Apparently one monster trade in the first round is not enough for mock experts looking forward to the 2012 NFL Draft. The Washington Redskins already paid a major price to the St. Louis Rams to move up to the No. 2 selection to grab Robert Griffin III in a trade that shook up the top of the first round. In Will Brinson’s latest, the Kansas City Chiefs will do the same — trading up with the Rams at No. 6 to take quarterback Ryan Tannehill from Texas A&M.
Brinson writes, “That’s right, we’ve got a mock trade compounding a real one. Boom. The Chiefs clearly aren’t in love with Matt Cassel and Ricki Stanzi can’t seem to find the field. The Chiefs can hop the Fins and it only costs them a second-round pick.”
That’s not a bad price on moving up so many picks at the top of the draft, so Brinson is right about one significant factor — a swap of firsts and additional second is a reasonable price. However, that’s where this fantasy likely ends.
The Chiefs have definitely done their homework on the quarterbacks available in this draft, holding private workouts with Brock Osweiler and Tannehill among others with a couple of weeks to go. They have also stated this offseason that they want to improve the competition level at quarterback, with their only move being to sign Brady Quinn as a back-up in Tyler Palko’s spot from last season. That said, it’s hard to see the Chiefs pulling the trigger here.
Tannehill’s stock has been rising as the No. 3 quarterback on the board for most mocks. However, recent draft history is littered with a supposedly hot product falling to the late first or even second or third round (a la Jimmy Clausen, Andy Dalton or Ryan Mallett). The Chiefs still have some positions to upgrade with those first two picks, and Scott Pioli would have to be absolutely convinced Tannehill was his man in the end. Is that even possible at this point?
Everyone describes Tannehill with the possibility of a high ceiling, but it’s all potential at this point and it’s hard to tell how he will translate at the pro level. The Chiefs seem risk-averse enough to make a move like that. Instead, it’s likely the Chiefs will wait on a quarterback, if they take one, in the middle rounds and hope for success with a Kirk Cousins or comparable prospect.
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