2012 NFL Draft: Top 10 Prospects the Kansas City Chiefs Should Target

Despite my optimism about Tyler Palko's chances to help the Kansas City Chiefs finish strong this season, their best chance at a playoff run won't come from this year's roster.

As if Chiefs fans couldn't tell already. Kansas City's brief masquerade as a viable playoff team ended definitively with Sunday's game against Denver. Injuries hobbled their hopes at a second postseason appearance.

Then a porous offensive line and overall lack of discipline kicked the walker out of their hands and left them sprawled on the freeway.

The Chiefs might yet make a decent run at a couple teams: New England hasn't stopped anyone's passing game, the Jets are stumbling and the Broncos can't count on their prep school offensive scheme working the rest of the season.

But none of that will keep Kansas City out of the top 10 in next year's draft. Depending on how much further teams like Washington and Minnesota fall, the Chiefs could pick in the top five for the fourth time in five years.

With more holes to fill than was expected this year, Kansas City needs to start scouting in force if they want to rebound from their current debacle.

That said, here are a handful of players the Chiefs should look at to fill those gaps next year.

USC Quarterback Matt Barkley

Projected Round: First (top five)

The "Suck for Luck" campaign ended almost as soon as it began. Truth be told, it looks like it ended with Kansas City's first win against Minnesota.

That puts the Colts in line for the best quarterback prospect in over a decade, but that doesn't mean he's the only option at quarterback.

USC's Matt Barkley entered college as the top high school prospect and continues to produce in college. He has the solid arm and sharp mind necessary in the NFL, and he can make all the throws in a pro-style offense.

Barkley's clutch play hasn't been the stuff of legend, though, which keeps him from unseating Andrew Luck as the 2012 top draft prospect. That could lead to plenty of Ryan Leaf comparisons, but those similarities end there. Barkley is a high-character, high-effort player that will step up to the challenges of the NFL.

Kansas City should seriously consider Barkley in the first round; he possesses far more upside than Cassel and is plenty adept at calling plays from the line of scrimmage—something he's been doing since high school.

USC Offensive Tackle Matt Kalil

Projected Round: First (top five)

Matt Kalil brings quite an NFL pedigree to the upcoming draft. His brother, Ryan, quickly developed into one of the top centers in the game. His father also played offensive line for the USFL.

Even if his relatives hadn't already made their marks in professional football, the younger Kalil still would turn scouts' heads.

The towering 6'7" tackle plays with a relentless motor and a fierce mean streak. The loss of Brian Waters exposed Kansas City's offensive line for what it is, and there's no better place to start upgrading than at tackle.

Should the Chiefs find Kalil available when they draft, they'll be hard-pressed not to make the call even if Andrew Luck or Matt Barkley haven't been picked up yet.

Stanford Offensive Tackle Jonathan Martin

Projected Round: First (top 10)

Should Kansas City find themselves further back in the draft, players like Barkley and Kalil will almost surely be off the board.

That puts the Chiefs in line to select Andrew Luck's blind-side protector Jonathan Martin. An aggressive run-blocker and suitable against the pass, Martin is less polished of a product than Kalil but is considered to have a greater upside.

Drafting Martin (or Kalil, for that matter) would surely push Branden Albert out of the starting left tackle position. A shift to right tackle is possible, but more than likely, Albert would shift inside to left guard and compete against Ryan Lilja for playing time. Albert played guard throughout college at Virginia, who also had D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Eugene Monroe during Albert's time in their program.

BYU Offensive Tackle Matt Reynolds

Projected Round: Second

Matt Reynolds (No. 70 in the picture above) enters the NFL draft as one of the older college prospects; Reynolds will turn 26 at the beginning of the 2012 season.

That's what happens when you work on a church mission in Germany for a couple years.

Reynolds leaves little room for anyone to question his character or work ethic. A relentless pass-blocker, he could easily slip into the first round depending on the rest of this season and his combine numbers.

Should he reach the top of the second round, though, the Chiefs would do well to pick him up. By drafting offensive tackles with their top two picks this year, Kansas City can lock in their starting offensive line for years to come. Branden Albert would rank as the oldest starter in the group, and he won't turn 28 until November next year.

That could lead to some growing pains in the group next year, but the long-term future for Kansas City's offensive line would look plenty bright.

Boise State Defensive End Billy Winn

Projected Round: Second

The Chiefs tried multiple times to bring in serious talent for their defensive line. In 2008, top defensive prospect Glenn Dorsey joined the team as a 4-3 defensive tackle but converted to end with the change to a 3-4 defense in 2009.

Then Kansas City went for defensive line at the top of the draft again, selecting a prototypical 5-technique end in Tyson Jackson.

While both have had their moments, neither player has consistently excelled or justified their top-five draft selection. Dorsey gets some latitude; his more natural position is as a 1- or 3-technique tackle.

Part of the problem has been competition; the Chiefs haven't had it at these positions, and they lack any veteran presence who's played the 3-4 end well at any point in their career.

A mid-line veteran free agent like Shaun Ellis would help solve the latter. Billy Winn would take care of the former.

A natural 3-4 end, Winn pushes hard against an opponent's offensive tackle and disrupts a team's protection, exactly what a 5-technique is supposed to do. He possesses all the physical attributes necessary to play the position and has the tenacity to keep at it.

His overall technique is what pushes him out of the first round, which should provide the Chiefs just the opportunity to select him in the second round. With Winn, Kansas City strengthens its defensive line rotation. He'll either push Dorsey and Jackson to improve, or simply replace them.

Memphis Nose Tackle Dontari Poe

Projected Round: Third

One of the key building blocks for a 3-4 defense is a space-eating nose tackle who demands double-teams and clogs up the middle.

It's the one piece Kansas City hasn't really invested in, and unfortunately, there are too many other shortcomings to make this a priority next year. But that doesn't mean the Chiefs can't do anything.

Dontari Poe towers at 6'5" and is the lone bright spot on Memphis defense. At 350 pounds, he probably weighs a bit more right now than Romeo Crennel would like in a rookie.

Poe remains a project player and could easily drop much further in the draft as Ole Miss' Jerrell Powe did last year. But if Kansas City can be patient and develop Poe and Powe, they'd have an intimidating rotation of massive nose tackles in the coming years.

Washington's Alameda Ta'amu would be a much better acquisition, but with a late first-round projection is unlikely to be available at the top of the second round.

Alabama Inside Linebacker Dont'a Hightower

Projected Round: Second

Reports on Alabama's Dont'a Hightower place him in the top 20 among college prospects and likely drafted in the late first or second round.

However, inside linebacker is one of those positions often pushed down into later points of the draft in favor of higher-priority positions like quarterback and defensive end.

Additionally, the torn ACL Hightower suffered in 2009 could spook NFL scouts away from investing a first- or second-day draft pick on the Crimson Tide defender.

That could play directly into Kansas City's hands, as Hightower could be available in the second or possibly even the early third round. When healthy, Hightower is an aggressive force against the run and has the intellect to not only operate in complex defensive schemes, but direct them as well.

Hightower would be an excellent replacement for Jovan Belcher, who until recently has been almost invisible this season in Kansas City. His run-stuffing skills would complement Derrick Johnson's sideline-to-sideline coverage skills.

Virginia Tech Free Safety Eddie Whitley

Projected Round: Third

This coming year's safety class lacks the quality players seen in 2010 with Eric Berry and Earl Thomas.

That being said, there are a number of solid safeties who are worth a good look in the second and early third day of the draft.

Kansas City witnessed firsthand just how much they need additional depth at safety following the loss of Berry in the first game of the season. Jon McGraw is a slightly underrated veteran presence, but it drops off drastically from there.

With the flood of safeties with second- and third-round talent, more than a couple should slip through the cracks.

Eddie Whitley could easily be one such player. A torn ACL in high school could come back to haunt him with NFL scouts, though it doesn't seem to have inhibited him at Virginia Tech. He ranked third in tackles in 2010 and has two interceptions so far this season.

Incumbent free safety Kendrick Lewis definitely came into his own this season, and he should continue to impress going forward. But unlike previous years, where late-round picks were needed to step up as starters, 2012 should allow the Chiefs to add quality reserve and special teams players with their third-day draft picks.

Illinois Strong Safety Tavon Wilson

Projected Round: Fifth

Kansas City can continue to increase its depth at safety with Illinois' Tavon Wilson. Wilson played cornerback until just before the 2010 season when he moved to strong safety and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

Wilson shifted back to cornerback for 2011 but still projects more as a strong safety in the NFL. He anchors Illinois' secondary as their defensive leader and is a large reason Illinois ranks ninth against the pass.

Kansas City could deploy Wilson both as a reserve safety to back up Eric Berry as well as utilizing him as an additional cornerback in dime packages. Wilson and Jalil Brown would likely compete for playing time as the Chiefs' fourth cornerback.

Ole Miss Running Back Brandon Bolden

Projected Round: Sixth

Late-round picks don't often make much impact for their teams, but Brandon Bolden could find a solid role in Kansas City.

Thomas Jones' skills dropped off dramatically this season, and losing Jamaal Charles exposed Kansas City's need for greater depth at running back.

Bolden came on strong in 2010 with 976 yards and 14 touchdowns, but a fractured ankle in this year's season-opener has limited his production to just under 400 yards so far in 2011.

A strong north-south rusher, Bolden could step into the reserve running back role when Jones' contract expires at the end of the season. He possesses solid power moving between the tackles and does a solid job of protecting the ball.

Being drafted by the Chiefs would also reunite Bolden with a familiar face or two. Jerrell Powe played for Ole Miss last year, and Bolden served as a change-of-pace back for Kansas City's Dexter McCluster.