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Wrapping Up the Kansas City Chiefs 2008 Draft Class

Pick Player Pos
Round 1 Pick 5 (5) Glenn Dorsey DT
Round 1 Pick 15 (15) (From Lions) Branden Albert OG 6'6 309 Virginia
Round 2 Pick 4 (35) Brandon Flowers CB 5'10 189 Virginia Tech
Round 3 Pick 10 (73) (From Broncos through Vikings) Jamaal Charles RB 5'11 200 Texas
Round 3 Pick 13 (76) (From Lions) Brad Cottam TE 6'8 270 Tennessee
Round 3 Pick 19 (82) (From Vikings) DaJuan Morgan S 6'0 205 North Carolina State
Round 4 Pick 6 (105) Will Franklin WR 6'1 214 Missouri
Round 5 Pick 5 (140) Brandon Carr CB 6'0 207 Grand Valley State
Round 6 Pick 4 (170) Barry Richardson OT 6'7 320 Clemson
Round 6 Pick 16 (182) (From Vikings) Kevin Robinson WR 6'0 190 Utah State
Round 7 Pick 3 (210) Brian Johnston DE 6'5 276 Gardner-Webb
Round 7 Pick 32 (239) (From Giants) Mike Merritt TE 6'3 270 Central Florida

I know we've been over all our draft class many times this past weekend so this post is for those of you who may have missed the draft. For those that are caught up to speed, care to take a gamble at the Chiefs depth chart in the comment section?

Lots of info after the jump...

Draft Day Trades: The Chiefs sent the 17th pick in the first round, along with third and fifth round picks to Detroit in exchange for the 15th overall pick and Detroit's third-round selection. The Chiefs selected 12 players and came into the draft with 13 picks.

LSU DT Glenn Dorsey

Considering the Chiefs traded Jared Allen away for three draft picks, you'd think they'd leverage another star - Dorsey - into more picks. But the Chiefs war room felt that Dorsey was too good of a player to pass up and I'm glad they didn't.

Arguably the best player in the draft (that's the buzz phrase anyway), Dorsey started 27 straight games to end his career as a senior at LSU. He is highly decorated, winning numerous national awards his junior and senior seasons.

Glenn Dorsey becomes an immediate starter from day one on the Chiefs' defensive line.

Next five picks: DE Vernon Gholston (Jets), DT Sedrick Ellis (Saints), DE Derrick Harvey (Jaguars), LB Keith Rivers (Bengals) and LB Jerod Mayo (Patriots)

Virginia OG Brandon Albert

Brandon Albert was the offensive lineman the Chiefs really wanted and to get him at #15, after selecting Dorsey with the #5 overall pick, is just a fantastic job by the Chiefs draft team. There was plenty of talk of selecting Albert with the #5 pick and to move up two spots with the Lions for really nothing was the second great decision by the Chiefs on the first day of the draft.

The decision to draft Albert via the trade shows not only did the Chiefs' do their due diligence as far as scouting college players, they were plenty aware of other NFL team needs and what their possible moves were. This truly was a mold-breaking first round for the Chiefs.

Albert immediately starts for Kansas City on what will no longer be the worst offensive line in the NFL. Him and Brian Waters will likely pair up at the guard spots.

Next five picks: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Cardinals), OL Gosder Cherilus (Lions), QB Joe Flacco (Ravens), OT Jeff Otah (Panthers) and CB Aqib Talib (Bucs)

VA Tech CB Brandon Flowers

One of the major positions of need that got a bit overlooked going into the draft was corner back. The Chiefs were able to snag a great cover 2 corner that fits well into the defensive scheme. Flowers is a two-time All-American corner who, despite being on the short side, will compete for a starting job but isn't necessarily a definite starter.

Next five picks: WR Jordy Nelson (Packers), LB Curtis Lofton (Falcons), TE John Carlson (Seahawks), OG Chilo Rachal (49ers) and CB Tracy Porter (Saints)

Texas RB Jamaal Charles

Being in Austin, TX, when I heard this pick made me even more excited. Yes, I was a bit surprised like all of you when the Chiefs selected a running back in the third round but as the pick sank in, I liked it even more.

Jamaal Charles is fast, played at a big time college and was a great value pick in the third round at #73. Remember - the Chiefs drafted Larry Johnson at the height of Priest Holmes' dominance. Because of the uncertain nature of the running back position, you never can have enough upper tier backs.

Next picks: OLB Dan Connor (Panthers), DB Reggie Smith (49ers)

Tennessee TE Brad Cottam

I know some of you wanted LSU WR Early Doucet here but I never was a big fan of him. The LSU games I was able to watch this left me unimpressed with Doucet.

With that said, Rocky Top Talk described Cottam in a positive light:

Brad Cottam had precious few opportunities to showcase his talent while at Tennessee, but when he had a chance, he absolutely shined. Anyone concerned about the small sample size need only look at Cottam's exceptional performances in the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine, and Tennessee's Pro Day to see that his terrific woo-to-opportunity ratio was not a fluke.

I mean, come on. The guy is 6'8" and 270 pounds. He has a three-foot vertical leap, can catch as well as any wide receiver, and can even outrun secondaries. What else could an NFL team want?

Potential. That's what the Chiefs see in Cottam.

Next five picks: DT Pat Sims (Bengals), OLB Shaun Crable (Patriots), CB Antwaun Molden (Texans), OLB Bryan Smith (Eagles), WR Early Doucet (Cardinals)

NC State S DaJuan Morgan

One of the top safeties available, Morgan was another great value pick for the Chiefs. He was a projected mid-second rounder in many mocks and his pick continued the Chiefs' second day trend of selecting the best available player.

Morgan doesn't come in and start right away but he will contribute immediately on special teams. Morgan has the physical ability but questions seem to surround his ability to control his emotions. Aggressive is another adjective that comes up quite in a bit in regards to Morgan.

Next five picks: OG Jeremy Zuttah (Bucs), WR Harry Douglas (Falcons), TE Craig Stevens (Titans), FS Tom Zbikowski (Ravens) and DT Andre Fluellen (Lions)

Missouri WR Will Franklin

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Alright MU fans, you got one of your own. Used in the slot at Missouri, Franklin's speed will likely mean the Chiefs want him to help stretch the field. He'll compete for the #2 spot with Jeff Webb and others but isn't a starter by any means right now.

It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs use Franklin, especially since he was coming from a prolific and fairly complex college passing system.

Next five picks: WR Marcus Smith (Ravens), OL Cody Wallace (49ers) OG Kory Lichtensteiger (Broncos), OT Mike McGlynn (Eagles), OT Shawn Murphy (Dolphins)

Grand Valley St. CB Brandon Carr

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This is a rather amazing statement about the D II corner -- "During his three years as the leader of the secondary, no receiver could ever boast of getting a touchdown catch vs. Carr."

The bottom line is that the Chiefs desperately needed bodies at the corner position. Carr certainly isn't an immediate starter or even a foreseeable starter. With the exception of Pat Surtain, nearly ever corner or defensive back on the roster is extremely young. Carr will openly compete in camp along side the rest of them.

Next five picks: TE Gary Bamidge (Panthers), CB Zakary Bowman (Bears), CB Orlando Scandrick (Cowboys), DT DeMario Pressley (Saints) and DT Jason Shirley (Bengals)

Clemson OT Barry Richardson

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Many of you were excited about Barry Richardson even before the Chiefs drafted him and it's not hard to see why. Richard is 6'7", 330 lbs and started thirty-two straight games at tackle for the Clemson Tigers.

Far and away the biggest knock on Richardson is his lack of intensity. WPI has a telling anecdote about Richardson's intensity during games. A Clemson coach said that during the middle of an important game, Richardson came up to him and said, "Coach, how come we didn’t get to see that movie yesterday?"

Richardson could obviously benefit from some great coaching and intense motivation. Look for him to start off the season on the practice squad or he may take up one of the last roster spots for an offensive lineman.

Next five picks: WR Marcus Henry (Jets), RB Thomas Brown (Falcons), FS Dominique Barber (Texans), WR Josh Morgan (49ers) and ILB Geno Hayes (Bucs)

Utah St. WR Kevin Robinson

After watching the high number of video clips online that have Robinson making ridiculous kick returns, color me excited. Robinson was a 6th round, low risk pick for the Chiefs and he could be one of the best return specialists in the draft.

Think of him as a Dante Hall type of player.

Next five picks: OLB Spencer Larsen (Broncos), OT Mike Gibson (Eagles), DE Chris Harrington (Cardinals), QB Colt Brennan (Redskins) and C John Sullivan (Vikings)

Gardner-Webb DE Brian Johnston

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Here's another prospect that was connected with the Chiefs before the draft. I can't say I put much stock in a 7th round defensive end making the team but the Chiefs do have needs at defensive end after Jared Allen left.

In fact, we only have two defensive ends on the roster currently - Turk McBride and Tamba Hali. That gives him a leg up as far as making the team but he's a practice squad guy at best.

Next five picks: OT Nate Garner (Jets), CB Wilrey Fontenot (Falcons), RB Chauncey Washington (Jaguars), OLD Larry Grant (49ers) and WR Justin Harper (Ravens)

Central Florida TE Mike Merritt

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Merritt was the final, non-compensatory pick in the draft this year, a position which doesn't exactly translate into success.

Merritt, if he makes the team, would be a blocking tight end. He would compete with last year's seventh rounder, TE Michael Allan.

There's not a lot to say about Merritt except it's very unlikely he makes this football team. Although, 2006 7th round pick Jarrad Page is a current starter so Herm does have a record of drafting quality players late.

Next five picks: RB Allen Patrick (Ravens), OL Geoff Schwartz (Panthers), DE Rob Jackson (Redskins), OLB Joey LaRocque (Bears) and DE Angelo Craig (Bengals)

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