Kansas City Chiefs 2012 NFL Draft: Should They Look at Quarterback on Day Two?

The Kansas City Chiefs and selecting quarterbacks early on in the draft aren’t often spoken in the same breath.

Only three times since drafting Todd Blackledge out of Penn State with the seventh overall pick in 1983 have the Chiefs even taken a signal-caller in the first three rounds (Mike Elkins, second round in 1989, Matt Blundin, second round in 1992 and Brodie Croyle, third round in 2006).

Last night’s first round saw four quarterbacks taken, with the top two picks—Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III—going to the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins respectively. The Miami Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill with the eighth pick and the Cleveland Browns took Brandon Weeden at 22.

With the landscape of the NFL evolving into a pass-happy, quick-score league, organizations seem to always be scrambling to find their franchise's leader. But with so little to choose from on a yearly basis in terms of “can’t-miss” prospects, most quarterbacks drafted outside of the first or second round—not named Tom Brady—turn into roster fillers to simply appease the fan base.

However, that still hasn’t stopped teams from taking quarterbacks deep into the seventh round. Since 2000, there have been at least 10 quarterbacks chosen in every draft, and that trend should continue this year.

If Matt Cassel doesn’t do his part in helping to erase the memories of Chiefs’ fans from last season and a mediocre 2009 season, he will start to lose favor in Kansas City more so than he already has. But there is no immediate relief coming this season, so he gets another crack at it by default.

However, that doesn’t mean the Chiefs can’t start to rid themselves of their fear of drafting quarterbacks with premium picks. They need to start proving to the fanbase they are willing to engage in healthy competition at the position, which, at worst. only creates depth.

Quarterbacks to watch out for on day two of the draft are Brock Osweiler out of Arizona State, Kirk Cousins of Michigan State and Nick Foles of Arizona. Names like Russell Wilson of Wisconsin, Case Keenum of Houston and Kellen Moore of Boise State could also pop up in the later rounds.

Although finding Cassel’s eventual replacement as starter might not happen this year, providing competition and demonstrating to the fans that you aren’t neglecting the position is vital to gathering momentum for the franchise that will pay dividends in the future.

Scott Pioli played a part in drafting Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, so why can’t he strike gold again?

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