We've talked quite a bit about the Kansas City Chiefs 2011 NFL draft plans, specifically as it pertains to an offensive tackle. Ever since the Chiefs drafted Brandon Albert in the 2008 NFL draft it's been a tradition of sorts for a segment of fans to predict an offensive tackle for KC.
To this point, that hasn't happened (at least not in the first round). In a chat on KansasCity.com, Chiefs beat writer Adam Teicher adds a little fuel to the offensive tackle talk.
I can tell you this: despite what they say publicly, the Chiefs aren't thrilled with Albert. He's a hard worker who's serious about it, but he hasn't been one of the better LTs in the game like they hoped he would be by now.
I think this is what a lot of people figured but we need more to figure out how the Chiefs really feel. Are they disappointed enough by his progress to consider drafting his replacement in the first round, only three years after he was picked up? Or are they simply disappointed in his progress but recognize there are much larger needs?
The Chiefs like to create competition at every position so when Todd Haley says Albert will be competing for the starting job in 2011 (as opposed to being handed the starting job) it's not necessarily an indication that they're drafting his potential replacement.
But it sounds like the idea of replacing Albert is at least on the Chiefs' minds. As Teicher suggested in the chat, it likely comes down to which offensive tackle is available.