Wes Bunting of the National Football Post has released his latest mock for the 2012 NFL Draft, and the Kansas City Chiefs are left without any top tackles to choose from. Widely considered the biggest hole on the team, names like Riley Reiff and Jonathan Martin are already off the board by the time the Chiefs choose. That leaves bolstering the offensive interior becomes a priority with Bunting’s selection of Stanford guard David DeCastro as the Chiefs’ choice.
Bunting writes, “The Chiefs need to improve at a number of spots up front on their offensive line and DeCastro is by far the best prospect still on the board.”
That also leaves another popular choice like Boston College’s Luke Kuechly on the board, but the DeCastro selection makes a lot more sense than reaching for an ILB at this stage when the team already has talent there.
As for DeCastro’s fit, Ryan Lilja is in the second half of his career and might be better served as depth along the line for the Chiefs next season. Rodney Hudson backed up all three interior positions, but if Casey Wiegmann retires, then Hudson will be starting under center. The Chiefs also have Jon Asamoah at right guard, so adding another young strong starter like DeCastro bolsters the interior greatly.
That said the Chiefs will still need a top tackle in the draft since the free agency class is void of any real candidates the Chiefs would appreciate.