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My 2014 NFL draft grade for the Kansas City Chiefs is an A+ if first round pick Dee Ford and third round pick CB Phillip Gaines are good players. It's an F if they are not.
It's impossible to know if Gaines, the Chiefs 87th overall pick on Friday, is an A or an F but we can look at the fit. Gaines has the size Chiefs GM John Dorsey likes in a cornerback. He has experience playing press coverage which is an element of Bob Sutton's defense in Kansas City. The limited knowledge I have on his style of play feels like some of the other corners Dorsey has brought in. I like all of that and think those are reasons it could work.
Related: What you need to know about Phillip Gaines | Chiefs first round draft grades
That said, here are some of the draft grades floating around for the Chiefs.
2014 NFL Draft grades: 49ers, Packers continue to maximize value - SBNation.com
Grade: B; The Chiefs have done a nice job of adding talent to their defense with a limited number of picks. This grade will improve if Kansas City can find a wide receiver on day three.
2014 NFL Draft: Grades for every pick of Round 2, Round 3 - CBSSports.com
Gaines is a fluid athlete with nice length and strong natural coverage skills, demonstrating an ability to mirror receivers all over the field. He lacks physicality though, and may need to bulk up if he's going to be a regular on the outside. GRADE: B
WalterFootball.com: Chiefs draft grade for Gaines: A-
There's talk that the Chiefs could trade Brandon Flowers, so it makes sense that they spent a mid-round selection on a cornerback. Phillip Gaines didn't get any national attention because he played at Rice, but he was terrific, albeit against inferior competition. He's also very athletic, so it wouldn't surprise me if he emerged as a solid starter down the road.
2014 NFL Draft: Day 2 quick-snap grades for all 32 teams - NFL.com
Thanks to the Alex Smith trade the team didn't have a second-rounder but added Gaines in the third. He's a smaller-school player who some folks really liked and could play early on in Kansas City.
Kansas City Chiefs—Phillip Gaines (CB Rice) - Bleacher Report
Really raw in coverage and needs work before he's a solid (let alone impact) player. Level of competition concerns as well coming out of Rice.
Grades: 2014 NFL Draft Round 3 - NFL - CBSSports.com
I like Phillip Gaines as a nickel corner right away and a player who could push for starting time down the road.