Here's assuming most of us never saw this coming. The Chiefs second round choices have probably stumped most of us and left the best of us scratching our heads. But instead of seeming unclear, the 2010 NFL Draft is revealing some interesting cards the Chiefs have been holding for some time and it means that things are much more exciting that we ever realized.
So to help you out, I mind-melded with Scott Pioli after the 50th pick to check in with what he was thinking. And what we found out is worth hearing:
1. Scott Pioli has one thing in mind: getting playmakers on every facet of the team.
Consider this. The offense, the defense and special teams units all now have an absolute home run hitter in place. On any level, the Chiefs now have someone you can actually expect to make a game-changing play. Eric Berry is absolutely electric in the defensive backfield. Dexter McCluster can be utilized all over the offensive side and is someone that defensive coordinators absolutely have to account for. And Javier Arenas is being called the best returner in the entire draft.
At the NFL level, it's those truly special talents that usually change the final outcome. It's the fantastic return that generates the unexpected field position. It's the guy with great hands who comes through in the clutch. It's the unshakeable kicker. It's the uber-athleticism of someone like McCluster that breaks a play wide open. And certainly, we knew that Berry was already capable of such things.
Of course, you can't do anything without an appropriate foundation, which leads me to...
Remember this: if rookies get signed, then someone has to go. The Chiefs need some inside linebacker help, yet the Raiders are the ones with Rolando McClain. Now the rumors are that a guy like Kirk Morrison will be a free agent. Perhaps it's these sorts of pick-ups that Pioli is envisioning with the rest of the off-season available to him after the draft as teams must make moves to avoid roster bonuses, adjust rosters with the new rookies and so forth.
Then again, perhaps Pioli believes we're already set in some places where we thought we needed help. It's about that time for the young defensive linemen to take the next leap that we've all been waiting for. Our offensive line played better as the season went on. So perhaps the need to continue to build the lines just wasn't as pertinent as some of us were led to believe. A team only takes skill position players or return men when they're set in other places, so it says something about the Chiefs confidence in what they already have (or think they can get elsewhere) that they've grabbed Arenas and McCluster.
The big surprise, of course, is that we didn't think we were ready for "luxury" picks yet. We still thought the Chiefs still had some pouring to do for the foundation of his Kansas City house. But apparently, he has more confidence in his coordinators to bring solid play out of some guys who are already in house (or from later round choices) to allow some picks like this.
Either way, I like what this says about our team. It says our coordinators will raise the level of what we have. It also says the guys currently on the roster are better than you think. And it says that the Chiefs are ahead of the curve and ready to win.