Kansas City Chiefs: 5 Players to Stay Away from in the 2012 NFL Draft

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With the 2012 NFL draft now less than three months away, teams around the league are starting to get more serious about who they want to select on draft day.

The Kansas City Chiefs are no different in this area—like any other team, they will have players they need to avoid in this upcoming draft.

Here are five players Kansas City should stay completely away from on draft day.

CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama

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If Chiefs CB Brandon Carr doesn't get re-signed this offseason, they need to make sure that they steer clear of Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick in the first round.

The Crimson Tide star is a very talented player, but he would be too much of a reach at the 11th or 12th overall pick.

Plus, he's not the best off the field, as he was charged with marijuana possession last month.

In the end, the risk would be too high for the reward of drafting Kirkpatrick.

ILB Luke Kuechly, Boston College

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Luke Kuechly made a living by racking up tackles in the middle of Boston College's defense over the past four seasons.

He was one of their more productive players on defense and was a big leader on that unit as well.

I expect him to become a decent NFL player, but he won't be worth the first-round pick that he will likely receive on draft day.

This class is deep with ILB prospects, and the Chiefs don't need to pluck Kuechly off the board in the first round to fill a hole that is much smaller than some of the other ones that they currently have on their roster.

QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State

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Brandon Weeden has all the qualities that any NFL general manager would want in a starting quarterback.

He has size, good arm strength, solid vision and is also a great leader on the field.

However, he will be a 28-year-old rookie next season.

When he plays such a premium position at the next level, his age is something that should not be overlooked by the Chiefs on draft day.

QB Kirk Cousins, Michigan State

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Kirk Cousins had a solid career at Michigan State, and was one of the more consistent QBs in the Big Ten conference over the past few seasons.

However, that doesn't guarantee him success at the next level.

Right now, he projects to be a fifth- or sixth-round pick in April's draft and has the ceiling of a backup QB in the NFL.

Since it's possible that Chiefs GM Scott Pioli will be taking a quarterback in either one of the early or later rounds, he needs to stay away from drafting Cousins.

QB Kellen Moore, Boise State

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Kellen Moore was one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at Boise State.

In his four years at the school, he threw for 142 touchdowns and just 28 interceptions for the Broncos.

Unfortunately, Moore is only 5'11" and, usually, that does not bode well for QBs in the NFL.

His lack of size and ability to stretch the field with his arm give the Chiefs more than enough reasons to not target him on draft day.