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Uncertainty runs amuck within the Kansas City Chiefs defense at the OLB position.
The most important position in the 3-4 defense.
The number one mission of a defense is to disrupt the play of the opposing team's quarterback. That's the easiest way to obtain victory. In a 3-4 defense, that responsibility falls mostly on the backs of two players - the 2 OLB's (with a splash of Wallace Gilberry). A good goal for any NFL defense is 40 sacks in a season (Chiefs finished 2010 with 39, good for 10th in the NFL). In an ideal world, you want your two starting OLB's racking up 20-25 of those sacks (Tamba tallied 14.5 last year, while Vrabel put up a goose egg - that's right, 0 sacks). This amounts to anywhere from 50-62% of the pass rush's production. That's a lot of...PRESSURE on two individuals (see what I did there?).
Lets first take a look at what the Chiefs have at OLB, and see why the position is in such disarray right now...
Projected Starters:
*Tamba Hali - Currently franchised and we're really not sure how happy he is about it (hasn't signed his tender yet). Hopefully, there isn't any kind of holdout in his future plans. There's no reason to fret until August 4th, which is the first day he could actually practice with the team. However, if we haven't heard from him come August 5th, it's time to panic.
*Andy Studebaker - Could be THE key to the Chiefs defense this season. Along with Tyson Jackson, Studebaker is 1 of 2 relatively unknowns projected as starters right now. We've seen flashes from 'Bakes before (3 sacks last season), but nothing that would significantly indicate how he'll perform as a starter this season.
Projected Backups:
*Justin Houston - Despite rumors that the Chiefs have placed Houston on the Mentally Unable to Perform (MUP) List, nobody knows for sure what's going on with the Chiefs 3rd round draft choice. He's MIA. My best guess is that he's serving some sort of disciplinary action right now due to his failed drug test from the NFL Combine. Whatever the story is, I'm writing off Houston for the season as of now, because the practices he's missing right now are crucial for a rookie.
*Cameron Sheffield - A 2010 5th round pick that we know absolutely nothing about. He missed all of last season after sustaining a neck injury in a preseason game. While the team hopes he can provide something this year, he certainly cannot be counted on.
That's it, that's the list. There are question marks up and down the Chiefs current depth chart of Outside Linebackers. This isn't a position you can take for granted and/or go into the regular season shorthanded. I think it's absolutely necessary for the Chiefs to add somebody off the Free Agent market. There are 3 names that jump out, and outside of these names, I'm not sure where else help could come from.
Survey says...
*Tully Banta-Cain - Seems the most likely choice because of his history with Scott Pioli in New England. After 2 horrible seasons in San Francisco, he's put up 14.5 sacks over the last 2 seasons with the Patriots. Seems like a perfect fit, however the word on the street is that injuries played a role in his release from New England this offseason (despite playing in 31 of 32 games the last 2 years).
*Matt Roth - Discussed him before in my 10 Free Agents for the Chiefs to Pursue article. Despite never putting up more than 5 sacks in any season, Roth has good QB pressure numbers and is stout against the run. While that doesn't necessarily sell me on him either, the good people at ProFootballFocus.com have him rated highly.
*Manny Lawson - Stay on that same link, and you'll see this name appear 2 spots lower than Roth's. Lawson isn't a premier pass rusher (6.5 sacks in 2009, 3 in both 2008 & 2010), but is considered a good run defender. It should be noted that he was oftentimes taken off the field on 3rd downs in 2010, leading to his dip in sacks (but a sign of his pass rushing shortcomings).
I've been chirping the importance of the 3-4 outside linebacker for the past 2 years now, and am a big proponent of adding 1 of these 3 names to the long list of question marks the Chiefs currently have at the position. If I had to put money on it, I'm betting that Tully Banta-Cain ends up a Chief in 2011.
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Wow! Before the NFL Draft, I like to line up names that match up with the Chiefs' needs and selection spots, and then squawk about how they're a perfect fit. Then the Draft starts, and they choose people I've mostly never heard of at positions they hardly need, all while ignoring my phone calls, emails, and sky message flyovers. So I regather myself, try to put myself in their shoes and assess just what they were thinking. This year was different though. I mentioned 5 of the Chiefs' 9 draft picks in my pre-Draft writeup. Everything seemed to come together for them at the right time. The pieces fit perfectly into place. It felt similar to when I wrap up one of my world famous Draft classes on Madden where every pick makes sense (leading to one of my many Super Bowls). The Chiefs addressed each of my top 4 needs, and 6 of my overall 9 positions of need (honestly, the other 3 were just filler). Compare that to last year, when 6 of my top 8 needs were not directly addressed in the Draft.
It's almost scary how much I like this Chiefs draft class (as you'll soon find out with my grade-nasties). Combined with an excellent finish to the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the sports world now has me in fear of The Bundy Curse. But I think this could be one of the great classes, and not just when looking around the NFL this year, but when looking at the Chiefs' all time history. Combine that with the great classes of 2008 and 2010, and the Chiefs' future is looking brighter than Jon Gruden's preteen Swedish haircut. If Matt Cassel continues to progress, these classes have the makings for the foundation of an NFL powerhouse. However, I'm just glad to finally get my hands back into some football. And if you weren't excited about the 2011 NFL season (which will happen) because of the lack of Free Agency, the time to do so is now. So lets get to the picks and see why this class has me excited in more ways than one....
1st Round: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh I dismissed Johnny Baldwin (can I call you Johnny Baldwin?) at first because of his perceived similarities to Dwayne Bowe. What I meant by that is that neither Baldwin or Bowe have tremendous speed, and I was concerned that defenses would be able to stack the box, bogging down what the Chiefs want to do on offense (run the ball, intermediate passing). However, after taking a closer look at Baldwin, he gives the Chiefs exactly what they need, which is a downfield threat. Built with a 6'4 frame and terrific go-up-n-gets-it skills, Baldwin should prevent the defense from stacking too many in the box. There are some character concerns, but I trust that Pioli (In Pioli we trust!) checked into every potential concern with him. Combine that with the fact that Haley knows how to develop receivers, and Baldwin could be exactly what the Chiefs need opposite D-Pro-Bowe.
Fun Fact: Baldwin attended the same high school as former Pitt Panthas Mike Ditka and Darrelle Revis.
Grade (combined with the extra pick gained from the trade down): A-
2nd Round: Rodney Hudson, C, Florida St.
Hudson should be the Chiefs Center for the next 12-15 years. While Casey Wiegmann provided a good stop-gap solution at Center last year, reports say he's 50/50 about returning for the 2011 season. Rudy Niswanger has starting experience at Center, but is really better as a Guard (and as a backup). Hudson started 47 career games at Guard at Florida St, but does have experience at Center before and was projected as one by almost Draft expert. He was a 3-time member of 1st team All-ACC, the 2-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Year, a unanimous All-American in 2010, and was considered the top center of the 2011 NFL Draft (despite the Raiders defying that conventional wisdom - whodathunk?). Hudson was whistled for 4 penalties throughout his entire career, and only allowed 1 sack in his last 2 years at Florida St.
Fun Fact: Hudson took part in one of the best things in sports when a defensive player jumps offsides and the entire Florida St. offensive line won't move to showcase the defensive infraction. Seen here...
Grade: B+
3rd Round (#1): Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia
Houston showed up on my list of potential first rounders for the Chiefs, so you know they got good value here (or I'm just a dumbass). Houston could start for the Chiefs from day one (Andy Studebaker as his main competition) because of his familiarity with the position (Georgia ran the 3-4 last year). The 1st team All-SEC performer posted 11 sacks last year (9 coming against SEC teams) on his way to becoming a finalist for the Nagurski and Butkus Awards. Juiceton could give the Chiefs the pass rushing threat they sorely need opposite Tambahawk.
Fun Fact: Houston failed his drug test at the NFL Combine (how can you fail the test at the Combine? You know the exact date, and you know you're going to get tested. Does this guy even have an agent?)
Grade: A
3rd Round (#2): Allen Bailey, DE, Miami
A new part of the Chiefs rotation at Defensive Line. Bailey sits at 280 pounds right now, which is a little undersized for a 3-4 Defensive End, but stands similar in stature to my favorite current Chief, Wallace Gilberry. He was a 1st team All-ACC performer in 2009 and a 2nd teamer in 2010, while putting up 7 sacks both years. While Defensive End wasn't a huge need for the Chiefs, you can never have enough good Defensive Linemen.
Fun Fact: Bailey grew up in a town, Hog Hammock, of roughly 80 people on isolated Sapelo Island approximately 15 miles off the coast of Georgia (Oh, maybe he knows Justin!).
Grade: B
4th Round: Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado
The third day (4th round) is when you start to throw positions of need aside and draft whoever is high on your board. Brown stands tall (at 6'1) and tested (opposite Jimmy Smith at Colorado - drafted in the 1st round), which sounds like Brandon Carr's description here with the Chiefs. Like defensive linemen, you can never have enough good Cornerbacks given today's NFL. Brown was honorable mention All-Big 12 the past two seasons, but perhaps more importantly for the Chiefs, starred on Special Teams his first two years with the Buffs, leading the team in "special teams points" both years. He's also very durable, having only missed 20 total defensive plays the last two seasons.
Fun Fact: Brown ran for 412 yards and 5 TD's in a high school game, breaking Terrell Suggs' (yup) previously held Arizona state record. And they lost the game.
Grade: B-
5th Round (#1): Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa
90% of the mock drafts I read were right. Not sure if it was Scott Pioli's relationship with Kirk Ferentz, or the disintegration of Crodie Broyle's tenure in Kansas City, but they all had KC snagging Stanzi sooner or later. I love this pick. Stanzi draws a lot of comparisons to Tom Brady with his pocket awareness and mobility. He went 26-9 as a starter at Iowa and led them to an Orange Bowl victory in 2009 before losing a bevy of close games in 2010. However, his stats in 2010 (25/6 TD/INT) dwarf his '09 numbers (17/15). Hopefully, this ends whatever was left of Crodie, guaranteeing atleast one area of improvement for the Chiefs from 2010 to 2011.
Fun Fact: The Arizona Cardinals phoned Stanzi with the intention of making him the 136th pick in the NFL Draft. Unfortunately for them, the Chiefs owned the pick before and gobbled him up.
Grade: A
5th Round (#2): Gabe Miller, OLB, Oregon St.
Was the biggest reach of the Draft according to most Draft boards scattered throughout the information superhighway. Miller is most likely a project having only played 2 years of defense with the Beavs, beginning as a Tight End. Plenty of reasons to dislike this pick, however there's one really good reason to like it....
Fun Fact: Gabe started "No Shave November" for OL, TE, and QB's at Oregon St. eventually leading to an ESPN Gameday feature. Seen here....
Grade: C-
6th Round: Jerrell Powe, NT, Ole Miss The Chiefs finally have somebody phat enough to play Nose Tackle! Ron Edwards was masquerading as one the past two years (and doing a pretty good job of it), but the time has come for the real thing. The Chiefs got great value on this pick, with one CBS analyst mocking the Chiefs to pick Powe in the 2nd round. I have no idea how he lasted until the 6th round with so many teams needing a Nose Tackle in today's NFL, although this might play a bit of a factor...
Fun Fact: Powe literally cannot read according to his Mom. I find this endearing and think it makes him a very sympathetic dude that I will be rooting for extra hard.
Grade: A+
7th Round: Shane Bannon, FB, Yale
I got almost no information on this dude except....
Fun Fact: Check out this head of hair...
Grade: B
Overall GPA: 3.3 (B+) However, not everybody does so well in this NFL Draft, therefore I'm grading the Chiefs on a curve, which rounds this Draft class up to a rock solid A.
