'If you split him out wide ... Jamaal Charles could be DeSean Jackson'

Sports Illustrated's Peter King spent Thursday meeting with Kansas City Chiefs GM John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid. Later he joined the broadcast of the KC Chiefs - Cincinnati Bengals preseason game with a few interesting tidbits.

Let's start with the best player on the team, Jamaal Charles, who King thinks could be DeSean Jackson if the Chiefs wanted to make him a receiver.

"The most versatile difference-making running back in football," King said of Charles. "I am convinced that if you split him out wide and you had [Dwayne] Bowe on one side and Jamaal Charles the other side, Jamaal Charles would be DeSean Jackson. He's so fast. He's so liquid. You put him in the slot and he could be Tavon Austin. He is so gifted in so many ways."

A few other things Peter King had to say.

More on Jamaal

• "The other thing that's so underrated is he's a really good job blocker and a willing blocker. He reminds me of the guys who enter games just to block. He knows he has to be that to be a complete running back. And I just think he's the most complete running back in the NFL."
• "Andy Reid didn't give me a number but I think he's going to touch it 350 times if he's healthy." (Related: Over / under 329 touches for Jamaal)
• "He's just a really good teammate and guy to have on your team."

Who to watch for this preseason

• Reid and Dorsey told King to watch No. 8 and No. 1, who combined for 145 yards and a touchdown on two returns.
• "If I were a free agent I would want to be on an Andy Reid team. There are a few coaches where you know who is going to go by what they see, Andy Reid is going to go by what he sees. Albert Wilson is going to make this team."

Look for Chiefs to pick up a corner

• "They're really needy at cornerback right now obviously. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a deal sometime later this month for a corner."
• "I look at this team and say, Andy And John Dorsey want to build this team in their own image. By that I mean, they want to make sure that next year when they have all these comp picks - they're probably going to have 12 draft choices next year - they want in that period of time next year to really start to add to what is a good, solid defensive nucleus now. The stats might be good last year, they might've said good things but the last memory of the Chiefs defense is not a very good memory."
• "You gotta figure that Sean Smith is going to be on their guys there at the start of the season. That's just a position of need."

Alex Smith is a top 12 or 13 QB

• "I think [Alex Smith] proved once and for all last year he's more than a game manager."
• "The one thing about [Alex Smith], that Andy Reid understands of all the quarterbacks he's ever had, he's had a lot of smart ones, in my opinion he would take Alex Smith in terms of trustworthiness, understanding of the offense and being a coach on the field. Above everybody. Even Donovan McNabb. He loves Alex Smith. That's the kind of guy he wants to be his field general."
• King said that Smith is a top 12 or 13 quarterback.