Aaron Maybin is the very definition of a draft bust so far in his short NFL career. And that might be exactly why the Kansas City Chiefs could make a play for him at this point in the off-season.
The outside linebacker was the No. 11 overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and he was supposed to be a major addition to their pass rush. Coming out of Penn State, ESPN's Mel Kiper loved Maybin and paired him with Brian Orakpo near the top of his draft targets on defense, saying that "Maybin is another combo type who is explosive out of the blocks and relentless in his pursuit of the quarterback." Yet after being drafted, Maybin has done absolutely nothing, with career totals of 24 tackles in two full seasons with zero sacks.
Tim Graham writes that the main issue for Maybin has been his lack of professionalism. "Aaron Maybin... has been all flash and no substance. Before Maybin signed his NFL contract, he had a rap song that mentioned Maybach luxury cars, pinky rings, Circoc vodka, Nike endorsement deals and all the heads he was going to knock off." Chan Gailey has publicly criticized him and nothing seems to have worked thus far.
However, this could be exactly the kind of buy-low option that Scott Pioli would make a move for. Mike Lombardi wrote that the Bills are shopping him around, saying, "I hear the Bills would love to have someone take first-round bust defensive end Aaron Maybin off their hands and are offering him up for trade to any team -- but so far no takers." The culture in KC is already established and if the cost was something minimal -- a 7th round choice, for instance -- then the risk is minimal for something that could pay major dividends. Working around professionals like Tamba Hali and having such a strong environment around him might provide the difference.
It's easy to forget that Maybin was just a redshirt sophomore in his final season in college, so there's still so much untapped potential there. Yet in his 10 starts at Penn State that year before coming out, he led the Big Ten with 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. Perhaps his immaturity and inexperience have gotten the best of him and he'll never turn the corner. But one of the ways that the best teams stay the best is that they take the chance and buy low on a stock with a high ceiling. That's exactly what Maybin might provide on the field.
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