Todd McShay’s first 2017 NFL mock draft came out and he has the Chiefs taking a quarterback, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky. Some may disagree with the pick but plenty of us can agree with the logic. Alex Smith is under contract through 2018 so you draft his replacement in 2017 and get him ready to take over after Alex is gone. Makes sense to me.
The guys over at The Drive on 610 Sports had a good hypothetical on this (go to about the 26 minute mark here). Let’s say Alex brings the Chiefs further than they’ve been in 20-plus years - the AFC title game - but they lose to the Patriots.
Would the Chiefs draft Alex Smith’s replacement a few months after he brought them to the AFC Championship?
Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison both said they didn’t think the Chiefs would draft a first round quarterback if that happened. (Danny said he would want them to though).
Alex is only 32 years old. If he takes them to the AFC title game - one further than they went last year - the Chiefs could argue progress. They could point out that there were a bunch of injuries, Jeremy Maclin was hurt for a while and other factors that hampered the offense this year. They would point out that the Chiefs have a roster ready to win now and Alex can do that.
Quarterbacks play into their mid-30s often. Alex is under contract through 2018 which would make him 34 years old. Just think if Alex did do that this year, I think we’re more likely to be talking about an extension for Alex in 2017 rather than drafting a quarterback high.