The Kansas City Chiefs finalized a deal to trade for Alex Smith on Wednesday, as first reported by Jay Glazer of Fox Sports. The compensation is reportedly the 34th pick in the upcoming draft and a 2014 pick that could also be a second-round pick depending on Smith’s performance.  

With the trade, the Chiefs have their quarterback. Its déjà vu all over again for Chiefs fans, as the team has traded for the 49ers quarterback several times before. The second-round pick the Chiefs will send to the 49ers is also the same exact pick the Chiefs sent to the Patriots for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel.

It’s a horrible trade for the Chiefs. Not because Alex Smith is a horrible quarterback or there is a top-flight quarterback at the top of the draft or there are any better options available. It’s a horrible trade because the Chiefs gave up a lot to get Smith—way too much for a quarterback of his caliber, that the 49ers probably weren’t going to keep around.

It was a panic move, one the Chiefs didn’t need to make just because they didn’t like the quarterbacks in the draft. The Chiefs inherit Smith’s contract and will probably have to give him a contract extension that will tie the new regime to him for at least the next three years. Smith is scheduled to make $10.75 million in 2013 if you include his roster bonus, according to spotrac.com.

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The Chiefs are probably getting a lot closer to deciding what to do with the first overall pick in April’s 2013 NFL draft. The draft board was put together before the combine, just not finalized. Now that John Dorsey and Andy Reid have had a chance to meet with these players, they will start to write in pen and not pencil.

At some point prior to the start of free agency, the Chiefs are probably going to land on which player to take with the first pick. They might have a good idea now, but aren’t telling. The only thing the Chiefs might give away early is who they might not pick No.1 overall.

With the combine officially over, it’s time to determine what the Chiefs should do with the first pick. The verdict: draft Geno Smith.

That doesn’t mean the Chiefs will draft Smith. If the rumors are true and the Chiefs trade for Alex Smith, they probably won’t.  

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The Oakland Raiders are in salary cap purgatory.

A roster full of overpaid and under-performing players has left general manager Reggie McKenzie with a lot of tough decisions to make. McKenzie had started his tenure by purging the roster of the worst contracts, while restructuring the others.

In Year 2 of the rebuilding process, McKenzie has more tough decisions to make. Players will be released, but he’ll also have to do more restructuring.

One of the biggest decisions McKenzie has to make comes at the quarterback position.

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It’s always dangerous to talk about “can’t-miss” players. There are no guarantees in the NFL draft, despite our attempts to label them as such. The safest player in the draft can still end up being a bust, while a risky pick can become an All-Pro.

There is, however, such a thing as a “can’t-miss” prospect. These are prospects that are almost universally liked, even if people can’t agree exactly where to place them on the draft board. In theory, these players wouldn’t be busts, but there are a lot of factors that go into being a successful NFL player.

A whole host of different things can make an otherwise perfect prospect fail. The player may lose the desire to work hard once getting a big pay day, they might get hurt, the scheme might not fit their strengths or their personality might clash with coaches. Teams try their hardest to anticipate these issues, but it doesn’t always work out.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have said repeatedly that they are looking for the best player available with the first overall pick. General manager John Dorsey has the 300 prospects at the scouting combine under consideration, but in reality that number is much smaller.

Only one player can be the best available player, but there isn’t a clear-cut player who has distinguished himself from the others. Dorsey will have to split hairs to find out which prospect is best one, which means minor fluctuations will make a difference.

Maybe a player doesn’t come across well in the interview process or his athletic ability and game tape don’t match. For a player to truly be the best available, they need to have it all. Although the Chiefs have a good idea of the player from the game tape, there’s still plenty of learning to do.

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The Oakland Raiders learned the hard way that there’s no such thing as a “can’t-miss” NFL draft prospect. Robert Gallery was a once-in-a-decade left tackle prospect and the Raiders had to move him to left guard to get anything out of him. Rolando McClain was supposed to the long-term answer at middle linebacker, but has struggled on and off the field.

Of course, we also know that a lot more goes into the success and failure of players than just their ability to play the game. How a player is used, his health, how he responds to the NFL lifestyle, how he fits in the locker room and if he’s willing to work hard are all part of the equation. The player and the team need to be a good match.

Every year there are good prospects. Some of them will turn into stars and others will be busts. A lot of players will go on to have long careers, but never really achieve greatness. A can’t-miss prospect is an oxymoron to some degree, but there are some who are more likely to achieve greatness if drafted by the Raiders.

Interior Defensive Linemen

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On Saturday at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine, the offensive linemen were the primary focus. It’s no secret that the San Diego Chargers need offensive linemen. Every mock draft has them taking one for a reason.

You can be fairly certain that new general manager Tom Telesco and new head coach Mike McCoy had a close eye on the offensive linemen as they were put through the gauntlet of athletic tests and did drills designed to test the skills NFL teams desire.

While game tape is always going to be a better predictor of NFL success, athleticism and a good interview can certainly help break any ties in the war room.

With throngs of media on site, fans get to see more than a bunch of 300-pounders run the 40-yard dash. Players also have press conferences and the media gets an opportunity to ask questions that are on everyone’s mind.

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In high school, Taiwan Jones played running back and cornerback. Jones was actually recruited as a cornerback, but switched to running back as a sophomore. Jones dominated the Big Sky Conference as an offensive player, but struggled to stay healthy.

It’s not surprising that Al Davis drafted Jones in the 2011 NFL draft, because he has 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash. Davis loved speed and that’s well known. As was usually the case, though, Jones was more of an athlete than football player. Jones lacks the ideal size to play running back at the NFL level and his ball security issues have kept him off the field.

Fast-forward two years and Reggie McKenzie is moving Jones to cornerback, as Jones himself suggested late last year. With the switch, Jones has an opportunity to put his NFL career back on track. It became abundantly clear last year that the Raiders had no intention of giving Jones carries when a running back signed off the practice squad was given carries ahead of him.

Absent a switch, Jones’ NFL career was probably over. Jones just doesn’t have the frame to absorb the punishment as a running back at the NFL level, but he did show promise on special teams. Since Jones has proven to be a willing tackler in space on special teams and is as athletically gifted as just about any cornerback in the league, he has a very real chance to develop.

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