Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 5/1

Press Conference: John Dorsey on First Round Pick Marcus Peters from The Mothership

Q: Do you see this as a risky pick?

DORSEY: "No. Once you meet the kid, once you see where he's from. We go through a research process in terms of trying to find that out about players. If the truth be told, the kid came here. We met him at the combine. He sat with all the position coaches at the combine. I had the chance to have a side bar with him at the combine. We brought him here to the building for a day. And then, just this past week, Monday and Tuesday I believe it was, we sent Chris Ballard out to Oakland. He had a chance to sit down with the kid, his parents. We did very extensive research in regards to this person and we talked to his coaches, his former coaches. Listen, you know what the kid is: competitive. He's a very competitive kid. He's not a malicious kid whatsoever."

Q: You don't see this as being anymore of a risky pick as Eric Fisher or Dee Ford?

DORSEY: "I do not. Not after seeing the kid. You guys have known me long enough, if I didn't think he would fit in the culture or the environment of this community or the organization, he wouldn't be here."

Press Conference: Andy Reid on First Round Pick Marcus Peters from The Mothership

Q: When you hear about somebody getting kicked off a team in the middle of a year, how much deeper do you have to dig to get information on him?

REID: "Literally, (Director of Player Personnel) Chris Ballard went out and spent a day with him just a few days back here. And that was beside the time when we brought him in here and spent time with him, the time we spent with him at the Combine. He was up front with us, he said ‘I goofed,' and that's half the battle. If you know the issue and you know - I think the one thing you're going to see is this guy is competitive - you kind of let your competitive juices get carried away. Then you learn to handle that, that's the maturing process that takes place with young guys. We felt like when we were done with all of the talking and meetings that he had that under control. Obviously we felt good enough about it to pick him."

Five Things to Know About DB Marcus Peters from The Mothership

The analysts feel that Marcus Peters has tremendous upside.

Here is what NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote on Peters:

"Prototype size for the position. Fluidity in his hips to flip and run. Competes hard out of press-man coverage and tries to intimidate receivers with his physicality. Can redirect talented receivers with his length and flat-out stuff receivers with marginal foot quickness and strength. Stays in pocket of vertical receivers while turning to locate and track ball. Active and disruptive when ball is in the air. At his best when contesting catches and often comes away the winner on 50-50 throws. Outstanding feel for space with ability to track multiple receivers and quarterback at the same time. Closes on throws with above-average burst and brings some force on contact. Confident and tough."

Read Zierlein's full evaluation on Peters here.

Meet the Middlemen for the Kansas City Chiefs' 2015 NFL Draft from The Mothership

In case you were wondering who those guys are, this year it'll be Allen Wright, the head equipment manager for the Chiefs and Chris Shropshire, one of the two Chiefs assistant equipment managers.

Wright, who has been with the Chiefs since 1983, attended the draft in this role from 1990 to 2005 and then returned again last year.

He explained the process in which a player is officially picked at the NFL Draft.

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Chiefs First Round Pick, CB Marcus Peters

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: The Draft Room

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Chiefs Draft Party

Chiefs address cornerback with first-round selection of Marcus Peters from Chiefs Digest

"I think he has probably got the best ball skills of any defensive back in this draft," general manager John Dorsey said during his post-selection media session. "I think he is very physical in run support. I think he's got an incredible feel for the game of football. As one very famous defensive coordinator told me, ‘He's the best defensive back in the last four years.' He just sent me that text."

The 6-0, 197-pound Peters appeared in 34 career games, totaling 129 tackles (95 solo), a sack, 11 interceptions, 35 passes defensed, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.

Still, Peters arrives with character concerns.

Total breakdown: Chiefs draft CB Marcus Peters in first round from ESPN

My take: Peters fills a big need, perhaps the biggest one the Chiefs had. They have only one established cornerback, Sean Smith, and he is headed into the final season of his contract. Smith also is a candidate for an NFL suspension for a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy after he recently was given two years of probation for pleading guilty to DUI.

Did Chiefs just take DGB of defense? With Marcus Peters, time will tell from FS Kansas City

The 6-foot, 190-pound Peters puts the "press" in press coverage, with the kind of punch off the line Floyd Mayweather would be proud of. In Star Wars terms, when his tractor beam gets a lock on you, he sticks. All of which is constructive as hell: Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton still hasn't quite figured out Peyton Manning, and his press-man scheme tends to leave corners to fend for themselves in space. Often.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect my island," said Peters, the first corner taken by the Chiefs in the first round since Dale Carter in 1992, "and protect my team, first and foremost."

So brace yourself for flags. Potentially.

Although there's the text Dorsey says he recently got from a peer:

He's the best defensive back to come out in the last four years.

Chiefs coaching staff offers foundation for CB Marcus Peters to grow from Chiefs Digest

Working in the Chiefs' favor are coaches with plenty of experience in helping shape young players at the NFL level.

Defensive back coach Emmitt Thomas, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and defensive assistant/secondary coach Al Harris, a former Pro Bowler, are charged to ensure Peters receives guidance.

"Al spent quite a bit of time with him, as did Emmitt when he was here and at the Combine," coach Andy Reid said. "I think he and Al are wired similarly. I had Al when he was young, and Al wanted to get up and get after you and get after you and get after you. He was relentless with that. I think he really respects Al is what I think. And Emmitt - how can you not respect Emmitt? Emmitt has a way about him with players, it's pretty amazing."

Is Marcus Peters too much of a risk for the Chiefs? from ESPN

"We did our homework," Reid said. "We feel comfortable bringing Marcus into this situation."

They need to be right on this. The Chiefs don't need the distraction of a player confronting an assistant coach or losing his temper after getting a penalty. At best, it could cost them one game, maybe more. At worst, it could cost them their locker room.

Thumbs up, thumbs down for first-round draft picks from ESPN

18. Kansas City Chiefs
Marcus Peters, CB, Washington

There's no question the Chiefs needed a cornerback, and from talent alone Peters might be a solid pick. But he was suspended for one game last year and later thrown off the team for confrontations with an assistant coach. His emotional outbursts make him a risky pick. Thumbs down. -- Adam Teicher

Options available at WR for Chiefs on second day of draft from Chiefs Digest

But even with the top wide receivers off the board, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of viable options available for the Chiefs.

"Actually we were just talking about that upstairs and I was looking at the list of receivers," general manager John Dorsey said Thursday night following the conclusion of the first round. "I'm going ‘Hmm. There are some receivers still there.'"

Would Dorsey tell who the Chiefs are looking at?

"No," Dorsey said with a grin. "Maybe tomorrow night."

Chiefs QB Tyler Bray now jogging, running from Chiefs Digest

Chiefs backup quarterback Tyler Bray appears to be doing well on the road to recovery from a torn ACL suffered in January.

Bray, who underwent surgery shortly after the injury, took to Instagram on Thursday night to post a video of himself jogging on a treadmill with the caption: "Finally able to jog/run."

Kansas City Chiefs select former Washington Huskies CB Marcus Peters in 2015 NFL draft's first roundfrom The Seattle Post-Inteligencer

In his sophomore 2013 season, Peters led the Huskies with five interceptions and was named to the All-Pac-12 second team. In 2012 as a redshirt freshman, he started Washington's final eight games and intercepted three passes, returning one against Portland State for his only UW touchdown.

In the lead-up to the draft, Peters reportedly met with 17 NFL teams to explain his past transgressions, but some scouts and coaches said they wouldn't take him early due to those issues.

NFL Draft: Saints take Stanford's Peat; Oakland's Peters goes to K.C. from The San Jose Mercury News

"This isn't a malicious kid at all. He's highly competitive. He just needs to learn to control that," Reid said. "He was up front with us. He said, `I goofed.' That's half the battle."

Reid said Peters' persona does not need an overhaul.

"I don't want to get rid of any of that competitiveness. I don't want to back him off the bump and run. I love the way he plays it," Reid said. "He's going to bring it to you. He's a physical player, a tremendous player. He's got to keep his emotions intact and he'll be OK."

Although Peters was just the third corner picked Thursday, Gruden agreed with Reid's assessment that he's the best of them. "To me, it's not even close," Gruden said. "Tremendous ball skills. He has great playing instincts. He's a sudden, sure tackler. This guy is a turnover machine."

Three Huskies taken in first round of NFL draft from The Seattle Times

Peters, meanwhile, had done enough damage control to earn the trust of the Chiefs. In November, Peters was dismissed from the UW program by first-year coach Chris Petersen after a series of discipline issues. Multiple NFL teams were reportedly concerned enough about Peters' troubles that they dropped him entirely from the draft board, even though some scouts considered him the most talented cornerback in the draft. (ESPN analyst Jon Gruden on Thursday said Peters was the best cornerback "and it's not even close.")

Rejuvenated Derrick Johnson better than any draft pick from Today's Pigskin

Even with a very weak passing offense and a banged up defense, they won nine games last year. They won 11 the year before that, and the return of their defensive stars—plus the addition of Jeremy Maclin—seems to suggest they should be playing at that level again.

Furthermore, the competition in the division may not be as stiff as it once was. The Chargers have a lot of issues to deal with, both with Philip Rivers and the possible move to L.A. The Raiders are on the rise, but they're not a serious threat yet. Denver has a brand new coaching staff and has yet to prove it can play like the Broncos from 2013 and not the Broncos from the end of 2014, who looked pretty mediocre.

Eight surprises from first round of 2015 NFL Draft from NFL.com

7. Peters cracks top 20: Former Washington cornerback Marcus Peters was thought to be a slider because of character concerns, but the Kansas City Chiefs obviously saw a player ready to mature and made Peters the No. 18 overall pick. Mayock suggested before the draft that Peters' talent alone, absent character concerns, put him in the range of picks 15-18.

2015 NFL Draft: Titans land DGB in complete second-round mock draft from CBS Sports

49. Kansas City Chiefs -- Donovan Smith, OL, Penn State: Whether it's at tackle or guard, Smith offers position versatility and a player with Pro Bowl talent if he's pushed and groomed.

NFL Draft 2015: Round 1 analysis - Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota lead intrigue-free first day; Fantasy impact of top prospects from The Washington Post

18. Kansas City Chiefs
Marcus Peters | CB | Washington

This is may be just a little bit too soon for Peters. He is a talented cornerback, for sure. But there were issues to consider after he was dismissed from the team at Washington for clashing with coaches. - Maske

How he fits: Last year's third-round pick Phillip Gaines is a promising young corner starting alongside veteran Sean Smith for Kansas City. But behind those two the Chiefs have very little depth. Peters might be the best cover corner in this draft with fluid movement skills and good mirror ability. But his off-the-field problems kept him from going higher. -Bullock

CHIEFS ROLL THE DICE ON MARCUS PETERS from Warpaint Illustrated

If Peters can control his emotions on the field; adhere to the discipline his coaches lay out for him, the Chiefs might have that elusive shut down corner this franchise hasn't been able to develop under the current regime.

In retrospect, this was a risky but calculated move by the Chiefs that falls squarely on the shoulders of the head coach. My gut tells me this wasn't the place to take a risk but when you have the opportunity to select the best cornerback in the draft, you better take him.

Three Huskies taken in the first round of NFL draft from The Associated Press via KOMO

Next up was Marcus Peters, who the Kansas City Chiefs selected with the No. 18 pick. The 6-foot, 190-pound Peters was considered one of the top defensive backs in the draft, but he gave many teams pause after he was kicked off the Huskies team last November.

Peters said at the annual scouting combine that it was "miscommunication, mostly on my behalf" with new Huskies coach Chris Petersen's staff that led to the problems. Peters, who also failed a drug test early in his career, acknowledged he "didn't take the coaching transition too well."

Mauga back in K.C. from Nevada Appeal

"It feels great to be back at it again," Mauga said. "The first week went awesome with seeing coaches and players again."

The first set of mandatory practices arrives in June, but Mauga said the team is looking forward to improving from last year's finish. Although they knocked off both of last year's Super Bowl's participants, the Chiefs didn't make the playoffs.

"Everyone around the organization is very positive and motivated to getting better and having a great year," Mauga said.

LOOK: NFL helmets get awesome Marvel characters redesign from CBS Sports

The Spiderman helmet at the top of the page is my personal favorite and I think the Chiefs should start wearing it as soon as tomorrow -- and if the NFL says they can't wear it in games, then they should wear it in practice.

Michigan Football Where Are They Now: Jason Avant from GBM Wolverine

With the NFL Draft tonight it's always fun to look at current Wolverines who have made it to the NFL and had success. Nine years ago today, Jason Avant was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Nine years later he is still in the NFL, now as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Avant has never been an All Pro type of player but he has had a successful, productive career.

NFL draft winners, losers: Jets grab a steal, Cowboys whiff from USA Today

Players with character questions: Despite various off-field issues, Winston (1st overall), CB Marcus Peters (18th) and OLB Shane Ray (23rd) all were chosen Thursday.