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The Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock for the 2013 NFL Draft, and even though the draft is still a few months away from officially making their pick there are plenty of mock drafts to go around.
Talk has been that the Chiefs will be taking a quarterback with their top pick, and plenty of sites are having Kansas City take West Virginia's Geno Smith to eventually replace Matt Cassel.
Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com goes in line with others by selecting Smith with the top overall pick:
Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: The Chiefs offense, which averages a paltry 13.2 points per game, has really struggled through the air with 20 interceptions and just eight passing touchdowns. Geno Smith isn't a can't-miss franchise quarterback like Andrew Luck a year ago, but he offers a talented skill-set that could intrigue the Chiefs to make him the top pick.
Even thought Smith is not the top rated player in the draft, he does fill a need that the Chiefs desperately need. Smith is an athletic quarterback that would bring a new dynamic to the Chiefs offense which has Cassel, who is more of a traditional pocket passer.
Brugler's colleague at CBSSports.com, Rob Rang, has the Chiefs going with an offensive lineman with their first pick:
Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M: The national perception is that Kansas City fans will be irate if the Chiefs don't draft a quarterback with this pick. That may not be giving an educated and passionate fan base enough credit for recognizing this year's poor crop at the position. Clearly the quickest way to turning around a franchise in today's NFL is with a star quarterback.
Just as clearly, however, investing a couple of years into the wrong quarterback can lead to an almost irreversible setback. Joeckel, NFLDraftScout.com's top-rated prospect, played a significant, if somewhat unrecognized role in the rise of Ryan Tannehill a year ago and the Heisman campaign of Johnny Manziel. The Chiefs already boast a solid left tackle in Branden Albert but the former first round pick is entering free agency and could be looking for a big pay day, that frankly, his inconsistent play and durability doesn't really warrant.
Going with an offensive lineman is usually the more safe route in building a team, yet it requires a fan base to be more patient as it can take longer to build a team through an offensive line. Joeckel would be a good selection since he was able to have a stellar season in Texas A&M's first year in the SEC, and went up against some very good defensive lineman.