For those unfamiliar, few NFL reporters are as accurate and respectable as ESPN’s Adam Schefter. So when he speaks, we’re prone to listen. In his latest maibag, Schefter comments on the Chiefs drafting of players like Justin Houston or Jonathan Baldwin who seem to go against the grain of recent drafts:
The Chiefs surprised me there, Tristan. Scott Pioli went for a couple of a very un-Pioli-like picks. He’s usually big on character players, at certain key positions. And a couple of times in this draft, he went against that philosophy by drafting Baldwin and linebacker Justin Houston. Which tells you one thing: He must really love those players and think they have a real chance to contribute. As for what Baldwin can do, he has the talents to be a tremendous receiver. As I watched highlights of him, it was very hard not to be impressed. And if he plays the way he did in the highlights, and stays away from controversy, the Chiefs are going to be very happy.
Personally, the amount of discussion surrounding the character issues of the players is surprising to me. After all, if a guy is selected, then obviously the team that chose him is confident the issue is settled and in the past — especially for a team like the Chiefs. At this point, talent is the main issue, and that being the case, the Chiefs should be quite satisfied with their draft haul.