As the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft nears today, many of the teams linked to Josh Gordon are the bottom dwellers in terms of total offense. The Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts are typically the teams identified as possible landing spots for the former Baylor wide receiver. Robert Griffin III is lobbying for him to come to the Washington Redskins. But perhaps Gordon could also fit on a team already loaded with receiving options.
Matt Miller, founder of New Era Scouting and lead NFL writer for Bleacher Report, recently spoke to SB Nation Kansas City about the Supplemental Draft and believed that the Chiefs and Steelers could make sense when viewed through the right lens.
"I could see Kansas City and maybe even Pittsburgh with the troubles with Mike Wallace [as a home for Gordon]," said Miller. "Dwayne Bowe is in a walk year. He's been good at times but he's also been inconsistent. Drafting a guy with the potential of Gordon makes more sense.
"If Kansas City pulls the trigger in the third or fourth round on Gordon, I think it will be easier to justify the pick," he continued. "I think there will be some upset fans because Dontari Poe was seen as a potential type of pick in the first round already. But if Kansas City or Pittsburgh were to get Gordon, a team that could potentially lose its best receiver, then that makes more sense."
Thomas Melton, Senior NFL Draft Analyst and VP of Collegiate Scouting for NFL Draft Monsters, agreed that the best spot for Gordon to land for his own sake was a team with a top flight receiver already in place.
"If you're going to talk about an ideal situation, you want him to land on a team with a veteran wide receiver who can mentor him -- whether it's a guy like Larry Fitzgerald who is a long strider that attacks the ball in the air," said Melton.
"That might be ideal for him to learn from a guy like that. But you want a team with an established No. 1 receiver just so he won't be pressured right off the bat, but he could also complement and learn from him at the same time. Whether that actually happens or not, no one really knows because a lot of times guys don't get into those situations. That's the catch-22 of the NFL Draft.
In the end, both Miller and Melton believe Gordon will land with a receiver needy team willing to pay the price. Both have final predictions of a third round grade on him, with Melton choosing the Dallas Cowboys and Miller going with the Dolphins.
"If you're the Miami Dolphins, a team who has no talent at the wide receiver position after trading Brandon Marshall, they didn't address that need in the draft, I didn't feel like," said Miller. "If I were the Dolphins and had the extra picks coming from Chicago, I would go for it. I think they have such a big need."
Make sure to check out SB Nation's complete Supplemental Draft coverage here in this Storystream.