The Kansas City Chiefs have been reinventing their offensive line on the go for the last two off-seasons, with the addition of Jon Asamoah and Ryan Lilja last season to the guard position and Casey Wiegmann at center. The trend continued this year with the drafting of Rodney Hudson, but tackle was largely left untouched -- leaving Branden Albert and Barry Richardson as the incumbents on teh end. Then came the surprise signing of Jared Gaither by Scott Pioli only several days ago.
The talented tackle used to play for the Baltimore Ravens and was a frontline starter for the perennial playoff team, but health issues kept Gaither out all of last year. That's the main concern for the Chiefs new tackle this year, but that hasn't stopped Scouts, Inc. from praising Gaither and believing he's still good enough to be listed as a Top 7 tackle in the NFL.
They write, "Gaither has great length but can be inconsistent about keeping his pads down in pass protection. He has good hand use but needs more consistent technique to gain leverage. He has natural power as a run blocker and is aggressive. His height makes it tough to maintain proper pad level and body position but he has the raw talent and consistent effort to improve"
That impressive size at 6-9, 340 lbs is enough to scare any defensive lineman, and the Chiefs are hoping he can aid the offensive line with the talent that everyone has praised. But back concerns continue to plague Gaither's ability to get on the field, so it's hard to tell exactly what the Chiefs are getting with Gaither in tow.