Chiefs TE Tony Moeaki: A View From the Stands

In this fourth installment I'll be taking a look at an up-and-comer for Kansas City, Tony Moeaki.

Going into last season one of the glaring weaknesses on offense was the Tight End position. The Chiefs had of course gotten stellar play at the position for quite some time with future hall-of-famer Tony Gonzalez, but in 2009 they saw a huge drop-off. Leonard Pope, Sean Ryan, and Jake O'Connell were all given a chance to fill the void but none could come close.

So in 2010, Kansas City drafted an unheralded Iowa player named Tony Moeaki in the 3rd round after trading up to the pick. The big knock on Moeaki was that while he had ability, he was often on the sidelines due to injury. Last season he quieted many of the doubters (including yours truly), by having a monster rookie season. He even had one of the best plays in Chiefs history in Week Three against San Francisco, with a one handed spectacular in the back of the end zone.

The question is, will Tony Moeaki improve on his very promising rookie campaign?

My Verdict: Yes. Moeaki was an absolute force last season for Kansas City, hauling in 47 passes for 556 yards and 3 touchdowns. He played in 15 games, only missing one due to a concussion suffered in Denver on a questionable hit.

Moeaki seems to have all the tools to become great in this league. He has exceptional hands, great size (6'4'', 250), and good speed for the position. One of the most underrated parts of Moeaki's game is his willingness and ability to block. Because of this, he provides a versatility that is extremely helpful to Haley and co. Many times last season we would see a big run by Jamaal Charles and then see Moeaki with a key block on the replay.

This season the Chiefs will be spreading the ball around more, and I expect this to serve Moeaki well. He was a Cassel favorite last season and I don't see that changing. Moeaki is great at running routes and separating from defenders, which provides a nice security blanket for Kansas City's signal caller.

The Chiefs have a lot of red zone targets this season, but I'm still looking at Moeaki's touchdown numbers to increase. He caught three last season, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him double that number. Many teams will be paying a ton of attention to Bowe, which will open up the underneath routes. This is especially true if Baldwin can be productive.

Out of all the players on Kansas City, I believe Tony Moeaki will have the biggest breakout year in 2011.