In the latest mock over at Mocking the Draft from Brad Wells, the Kansas City Chiefs are making a Redskins-sized move to grab the No. 3 spot in the 2012 NFL Draft. The goal: Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M for the quarterback position. It’s best to let Wells explain.
Wells writes, “The value for RG3 was three first rounders and a second rounder. With this pick, the Chiefs surrender their first this year, their second this year (44th overall), and their first next year. Yes, it’s a lot, but the Chiefs aren’t scheduling a private workout with Tannehill just to have him over for BBQ and brews. They think he’s good. Really good. The Chiefs need a true franchise quarterback now that Peyton Manning is in their division, and Tannehill might fit the bill (because Matt Cassell doesn’t).”
It’s that last line that simply will not work — that Tannehill “might” fit. You don’t trade up into the top three picks of a draft to grab a guy who “might” fit the bill. It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t believe in Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Both players fit the mold of a franchise QB and both seem to have incredible potential to be successful for the next decade-plus in the NFL. Breaking the bank for those guys is understandable.
However, the flip side here is simply potential for some scouts. The Chiefs would have to hold an unequivocal belief in Tannehill across the board from their scouts, coaches and general manager if they were going to pay that price of two firsts and a second this year. It’s hard to find anyone who thinks that Tannehill is worth that. Could he turn out to be that good? Sure. But it’s just as easy to believe he’d be another reach for a team that was apparently desperate at quarterback.
The reality is that the Chiefs just don’t sound that desperate. They seem content to go with Matt Cassel under center with Brady Quinn as the backup and a much better roster around him than ever before. Trading up for Tannehill is the wrong value, lacks certainty and doesn’t fit the team mold at this point. It would be a total shock if something like this went down. Except to Brad Wells who could definitely say that he called it first.
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