It seems like every year for the last three years the Kansas City Chiefs were supposed to take an offensive tackle with their first round draft pick. At least that's what the draft "experts" thought. With current starting right tackle Barry Richardson being a restricted free agent last year, it didn't seem like he did enough to get a vote of confidence that he'll be holding down that position heading into next season. While Richardson wasn't as bad as some fans might think, the position could still use an upgrade.
Iowa's Riley Reiff and Stanford's Jonathan Martin are offensive tackles that are, according to the experts, slotted to be picked right around the position that the Chiefs will be drafting (10-11) this year. Both are big, strong, athletic tackles that are thought to have the skillset to start at either tackle position early in their NFL career. While the Chiefs have a very good left tackle in Branden Albert, it wouldn't be a bad idea to draft a player that could start on the right side in 2012, and provide insurance for the Chiefs should Albert be looking for a larger contract than the Chiefs would be willing to pay after the 2012 season when Albert becomes a free agent.
If the Chiefs are going to continue the Matt Cassel era in Kansas City, it's imperative that they give him the best offensive line in the NFL. Because they'll need to run the ball when teams stack the box and with Cassel under center, teams will continue to stack the box. Adding a potentially great right tackle with the first round pick assures the team builds around their bread and butter, which is hopefully the run-game with a healthy Jamaal Charles in 2012.
While it's not the flashy or exciting pick that many fans would want to see, it's certainly a good pick. The Chiefs have done a great job recently in locking up their young talent and filling needs with the draft (Justin Houston, Ricky Stanzi, Rodney Hudson, Jerrell Powe). They don't have as many needs heading into this draft as they did last year, but right tackle is a need and they're in a great spot in the draft to pick up a quality player at that position.