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And so they are here. The 2013 NFL mock drafts sending Dee Milliner to the Kansas City Chiefs have arrived. When The Godfather Gil Brandt speaks, like he did yesterday in saying Milliner should be in play for the Chiefs top pick, people listen.
First of all, if you haven't yet, read the breakdown on Dee Milliner by BJ Kissel.
Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com released a mock draft this afternoon and look who it is, Dee Milliner, the Alabama cornerback, going No. 1 overall to the Chiefs.
I put Lane Johnson in this spot last week and got calls from two NFL offensive line coaches that said he's the No. 2 OT, not the top OT. The Chiefs agreed on a trade for Smith and franchised Albert, which means the Alabama corner creeps up into the top of the draft.
You hear everyone saying all the time that the NFL is a passing league. That means that this is also a cornerback league. Andy Reid has clearly demonstrated that he's willing to spend a lot on defensive backs. The Chiefs have a need at cornerback opposite Brandon Flowers. Branden Albert's franchise tag means Luke Joeckel isn't the clear pick anymore. You can see why it makes sense.
Then there's the side that you can't base multi-year decisions on Albert's one-year franchise tag. Basically saying that the Chiefs can still take Joeckel or another offensive lineman in that spot. Maybe.
As for Milliner, I'm quickly becoming a fan. It started with BJ's break down and I've continued to read more and more about him. One knock on him is his last of starting experience, only one full season as a starter at Alabama. But that's because Dre Kirkpatrick (17th overall pick last year) and DeQuan Menzie (now a Chief) were ahead of him. It's sort of the same dynamic as Branden Albert, who had a couple of top 10 picks (D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Eugene Monroe). ahead of him at left tackle at Virginia.
Give us a Yay or a Nay on Dee Milliner to the Chiefs. Then watch the video below figuring out the safety situation so we can begin fixing the secondary.
Roll tide.