This is not an endorsement of the Poe pick. I'm actually quite agnostic about it. I do think I see the reason KC drafted him though, and some of it may be a bit counter intuitive.

The pick makes sense if you combine two draft tendencies Pioli has demonstrated. First is his near obsession with defensive linemen. He's also got a defensive guru in Romeo Crennel, who I'll discuss in a minute. The second draft tendency is the preference for versatile players. Poe is versatile in that he can play anywhere on a 34 front. Chiefs fans have been pegging Poe as a NT, but this is not necessarily true. At over 340 lbs he has the girth to line up at NT. He's also got the strength to anchor no problem. KC had to have liked that, but I'm almost positive they saw DE ability in him as well. At 6'4 he's long enough to play end. His athleticism is really an enabling factor for lining him up in the 5 tech as well. Now the thinking is that we have out Ngata type player. Assuming he shows enough to start, he will just start along with the other 2 best DL whoever they are. If he's the best NT, he'll play there. If he's at least the 2nd best DE, he'll start there. Regarding his lack of production in college, Romeo probably didn't have an issue with this. Why? He probably sees a freak athlete who needs coaching, which Crennel is drooling at the opportunity to provide. Also, he's looking for guys who can 2 gap. He wasn't asked to do that in college so "production" wouldn't really translate anyway. You can certainly argue that that's a knock that should lower him below where we picked him. The build and skill set 2 gappers need isn't terribly common outside the first round. If this contradiction bothers you, then you might have an issue with the 2 gap 3-4 scheme. I may or may not be preparing such a critique of the merits of our scheme. ;-)

To Recap:

Can play NT if Powe isn't ready

Can play DE if we need to move on from Dorsey

Believed to have 2 gap makeup

Freak of an athlete RAC will relish coaching

So the calculation is: insane athlete + RAC coaching = Nightmare defensive lineman

let's hope the nightmare is our opponent's