Kansas City Chiefs: Tep's Mock Draft Take Two

Just what we need right?

Yet another Mock Draft.

Well, it was time for an official update with only one week left before the NFL Combine in Indianapolis

Todd Pioli is not your typical GM. He is a cerebral, "close to the vest" individual with a unique set of criteria he looks for when evaluating players. Talent is obvious, but he also looks for unselfish team players who believe that the team comes first. He wants to find men who feel that football is the most important thing in their lives, who work hard, who are football smart and who understand the game. He looks for versatility, and rarely takes players who have played only one position.

But things change, like last year, with the selections of Jonathan Baldwin and Justin Houston, who did not fit his normal criteria. Just when you think you have him figured out, he throws in a few surprises, and with a new head coach and offensive coordinator in the mix, things could get very interesting.

We must also realize that depending on what they do in Free Agency with affect these selections

The Chiefs currently are $62 million under the cap.We still don't know as of this writing whether Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Carr will be wearing red next season. With that kind of money, one would certainly hope so.

 If that money is spent on some good free agents, this draft may just make this team complete

First Round: Offensive Tackle Jonathan Martin, Stanford

Well, this pick comes as no surprise. All Martin did these past few seasons was protect the blindside of one of the most gifted QBs the NFL has seen in years; Andrew Luck.

He gave up one sack all year, and has everything it takes to be an outstanding offensive tackle in the NFL, a position the Chiefs are crying for. At 6'6, 310 lbs, he will start on the right side, replacing Barry Richardson. Like Richardson, he is a strong drive blocker and can handle the bull rush, although his strength is in pass protection.

Stanford Offensive Line coach said the following about Martin:

"He is a pure physical force. He has great length, long arms and can lock onto his man and sustain. He has no fear. Even when we moved him around the line, even at Tight End where he also took snaps, all he did was fire off the snap and hit people. He knows the game"

His selection also gives the Chiefs the option to move Brandon Albert to his natural guard position in 2013, with current LOG John Asamoah moving, where many scouts considered to be his best Pro position at Center, and then Rodney Hudson could play the Right Guard position, the position he played at for his entire college career.

Finally, remember that he went to Harvard and is just as smart on the football field as he is in class. He and fellow teammate, Guard and possible Chief pick David Decastro, mentored an Offensive line consisting of 3 Freshman and provided great leadership traits, working hours with these kids, and in doing so, gave Stanford one of the best Offensive Lines in the NCAA.

 TEAM CAPTAINS.

Second Round: Tight End Orson Charles, Georgia

Now, this is one of the most exciting playmakers I've seen in a very long time, making one big play after another for Georgia this past year. When you have this kind of ability, its time to go Pro, even with one year remaining.

Charles has average size at 6'2, 251 lbs, but did a decent job of blocking inline, which he was frequently asked to do, showing good upper body strength and powerful hands. He has the potential to be used as a mismatch, even in the slot, and makes up for his lack of ideal height by having long arms, giving him a greater catching radius

 With his skill set he has, the sky is the limit. He has great hands, good speed, outstanding leaping ability, and is a clutch player.  It is rare when a TE in college can average almost 16 yards per catch as he did. He also is a tremendous vocal leader in the tradition of Ray Lewis. Don't even be surprised if he sneaks into the end of the first round, making him a steal in Round Two.

 With OT Steve Minneri now moving to a blocking TE role at 290 lbs, the combination of Orson and Jamaal Charles, McCluster, Bowe, Baldwin and Breaston will give opposing defenses all they can handle, as long as the offensive line holds up. This may be more offense than we have ever seen in Kansas City if we add the right players, and Charles is one of the most explosive playmakers in this year's draft.

VOCAL LEADER AND TEAM CAPTAIN

Third Round: Nose Tackle Alameda Ta'amu, Washington

How long has it been since the Chiefs drafted a quality NT? How about never. Although I believe they may look to free agency to fill the need, much like they did last year with the recently retiring Kelly Gregg, they can't pass on this guy at this point in the draft.

With promising Jerrel Powe already on board for his second season, these two alone could man that NT position for years to come. The baggage with him is the same you hear from NFL scouts for most Nose Tackles: Weight issues. His playing weight, as with Poe, should be 335 lbs. Unlike Powe though, this kid has great devotion to his craft and conditioning will not be a problem.

He has tremendous power in his lower body to stack the middle and occupy blocks, he really understands the game, and he works hard. He'll crush the pocket, but the only sacks he'll see are of the coverage variety. As for availability, two of the top sites have him there for the Chiefs to take where they select and if he''s there, they'll jump on him in a hurry.

TEAM CAPTAIN

Fourth Round: Running Back Victor Ballard, Mississippi State

Make no mistake about it. You would be kidding yourself if you didn't feel a Running Back is a need. Jamal Charles is coming off an ACL surgery, (a surgery that may cost Rashad Mendenhall of the Steelers the entire 2012 season) and had limited carries even when healthy, Jackie Battle did well, but not well enough to be the part of the 1-2 punch they'll be looking for, and might be relegated to special teams. With the retirement of Thomas Jones (thank god) that only leaves 170 lb RB Dexter McCluster.

Ballard is just what they need; a big, strong,and fast RB with much more ability than Jackie Battle. He is a very strong compact runner at 5'11, 220 lbs, and is a patient runner who has a great burst and excellent body lean

He was on his way to his third 1000 yard season before an injury. He holds the school record for touchdowns and the ultimate team player.

TEAM CAPTAIN

Fifth Round: Offensive Tackle Matt Reynolds, Brigham Young

Matt Reynolds is one of those guys who doesn't look pretty out on the field, maybe not even that athletic, but a guy that gets the job done. One of the most highly recruited players to come out of high school, he had a very good career at BYU. He was ranked as a first team All American, playing left tackle. He is better suited to play the right side, and better yet, move inside to ROG. Look for him to replace veteran Ryan Lilja in the starting lineup.

Reynolds has great durability, starting 39 consecutive games for BYU.

As a pass blocker, he was almost impossible to bullrush. Speed gave him some problems at left tackle but overall, held his own. He is a good run blocker with great technique and a relentless motor, reminding me of another ex-Chief mid-round steal: Dave Szott. He is smart, recognizes blitzes and had tremendous leadership abilities.

VOTED TWO-TIME TEAM CAPTAIN

Sixth Round : Inside Linebacker Shawn Loiseau, Merrimack (Division 1AA)

You've got the name right and if this year's East/West Shrine game shows anything, this kid from this tiny school is one hell of a middle linebacker.

At only an even 6'0, 240 lbs, and playing against weak competition, the Chiefs actually may not even see him drafted this late. He may be undersized,but no more than Jevon Belcher, and like Belcher, he will hit you. His advantage is he won't have to change positions while Belcher played defensive end in college

He is aggressive, nasty, intense and does well dropping into pass coverage. He also made a hell of a lot of tackles. He has been timed at 4.62. A real sleeper.

TEAM CAPTAIN

Seventh Round: Weak Safety Jerrell Young, South Florida

Boy, what a bowl game he had. Jerrell Young came out of nowhere to start for South Florida. He has decent size at 6'1, 210 lbs, and will intimidate you

A late bloomer, he came on strong this year. He loves contact and loves to make hits behind the line of scrimmage. He gets good drops and fits well into a cover two.

The kid is a winner and the operative word here is "kid." Finally after seeing slow safety play from Piscatelli and McGraw, this kid can cover a lot more ground and will compete to backing up both Lewis and Berry.

TEAM CAPTAIN

Seventh Round: Outside Linebacker Sammy Brown, Houston

Well, this player was not a "Team Captain" because frankly, he didn't have time to be. A juco college transfer, he started for just one year at Houston and made impact immediately.

He played defensive end from a two-point stance and despite being only 6'2, 240 lbs, this prospect was sensational with 12 sacks and an astonishing 28 tackles for loss.

He is a pure speed rusher, and Romeo should find his ways to have him rush in different packages and schemes while he learns the position. Reminds me a lot of a guy that used to play for the Chiefs last decade, the best speed rusher they ever had, may he rest in peace.

NEW HEAD COACH

I wish Romeo a lot of luck. Much has been written. Could they have done better? Look at his record in Cleveland? But those were different times with a lousy team and a horrible GM.

As a head coach, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but handling the responsibilities of being HC and DC may pose the same problems when Haley took his shot as HC and OC.

My fingers are crossed. Romeo and the draft? With Chiefs fans screaming how bad Matt Cassel is, I guess those same fans out there, if you could turn back the clock and if cheering for the Browns would be screaming 'WE WANT BRADY QUINN!" "Cassel's a bum, we want Brady." Well Romeo listened to the fans desires in Cleveland and he drafted him.

Now, you can pick up Quinn for a six-pack of beer and a bag of pretzels.

What's that saying? "Be careful what you wish for"?

HE IS THE CAPTAIN

The NFL DRAFT

Are you ready for the draft?

Are the Chiefs ready for the draft?

Well, let's see what happens in free agency first.

The Greatest One of All

And speaking of the draft, this is dedicated to you Derrick.

Derrick Thomas was drafted in one of the greatest drafts in history. While Troy Aikman, Deon Sanders and Barry Sanders were all drafted just before him, I don't think any Chiefs fan will ever regret his greatness as a player and his greatness as a man.  RIP