and I really hope he recovers well. From what I have read things are going well for him (and Charles/Moeaki). At the time, this pick somewhat surprised me. I really wanted to draft Berry, because at the time, and still today, I think he can be an Ed Reed/Troy Polamalu caliber of player. I figured Pioli wouldnt take a Safety, but Im glad he did. Berry should be a pro bowler for years to come. This was a slam dunk pick.

In the second round, we took Dexter McCluster 36th overall, and Javier Arenas 50th overall. They both made impacts early in their career, both having huge games on Monday Night against San Diego in Week 1 a year ago. Alot of people are somewhat down on these picks, but I like both of them. I think McCluster is a very good back. Just look at the statistics. Also, he pretty much singlehandedly beat two teams (Chicago and Denver). Arenas is a solid nickel corner, and a very good punt returner. I dont think Arenas has all that high of a ceiling, but he is a good enough player. They are both players you want on your team.

In the third round, we had another two picks. They were both outstanding picks. Moeaki showed alot of promise in his rookie campaign. That one handed TD catch was just phenomenal. Jon Asamoah replaced Brian Waters this year, and he was not a letdown. Asamoah was very good for a first year starter, and I think he can be a very good lineman in the years to come.

The Chiefs next pick was the best pick Scott Pioli has ever made, in my opinion. Kendrick Lewis has dveloped into a stud, and to get him in the 5th round, bravo Scott Pioli. Lewis and Berry along with Flowers and Carr (?) can be one of if not the best secondary in the league in the near future. They are all very young and talented. Pioli nailed this pick.

Cameron Sheffield was the last pick for the Chiefs in 2010, and he is still an unknown. He hasnt got much playing time, so its hard to critique this pick. This wraps up the Chiefs draft in 2010, and out of their 7 picks, 4 are starters and 2 more are solid players. Heck of a draft if you ask me.

..............

This is Pioli's most recent draft. This was the first one by Pioli that wasnt a Top 5 pick, so that should be noted when looking at it.

Alot of this draft is to be determined. It is really hard to judge a player solely off of their rookie season, especially in this lockout shortened year.

The list of players is Jon Baldwin, Rodney Hudson, Justin Houston, Allen Bailey, Jalil Brown, Ricky Stanzi, Gabe Miller, Jerrell Powe, and Shane Bannon.

Out of that list, Baldwin, Houston, and Bailey were the only players to really see the field. Baldwin showed alot of promise, but was wildly inconsistent and didnt even play the full season due to injury. Hudson appears to be the starting Center going into 2012, and that is a good sign. Houston is really the only player to see consistent time this year. He looked to be a very good player opposite Tamba Hali, especially down the stretch. He is super athletic for his size, and has pretty good instincts for a rookie. Also, Allen Bailey played fairly well in sub packages this year, and Brown was a good special teams player. They both have some potential. The rest (Stanzi, Miller, Powe, and Bannon), are big question marks.

Again, if youre still here, thanks for reading. Hope this was informative and or entertaining. Post up in the comments section your thoughts on these past drafts, or even the upcoming drafts.