Drafting for Turner Gill and the Kansas Jayhawks

I'm a huge NFL draft buff.

Normally I would weigh in with my opinions on the Kansas City Chiefs' options, but there are simply far better Chiefs writers to take that from.

Then I was struck with an idea.

What if colleges drafted recruits out of high schools?

Sure it won't ever happen, and I'm just fine with that.  However, after all of the excitement the 2009 KU football season brought Hawk fans, we've hit a bit of a dry spell and I'd do just about anything to strike up a good gridiron conversation right now.

So, this being said, I thought it would be fun to imagine how Turner Gill might try to address Kansas' needs if he had the opportunity to participate in a draft rather than through recruiting.

Assuming that all 2010 commitments are no longer coming to Kansas and understanding that I have no actual names, only comparisons, here is how the Kansas Jayhawks would spend seven draft picks...

Round One

Because Kansas was 5-7, let's say they land somewhere in the middle of the draft lineup.  This means that there's still more than enough starting-caliber talents to go around.

If there's one place that KU truly needs a top notch talent with plenty of potential, it's at cornerback.  I hope Dave Clark becomes this guy, but in the given situation, I'd take a 6'1" guy with solid 4.4 speed. 

Most importantly, though, I want someone who is a true ballhawk.  If need be, I'll give up some size and an eensy-weensy bit of speed for a guy who gets burned on some risks, but comes out on top of deflected passes and picks more often than not.

It would also be nice to find a guy who will be mature and ready to be No. 1 by the conference season.

Round Two

If this draft is anything like the NFL draft, I'm gonna say there should be an athletic, decently polished, and versatile linebacker still available.

I'd be just fine with an undersized inside guy for the 4-3 and Nickel as long as he had more than adept coverage skills, something Drew Dudley is not particularly refined at.

The best part is that he would have a year of tutelage under Dudley, a senior, to add some bulk and run stoppage to his cover game.  If he's athletic and versatile enough, he should probably get a shot as an outside linebacker in place of the oft-injured Justin Springer right away as well.

Round Three

I hate to spend a third straight pick on defense, but to be honest, Kansas doesn't have a lot of gaping holes.  Sure the Hawks fell apart last season, but the redshirt freshman class should be a decent one, and there is simply a need for a talent upgrade at nearly every position, defensively at least.

Brad Thorson and Sal Capra will be seniors next season, but Trevor Marrongelli and, if he doesn't work out on defense, John Williams are set to take over full time.  Unfortunately, Williams can't do both, and Thorson won't be around forever to fill in as a tackle.

How about taking someone not unlike Tanner Hawkinson?  He'd still have a redshirt season and one more year to get adjusted if Jeff Spikes matures at least enough to regain a starting position, and he could play the less demanding right side, so Gill could afford to take a chance on somewhat of a project in the third round.

Give me a 6'5" or 6'6" guy, but with less concern toward his weight than his footwork.  He doesn't have to be as smooth as Hawkinson and can be a little bigger.  I can't stress how happy I am that the former tight end seems to be on the path to success and that I think repeating the process on the opposite side of the line would be wise.

Round Four

I think I'm looking at an outside linebacker here.  He may only be used as a supplement for Justin Springer on 1st-and-10s, but we need someone there, don't we?

Maybe I'm getting too desperate, but I still like undersized and fast here in the pass-happy Big 12.  Someone super quick, decent in coverage, and most importantly, a sure tackler.

Does Huldon Tharp have a twin?

Probably not, but give a small guy with a big heart and a winning attitude a chance to work with Tharp, and we may see something close.  He can be a little bigger, if necessary, for the strong side, but at this point in a draft I'll, as almost always, give up size for attitude.

Round Five

It's time to shore up the special teams a bit.  At this point, maybe there would be a super-mean, head-hunting fullback-linebacker type of guy to add some depth to the charts, add some bite to the kickoff unit, and compete for playing time late in his career.

The first person who comes to mind is a guy like Jon Cornish, a man who would've played anywhere for his team and was ultimately rewarded for his efforts with a starting spot as a balanced back in his junior and senior seasons.

Naturally, for tackling purposes, I would lean more towards a natural linebacker.  However, if I found a running back who happened to be 6'0", 200 pounds, ran close to a 4.6 forty, and played at a mega-high gear all game every game, that would be just fine with me too.

Round Six

To be perfectly honest, I actually have a name in mind for this spot.  The name is Jordan Taylor, and he's a wide receiver from Denison, Texas.

Jonathan Wilson, Tertavian Ingram, and Rod Harris will be seniors next season, and Daymond Patterson will be a junior.  If anything, at this point the Hawks would simply be shoring up depth anyway.

I stumbled on Taylor while looking at potential KU commitments and simply have fallen for what I've seen.  He's a former quarterback, he's tall (6'5"), fast (4.5 forty), and under the radar.

This makes him taller than former KU star Kerry Meir, faster, and hopefully he carries with him the same benefits of being a former quarterback. 

Kansas fans would be naive to hope for another project half as successful as Meier, especially in Turner Gill's system.  However, I have a hard time seeing how this kid wouldn't find his way onto the field somehow at some point in his career.

Round Seven

I'm all up for pulling a Kansas City Chiefs here.  Their last pick of the draft (last overall, too) has turned out more than fine, and KU's punter will be a senior next season.  Don't forget, the ever-inconsistent Branstetter will be a junior too.

While I wouldn't mind picking up some more offensive line depth here, I would be excited if the Hawks could find someone talented, intelligent, and devoted enough to handle both sets of kicking duties.

Backup walk-ons aren't hard to come by at either position, and I'm not sure why more schools don't utilize punter-kickers, myself.

If one's available, I find myself good talent at two important positions with one measly seventh round draft pick.

There you have it; a mock 2010 Kansas Jayhawk draft.

Since these don't actually exist, however, I would like to wish Turner Gill and his staff (a staff that I am very excited for) the best of luck in their more-realistic recruiting adventures.

I am very pleased with the attitude that Gill is bringing to Lawrence, and I hope his commitments are all very representative of such a positive, winning mindset.