Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 3/31

The Chiefs Exchange Jerseys with the Mexican National Team from The Mothership

As the Mexican National Team prepared for its Tuesday night game against Paraguay Monday morning at Arrowhead Stadium, Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin joined the Mexican players on the field to meet some of them and even swap jerseys.

"It's an honor," Hali said of meeting the players. "These guys are professional in their realm. Great players. Being able to talk to them and get to know them for a brief time and see what they do on a national level, it's gratifying."

2015 NFL Draft: Which College Pro Days Are Left? from The Mothership

One of the few remaining opportunities for collegiate players to work out for NFL teams heading towards the NFL Draft are their college pro days, which have been taking place over the past several weeks on campuses all across the country.

While many of the Pro Days have come and gone, the chart below highlights some of the workouts that are still left on the schedule.

Around the AFC West: Is Peyton Manning in a Position for More Success? from The Mothership

"The question is, how much will the new offense allow him to throw?" Gil Brandt writes. "New coach Gary Kubiak has a great system for running the ball, as we saw during his time as the head man in Houston and as the offensive coordinator in Baltimore last season, and his scheme will most likely take passing attempts away from Peyton. Ultimately, then, I don't think Manning will be able to surpass Moon's mark. That said, the downtick in attempts should help him avoid falling off at the end of this season like he did in 2014."

KCChiefs.com Video: Hali and Maclin meet the Mexican National Team

Chiefs have options among WR draft prospects from Chiefs Digest

Maclin and Avant will allow general manager John Dorsey to not have the pressure of finding an impact wide receiver at pick No. 18.

Dorsey can be selective throughout the draft with his choices to find a receiver who fits the system and will be afforded the opportunity to develop.

A receiver in the Chiefs' system needs the following to be successful:

Kansas City Chiefs offseason scorecard from ESPN

Here is an update on what the Kansas City Chiefs have done in free agency.

Additions

S Tyvon Branch: He signed a one-year contract worth $2.1 million after being released by the Oakland Raiders. He should compete for a starting spot, and at a minimum play in one or more of the Chiefs' substitute defensive packages.

G Paul Fanaika: He signed a three-year contract worth $6.15 million as an unrestricted free agent from the Arizona Cardinals. He should compete for a starting spot at right guard.

G Ben Grubbs: He was acquired from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick and should start at left guard.

WR Jeremy Maclin: He signed a five-year contract worth $55 million as an unrestricted free agent from the Philadelphia Eagles and will be a starter.

2015 NFL mock draft: Andrus Peat to Kansas City Chiefs at No. 18 from SB Nation

Through two seasons under Andy Reid, the Kansas City Chiefs have won 20 games and made the playoffs once, but they haven't won in the postseason yet -- and, as Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride points out, they've been treading water in the trenches for two offseasons running now. Which is precisely why he has the Chiefs picking another offensive lineman in the first round of our 2015 NFL mock draft.

18. Chiefs: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford

Chiefs are third in NFL in QB spending from ESPN.com

Smith's salary cap figure is 11th in the league among quarterbacks. Five of those costing more against the salary cap (Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger) have won at least one Super Bowl. The other five ahead of Smith (Jay Cutler, Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan and Matt Stafford) haven't. Daniel's cap number, meanwhile, is higher than for any other quarterback who won't at least be competing for a starting job in training camp.

Chiefs visit with Brandon Tate from ProFootballTalk

Tate caught 17 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown in 16 appearances for the Bengals last season, modest totals that represented a big jump over the 14 catches he mustered while playing every game in the three previous seasons. Speed has been his calling card in the NFL, but those catch totals illustrate how rarely it has led to big plays on offense.

Chiefs have Rams C Tim Barnes in for a look from ESPN

The Chiefs might be taking a leap of faith if they sign Barnes and plan to make him their starter. He started just four games in his time with the Rams.

Barnes could have been a restricted free agent this year, but the Rams didn't protect him with a tender offer. So he is free to sign with any team and the Rams don't have the right to match the offer.

Barnes returns to Rams on one-year deal from The St. Louis Post-Dispatch

After paying a free-agent visit Monday to the Kansas City Chiefs, Tim Barnes has decided to stay put on the other side of the state. Barnes, a former University of Missouri player, has agreed to terms on a one-year deal that will keep him with the Rams.

It's a one-year deal with a maximum value of $1 million; Barnes is expected to sign the deal Tuesday.

Newest recruit has rich UVa bloodlines from The Roanoke Times

As the youngest of three brothers from Halifax County who played football at Virginia between 1978-85, Barry Word quickly picked up the nickname, "the last Word."

Turns out, he wasn't the last Word.

Barry and his wife, Amy, were at UVa's practice facility Saturday when their son, Landan, made an oral commitment to the Cavaliers for the 2016 entering class...

...Barry Word ranks as UVa's No. 11 career rusher and broke a single-season school record that had stood for 36 years when he rushed for 1,224 yards in 1985.

Word was named ACC player of year in 1985, was a third-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1987 and, in 1990, was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year after rushing for 1,015 yards for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Why the NFL loves college basketball players from SB Nation

"We all have our avenues to find players," Chiefs GM John Dorsey said last April after signing University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee basketball player Demetrius Harris as an undrafted free agent in 2013.  "There are different ways of doing it. It's my responsibility to the Kansas City Chiefs to do everything within our power to make sure we've got everything covered. We're going to do that because if you're not out there working, somebody else is and they'll find those guys. Everybody does such a thorough job now.

"In today's football, it's really hard because all 32 teams are doing their due diligence in terms of working to unearth talent. The objective is to get real players. Anybody can go and find obscure players, but they have to be able to play at the end of the day."

NFL COACH REPS: MYTH VS. REALITY from Sports On Earth

At one time or another, the Eagles got significant help from A.J. Feeley, Jeff Garcia, Kevin Kolb, and Michael Vick -- all of whom did much better than expected. That fell apart in 2012 with Vick and rookie Nick Foles, and Reid was fired after a 4-12 season. He was quickly snatched up by the Kansas City Chiefs, but has Reid lived up to his "QB genius" hype?

Though Alex Smith has a passer rating of 91.2 in two seasons under Reid, and without much in the way of receiving talent, it's tough to argue that Smith has gotten better in Kansas City or that the process is really working.

Charean Williams' NFL Mock draft 1.0 from The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

18. Kansas City//WR, OG/C, ILB//T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh//The Chiefs need help in the offensive line, and Jeff Allen can play left guard or right tackle depending on who they draft.

Jeff Schudel NFL mock draft 1.0: Browns strengthen run defense in first round from The News-Herald

18. Kansas City Chiefs — OT La'el Collins, LSU: Quarterback Alex Smith needs a tackle, and a guard to stay upright in 2015.

From the Publisher from El Paso Inc

Kugler says one of the most favorable indications the program is working is that players now seem to be taking a leadership role in watching out for teammates about to get in trouble. "They are policing each other," he said.

Kugler does not claim all of the credit for his approach to discipline. Asked about his own mentor, he responded: "Andy Reid (head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs). He was my line coach in college and he was very disciplined."

He credited the concept of "commitment time" to Chris Petersen head coach at Boise State, where Kugler was assistant head coach.

He said Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, taught him about accountability. "He held players accountable - and he used film as a technique to force accountability."