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OT Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
In 2013, the Chiefs spent the first overall pick on an unbelievably athletic left tackle prospect that would need to be groomed for a year or two in order to reach his ridiculous upside. Eric Fisher of Central Michigan was the perfect example of a boom-or-bust prospect at the tackle position, and so far it's been a bust.
This year, the first round of the NFL Draft does feature a tackle who brings with him a similar boom-or-bustability. Alabama LT Cyrus Kouandjio (pronounced "kwan-joe") looks like a more athletic Jared Gaither. He is massive (6'6", 310 lbs) tackle with great athleticism, and very long, powerful arms that are capable of stoning any passrusher he can get his hands on.
The problem, however, is that his play for the Tide has been inconsistent. He struggled mightily in the bowl game against OU, and he dominated like a Top 5 pick against LSU. Perhaps no game better underscores the "sometimes dominant, sometimes dormant" talent of Kouandjio than the above game against Ole Miss. There are plays that make your eyes bug out, and there are plays where he literally just falls over.
Kouandjio has all the tools; Saban's staff isn't exactly known for developing its talent up to its potential. It may just take reliable coaching and technique work for him to retain some consistency. If he does, he's got everything you need to be a Pro Bowl tackle. Like Gaither before him, he's got a clean kickslide, he recovers well, he can protect the edge and he decimates the bullrush. He can get downfield and block, he can plow through tackles and wall off ends from run plays. He's got a great punch, and plays with a mean streak. When he's on, there's maybe no tackle in this draft that's better.
He handles his assignments very well, and is almost never fooled. The one thing he struggles with, other than just general consistency, is his footwork, and that will take time. Speed rushers have given him fits but, again, there's nothing in his skillset that says he can't be coached up to shut that down.
Projection for Kouandjio: It all comes down to how much you want to invest in coaching up a tackle. If Eric Fisher and Lane Johnson going #1 and #4 overall last year wasn't indication enough that teams will take that investment, than it's pretty clear to me that Kouandjio is a first round pick -- probably a Top 15 pick if he shows well at the Combine.
Projected Chiefs interest @ 23: Dial it up to 11, and rip off the knob. The Chiefs love huge OL, and they love to draft and coach up athletic projects -- at least that's been Dorsey's track record so far. Assuming both he and Fisher would pan out, Kouandjio couldn't make a more perfect compliment: his aggressive road-grader style to Fisher's finesse athleticism. Plus, he'd more than likely have a year to learn the ropes while Stephenson and Fisher take snaps at tackle. The Chiefs would love to get their hands on this guy.
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