Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 4/17

QB Alex Smith On First Day Of Minicamp: 'Some Good, Some Bad' from KC Star

"This is the first step," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We had the guys for a couple of weeks here in meetings and now we're able to take it out on the field. Was it all perfect? No, it's not all perfect right now but it's the first step in the process and we'll keep working at it and getting ourselves better.

"There was good work going on. I was pleased with that. (Smith) seemed to handle all of this stuff very well. Our defense is throwing a lot of different looks in. That's what our defense does. We're in return throwing a lot of looks at the defense. It's good work on both sides and I though Alex handled it very well today."

For Smith, he can't get there fast enough. He indicated he understands that it takes time to learn new receivers and a new system, but said he wasn't willing to waste the next two days of practice, even if the first real game is almost five months off.

Chiefs Begin Three-Day Voluntary Minicamp from The Mothership

"Winning and losing in the NFL is pretty small-margin and having times like this and building relationships, especially with a lot of new guys in the locker room, it's important," new Chiefs TE Anthony Fasano said. "In the long run, you see that it helps build your team's character, it helps gain respect of you and your teammates and it's about coming together. We're professionals; people work hard, grinding in the classroom to get all the new systems learned and trying to set a good base for camp."

With the team's new coaching staff, free agents and returning players, the excitement continues to build for the upcoming season.

Chiefs Likely To Take A Tackle With First Pick from KC Star

"Joeckel to me is the guy I would take,'' said Gruden, now an analyst for ESPN. "I don't know what Andy (Reid) is going to do but you're talking about a left tackle who not only won the Outland Award Trophy as true junior. He played for two different head coaches, two different systems, helped (Ryan) Tannehill become a first-rounder, helped Johnny Manziel win the Heisman and did it against the best America has to offer in terms of competition. Reliable, athletic. Consistent."

Kansas City Chiefs 2013 Draft Preview from The Sports Network via The Miami Herald

Left tackles may not excite fans but they certainly perk up the moods of offensive-minded coaches like Reid. From day one moving forward, Joeckel won't need help, opening up a whole spectrum of options for Reid. In short, the presence of a player like Joeckel on the backside makes game planning that much easier.

That said, Kansas City's new brain trust of Reid and his hand-picked general manager, John Dorsey, would be derelict in its duty if the pick wasn't shopped around.

'Path To The Draft' Recap: Chiefs Have Tough Choice To Make from NFL.com

The show started with Paul Burmeister asking who the Kansas City Chiefs should select with the No. 1 overall pick in next week's 2013 NFL Draft. Daniel Jeremiah and Charley Casserly both picked Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel while Brian Baldinger said the Chiefs should select Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, adding that the Utah standout would make a better impact.

Cal Receiver Keenan Allen's Combine Drug Test Reportedly Red-Flagged from The San Francisco Examiner

Former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith threw passes to Dwayne Bowe and Jon Baldwin as the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off a three-day, voluntary minicamp.

"I don't think any guys are minding this at all. I think it's fair - new coaching staff, new group of guys, that we get the extra minicamp," said Smith, who arrived in Kansas City after an offseason trade that sent two draft choices to the 49ers.

Colorado Defensive Lineman Will Pericak Visited Ravens, Chargers, Chiefs, Sources Say from The Baltimore Sun

University of Colorado defensive lineman Will Pericak has visited the Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers, according to sources.

Pericak is a 6-foot-4, 296-pound four-year starter and an All-Pac-12 honorable-mention selection.

'NFL Total Access' Recap: Remembering Pat Summerall from NFL.com

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson joined the show from Chiefs Cam. Johnson said there's renewed optimism in the building with the new regime and recent free agent acquisitions. Johnson praised the acquisition of quarterback Alex Smith, saying Smith is a manager who won't lose games -- a change from Matt Cassel, who seemingly enjoyed throwing the ball to opposing teams.

Luke Marquardt Goes From Small-School Offensive Lineman To Big-Time NFL Draft Prospect from Blogquin

But as folks across the NFL spend the next few weeks beginning to acclimate themselves with Joeckel's name and game, there is another offensive tackle (ironically also named "Luke") who has slowly started to create just as much buzz amongst draft circles as well. His name is Luke Marquardt, and if you've never heard of the chiseled 6'8 ½, 316 lb. offensive tackle prospect from tiny Azusa Pacific University, you're not alone. Heck, he was an unknown commodity to most of the NFL as recently as a year ago.

Yet as Marquardt gets set to become the first Azusa Pacific player taken in the NFL Draft since Christian Okoye in 1987, the incredible part of his story isn't how he has slowly blossomed into an elite prospect with a blend of size, athleticism and quickness that could one day land him on an All-Pro team.

Revisiting Topic On Breakout Players from ESPN

Kansas City Chiefs, receiver/returner Dexter McCluster: Matt went with safety Eric Berry. I think Berry has already arrived and so I'm going with McCluster because new Kansas City coach Andy Reid can't stop talking about him. While this will be McCluster's fourth NFL season, I truly think he is going to be given the chance to take the next step. Reid will design packages for the small McCluster to shine. If he doesn't make an impact this year, it may be time for the Chiefs to move on.

On Chiefs, Picking At No. 1 from ESPN [Note: This is an Insider Article. I don't normally link to these but I thought it was worth calling attention to it]

I can't speak as to what every draft room is like, just the ones I've been in and the ones I've run. Still, I wanted to provide a sense of what a real NFL draft room is really like. To that end, let's explore some of the key factors of draft day, in this case, through the prism of the Kansas City Chiefs and the No. 1 overall pick.