If you listen to Scott Pioli, the difference between the No. 11 selection and that of No. 12 is a vast chasm. As the Chiefs won the coin flip today to determine whether they would have the earlier choice over the Seattle Seahawks or not, Pioli described this morning’s flip to finalize the order for the 2012 NFL Draft as a major difference for the Chiefs.
“It kind of went straight up and it didn’t start flipping until it hit the ground,” Pioli described. "It’s a huge difference because in that one spot in the draft you don’t know who the other team is going to pick. It’s just an earlier opportunity for you to get what you want in the draft.”
“Not only is a better opportunity for you to get what you want, but if there is an opportunity to make a trade you are one spot higher and the value of that pick is going to be that much greater,” Pioli continued.
Pioli is right because at the turn of the top ten, there is usually one key player who begins to fall out of the top players for one reason or another. It’s a key corner that some teams can trade into (see last season’s Jaguars/Redskins trade at No. 10). If a team wants a Ryan Tannehill or Trent Richardson and those guys have fallen a bit, they might pay KC a premium to grab them.
Then again, the Chiefs might want to keep that pick and get an impact player like a Riley Reiff or Michael Brockers ahead of the Seahawks, who might be after the same position. Every spot counts in the first round and Pioli felt a bit of relief based on the coin flip this morning.