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Todd McShay of ESPN released a mock draft scenario Tuesday (ESPN In$ider) in which each NFL team would earn a grade of “A” for its selections.
The Arrowhead Pride draft team could not (respectfully) disagree more with the return he gave the Chiefs. As we’ve done this offseason periodically, we took a look at a recent mock draft, analyzed it and gave alternate solutions when we disagree with the selection.
We had a fundamental disagreement with just about every pick he handed out and broke it down on this week’s episode of the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory.
Here’s our latest edition of Mocking the Mock.
Round 1 (29): Garrett Bradbury, C, NC State
McShay’s reasoning: “Bradbury is arguably the most NFL-ready offensive lineman in the draft with great agility and awareness. Mitch Morse is in Buffalo now, and Cameron Erving has been pretty disappointing, so the O-line needs a difference-maker.”
It sounds like we hate Bradbury with as much pushback as we give on him being the pick in the first round. We certainly do not. In fact, he’s an excellent fit for the Chiefs’ zone scheme. The positional value, especially with the glaring holes on defense, are what makes this such a sticking point for us.
Bradbury is the pick de jour for so many analysts. We get it. No one considers Austin Reiter a legitimate option and the exit of Mitch Morse makes everyone believe there’s a major need for interior offensive line to protect your Most Valuable Player. But Patrick Mahomes did just fine with an interior offensive line of Cameron Erving, Austin Reiter and Andrew Wylie. The Chiefs went most of the season without Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and a good portion of the season without Morse.
Our pick: DL Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame
We’d much rather invest in a defensive lineman who has some potential inside and outside versatility. He would give the Chiefs yet another guy to move around the defensive line. He’s also higher on our big board in the KC Draft Guide.
Round 2 (61): Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State
McShay’s reasoning: “Why not add some more fun to this high-octane offense? The Chiefs get their running back with the powerful and patient Sanders.”
Yet another head-scratcher for us from a positional value standpoint.
We like Sanders the player. He has the potential to be a three-down back and boasts an excellent athletic profile. But if the Chiefs invest in an interior offensive lineman and a running back to kick off their draft, they’ve ignored their defense with two straight selections for low-value positions.
Logically, I get why some want to connect running back to the Chiefs early. They lost Kareem Hunt last year, who was a big part of their offense. However, they’ve got Damien Williams and Carlos Hyde in the building to handle the workload, with a young Darrel Williams capable of contributing as well. I wouldn’t be stunned to see the Chiefs invest in running back but not until day three.
Our pick: CB Amani Oruwariye, Penn State
In McShay’s mock, Oruwariye was still available to the Chiefs at 61. This would be a no-brainer. Sanders’ teammate in college has the desirable length, ball skills and athletic profile the Chiefs could benefit from at the cornerback position. He’s also a good value here this late. The cornerback group will very much be a preference oriented approach for most teams in the second round. Oruwariye is a top-40 player for us in the KC Draft Guide.
Round 2 (63): Jachai Polite, OLB, Florida
McShay’s reasoning: “On defense, taking a gamble with Polite could pay off. He has fallen quite a bit the past few months, but he has burst off the edge.”
Finally, the Chiefs have invested on defense in McShay’s mock. The only problem is they have taken a player that doesn’t make a ton of sense when it comes to what Steve Spagnuolo has traditionally coveted. What’s more is Polite has failed the pre-draft process with terrible media interviews, reportedly terrible team interviews and terrible athletic testing that he has yet to finish because of lingering hamstring issues.
Polite’s tape was excellent, but everything since we last saw him play has been an epic disaster. His fit isn’t clear, even though he showed talent.
Our pick: S Amani Hooker, Iowa
Hooker may not be a perfect fit for what the Chiefs need at safety, but there’s too much to like about him to pass up. While his skill set more closely aligns to the role we expect Tyrann Mathieu to be used for, his athletic testing surprised and his football character is top-notch. Getting a player like Hooker to pair with Mathieu would bring a lot of potential versatility to the secondary and leadership to match. He’s nearly a top-50 player for us in the KC Draft Guide.
Round 3 (92): Andy Isabella, WR
McShay’s reasoning: “The UMass burner can flat-out fly.”
We have no qualms with addressing receiver in the top 100, but not addressing the secondary, Todd?
McShay’s reasoning for not addressing cornerback in this mock: “I would have liked to get a corner, but the opportunity wasn’t there. It wasn’t worth reaching as far as I would have had to, so I’d look to stock up on secondary in the later rounds.”
Our pick: WR Kelvin Harmon, NC State
In this scenario, Harmon was inexplicably available at 92. Isabella is a fine player, but we like Harmon much more. With the Chiefs having satisfied both their pass rush and secondary, getting Harmon here would be a cherry on top of a draft class that could make us proud.
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