Matt Barkley might be the second best player available on his own team, even if he is a the quarterback. That’s because his blindside tackle, Matt Kalil, is skipping his senior year at USC to enter the 2012 NFL Draft held in April. Immediately the announcement makes Kalil among the top players overall in the draft available and the first overall selection for any team interested in bolstering their offensive line. That should definitely be one of the primary concerns of the Kansas City Chiefs.
ESPN news services writes, "Kalil, a projected top-five pick, informed Trojans coach Lane Kiffin, other staff members and teammates of his decision to turn pro. Kalil has received numerous All-American honors this year. The 6-foot-7, 295-pound Kalil redshirted as a freshman, was backup to Charles Brown his second year and then started his final two years for the Trojans at left tackle.
“In 2011, Kalil didn’t allow a sack and led the USC offensive line to the lowest sack-allowed total in the country. ESPN.com’s Scouts, Inc. ranks Kalil as the No. 2 prospect in the nation at any position, behind only Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Other top tackles include Stanford’s Jonathan Martin and Iowa’s Riley Reiff, although most scouts have Kalil firmly ahead of them.”
The Chiefs are most often connected with Reiff or Martin for their later choice than other teams who are also desperate for tackle help. If Kalil falls to them somehow, the Chiefs will undoubtedly take advantage.