On the Friday episode of the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory, we went through a “Doomsday Draft”, a less than ideal scenario for the Kansas City Chiefs.
(Please note: This does not mean that we do not necessarily like the players selected – but perhaps not the value of the choice and the totality of the concept. Sometimes the whole picture of a complete concept can make other performances more meaningful – given the full perspective.)
Here is the four-round mockery we came up with:
31. LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
In this scenario, tackles fly off the board – and so do the pass-rushers and cornerbacks (we have picked over and over again, and it can certainly happen). The Chiefs are stuck between an offensive approach with the arm length requirements that Andy Reid has (Stone Forsythe, Spencer Brown) or to address another position.
What is the position the Chiefs can address that we will not be excited about? Linebacker.
Collins is one of the best coverage supporters in this concept, but also features a unique, versatile set of skills. Steve Spagnuolo prefers the plays that are better than him, but he has also seen what good coverage can do in the last two Super Bowls for a defense. Collins can develop a bit of rushing ability and present himself as a chess piece.
Collins is an excellent player, but that’s not the greatest need, and we would not like the idea of going along with a lineout.
TRADE UP! 50. OT Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa
The Chiefs see Forsythe come off the board in the 1940s and pull up aggressively to acquire the last pack of their series in Brown. They hand over the choice of 63 and 94 to move up to 50.
Coaches are probably drooling over Brown’s potential after testing through the roof on his pro day. He showed elite athletics of more than 6 feet 8 inches. There is certainly promise, but in his career he has also played just the right suit at a lower collegiate level than some of his peers.
He’s a project, and I would not feel comfortable getting him used to the other side of the offense while trying to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. Brown is an older prospect (senior red shirt) and such players are not normally developing. Chiefs coaches will like him and coaches regularly play an important role in the Chiefs board. They will believe they can get the most out of a player like Brown.
136. EDGE Joshua Kaindoh, Florida
The Chiefs are done early on day two after an exchange and have to wait to address the EDGE position until day three. Kaindoh is another special athletics profile who hasn’t put it all together yet – and there are questions if he ever wants to. He has the necessary size and length of a Spagnuolo edge, but he still has a way to become a constant contributor to the next level. It is again a choice in which the coaching team believes it can help a player reach his ceiling. The choice from a value perspective is relatively good, but the first three choices of this concept present many question marks.
144. WR Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
The first three picks offer very athletic upside, but the compensatory picks in round four do not. Surratt is a receiver who can work beyond the numbers and win at the catch point, but does not have an excellent athletics profile – on his pro day he is a 4.7 40 point. What he does offer is a big target that could fit on the line of press against the press – a type that Chiefs are likely to look for in this draft.
The conclusion
Yikes!
I have to be sold pretty hard on the whole of this concept during the press conferences after the election. The Chiefs kept getting better in this scenario – it’s hard not to have a complete choice. The question is whether these players will reach their potential and how long will it take them to reach it?
My confidence level is not that high – but if a scenario like this plays out, the organization believes in its ability to get these players to their ceiling.
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