Interesting stuff coming out of the Worldwide Leader's well-coiffed draft guru Mel Kiper on Wednesday as he re-graded the 2011 NFL Draft for the Kansas City Chiefs. Will Jonathan Baldwin be the receiver and first-round talent the Chiefs thought he could be after coming out of Pitt and dealing with injuries (and fights) this season? What about the rest of the draft class? Find out more after the jump.
Here is Mel Kiper's take on the Chiefs' draft haul for 2011 with the season now over:
Post-draft grade: C+
Summary: This draft class got pushed off the rails pretty early. The Chiefs took a bit of a value chance on Jon Baldwin to target a big need at wide receiver, and, when he broke his hand in the preseason, it really hurt both his development and the offense. We still don't know whether Baldwin can be a difference-maker for the Chiefs, and, if Dwayne Bowe is gone next season, that'll add a lot of pressure. They might need to get a wideout again this year in the draft. Elsewhere, although I liked the picks in terms of needs (B) last year, I didn't think the value was there (C+), and that showed up. In fact, the only thing that keeps this draft from being really poor in the short run is the emergence of Justin Houston, who played more like the player who initially was pegged as a first-round talent; the Chiefs got him in the third. Rodney Hudson, Allen Bailey and others are still not there yet.
New grade: C
Personally, Baldwin makes or breaks this draft class and if he can get into form in the off-season you could see Bowe and Baldwin become the most physical wide receiver duo in the NFL.
For more on the Kansas City Chiefs go check out Arrowhead Pride and for all things related to the NFL Draft go visit Mocking the Draft.
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