At least one writer considers the Chiefs haul at the NFL Draft quite special. In fact, SB Nation’s James Brady describes the Chiefs as possible winners above all other teams.
In his most recent column over at SB Nation Bay Area, Brady goes through the Chiefs draft choices and notes that they are each in line with their value and need, pointing specifically to the ability to grab defensive tackle Jerrell Powe in the sixth round and outside linebacker Justin Houston in the third as excellent choices. Brady also listed most other choices as a positive, from the first round choice of wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin to the fourth round grab of cornerback Jalil Brown.
Yet Brady is also not blind to the boom or bust potential of this draft class. He brings up on several occasions the possibility that some of these selections could sink and not swim with the baggage that they bring. In fact, he concludes that on such a young roster, having some character issues might become problematic. Yet in the end, he believes the Chiefs still scored talent worthy of such picks:
The Chiefs are a young team that just couldn’t keep up at times in 2010. Now they’ve added a lot of players who can contribute immediately… At face value, this is a fantastically strong draft from the Chiefs that should make them favorites, or at least co-favorites to win the AFC West in 2011, but it definitely could blow up in their face if given the chance to. They won’t have the benefit of potentially catching any teams by surprise this year. Not only should the Raiders, Broncos and Chargers be on standby – the rest of the league should take note as well.
In a sea of several mixed grades, it’s nice to hear someone who really believes in the Chiefs draft class. In the end, none of this matters until these guys play on the field, but perhaps we’ll look back and realize Brady was correct.