ESPN’s Todd McShay proves it’s never too early for anything, really, in the world of new media by posting his full first-round projections of the 2012 NFL Draft — mere days after the 2011 version has cycled down. To no one’s surprise, McShay has Andrew Luck, the all-world quarterback from Stanford, going No. 1 overall in the draft.
Using a draft order of Scouts, Inc. writer Matt Williamson’s power rankings after the draft, McShay has the Chiefs drafting at No. 17 overall. With that choice, the Chiefs take an inside linebacker, Man’ti Teo of Notre Dame:
Te’o has developed into a solid player and should emerge as one of the elite linebackers in the nation in 2011. He continues to improve his recognition skills and has the quickness and power you look for in a starting inside linebacker in the NFL.
That position isn’t a stretch in the slightest when considering the level of importance of the choice and the current Chiefs players at the position. After addressing other holes, inside linebacker would be next up on the list and if the Chiefs aren’t pleased with the progress of Jovan Belcher, this could be a sign of things to come. Then again, we’ll hear about another 100 prospects in this same slot if we’re already talking about the 2012 NFL Draft.