As the ESPN/Scouts, Inc. top player rankings continue to unfold, the rankings now move to the guard position, where the Chiefs are not sitting pretty. In fact, their rankings show that the Chiefs got much worse by letting longtime guard Brian Waters go in exchange to start Jon Asamoah and Ryan Lilja at both guard positions.
Specifically, the rankings have Ryan Lilja as the only ranked Chief and he comes in as the 45th best guard in the NFL with a 66 overall ranking. To give you an idea of how that correlates, Waters comes in at No. 15 overall with a 78 overall score. Asamoah isn't even ranked for that matter, leaving one to wonder whether they bothered to rank him or don't believe he's among the top 78 in the NFL.
As for Waters, Scouts, Inc. praises his technique saying, "Waters has excellent initial quickness and above-average agility and body control. He provides excellent leadership both on and off the field and is a student of the game. He is a good technician who knows how to use his hands to get a good fit and will reposition quickly when slapped aside. He has heavy hands that shock opponents and steer them on by the pocket. He does a good job of finishing blocks and shows a lot of awareness when facing stunts and twists."
Yet as much as they love him, it's difficult to ignore the fact that Waters remains unsigned despite several teams with obvious needs along the offensive front. Perhaps teams are waiting until after Week 1 when contracts aren't guaranteed, but Waters should have found a home by now if he was still a top 15 guard in the NFL. There's no doubting that he's a Hall of Fame candidate with a storied career among history's best interior linemen, but it's hard to tell at this point whether or not the Chiefs made the right move.