For the second consecutive year, we've kept a Chiefs Draft Interests table. We've got around 80 names on there collecting various reports on players the Chiefs are rumored to be interested in, spoke with at the Combine, brought in for a visit and all kinds of things.
Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star spoke with former Chiefs personnel man and current Jets personnel man Terry Bradway and puts into perspective the amount of work done by the scouting department.
"This year, our scouts visited 232 schools," Bradway said. "They evaluated 1,346 players, which is probably about 25 less than last year and wrote over 5,600 reports.
"We also interviewed 366 players either at the combine, here at the office, at the All-Star Games, which is up about almost 120 from last year."
There's also a difference between evaluating a player and reportedly expressing interest (all the while trying to filter out smoke screens).
So what role do the Chiefs scouts play? Reading into a fascinating article from Pat Kirwan of NFL.com, I would describe their role as "information-gatherers" for the decision-makers.
The people who scout for the Patriots are basically information gatherers and not involved in the decision-making process. I can't recall a coach who did a better job than Belichick in terms of training his scouts about what he was looking for so they wouldn't make mistakes. There's a very small circle of people involved on draft day for the Patriots and a number of those select members have gone on to other places.
Thomas Dimitroff's in Atlanta and Pioli's with Kansas City. Both of them are looking for the same type of people Belichick wants, which only means the draft board might have to grow in size, not shrink.
The way Kirwan described it, every player is evaluated. He referenced an article from the Denver Post last week describing the draft process of those from the Patriot Way. While the team may have a short board of players that fit what they're trying to do, they still have grades on every player.