Mock (3/11)

[Direckshun]

If you're getting tired of all the free agency bullshit, enjoy a mock.

I'm going with unconventional selections in this mock, because my mocks are otherwise starting to look pretty same-y.

Enjoy.

Assumptions:

1. The Chiefs extend QB Alex Smith 6 years, $90m (when you break the numbers down, it will actually break down to 4 years, $60m, with something like $35m guaranteed), and S Eric Berry 6 years, $45m ($23m guaranteed). They will extend Justin Houston at some point during the 2015 season.

2. The Chiefs re-sign S Husain Abdullah to a 2-year, $4m deal.

2. The Chiefs place a 6th round tender on NT Jerrell Powe.

3. The Chiefs re-sign ILB Akeem Jordan to a minimal deal.

4. The Chiefs let walk: WR Kyle Williams, WR Dexter McCluster, OT Brandon Albert, OG Jon Asamoah, OG Geoff Schwartz, DE Tyson Jackson, S Kendrick Lewis, S Quentin Demps

5. The Chiefs sign WR Jason Avant (Eagles) to a 2 year, $3m deal, OT Marshall Newhouse (Packers) to a 2 year, $4m deal, S Nate Allen (Eagles) to a 1 year, $1.5m deal.

On with the show:



1.23. DE Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame

After looking over all the prospects I'd grade in the top 23, I think it's increasingly more likely that Beckham or Cooks drop to our 1st round pick.

Here are players I have targeted at each position at least 75% likely to be gone by our pick:

QB Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
QB Blake Bortles, Central Florida
WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson
WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M
WR Odell Beckham, Jr., LSU
TE Eric Ebron, North Carolina
OT Greg Robinson, Auburn
OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
OT Taylor Lewan, Michigan
DT Louis Nix III, Notre Dame
DE/DT Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota
DE/DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
DE/OLB Jadaveon Clowney, South Carolina
DE/OLB Khalil Mack, Buffalo
DE/OLB Anthony Barr, UCLA
CB Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State
CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
CB Jason Verrett, TCU
S HaHa Clinton-Dix, Alabama
S Calvin Pryor, Louisville

That's 21 players. So who's left?

QB Derek Carr, Fresno State
WR Brandin Cooks, Oregon State
WR Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State
WR Marquise Lee, USC
WR Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt
TE Jace Amaro, Texas Tech
OT/G Zack Martin, Notre Dame
OG Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA
OG David Yankey, Stanford
DT Timmy Jernigan, Florida State
DE/DT Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
DE/OLB Kony Ealy, Missouri
DE/OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech
OLB Dee Ford, Auburn
ILB C.J. Mosley, Alabama
ILB Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech

I think there is a better than 50% chance that every one of these players lasts to our pick.

So the question becomes: who would you take?

For me, that comes down to Cooks, Amaro, Martin, Tuitt, and Shazier, who I believe are the best players remaining for the Chiefs. Neither Jernigan (4-3 DT), Ealy (4-3 DE) or Ford (4-3 OLB) fit our defense, and neither of the guards are the kind of can't-miss talents you take in the first round. I like Matthews a whole lot, but not as much as the players in my final decision.

Cooks is the dynamic, sure-handed, beautifully explosive route-runner you need to succeed in this league. Amaro is a Jimmy Graham receiver at the tight end position with good athleticism but brilliant route-running, but the Chiefs will sour on him due to his lack of blocking experience. Zack Martin is a perfect fit for our offense, and brings with him the versatility the Chiefs love. Tuitt is a 3-4 DE with 4-3 DE athleticism at a position that's an incredibly important cog for our defense. And Ryan Shazier is the kind of elite ILB the Chiefs "missed out" on in Luke Kuechly.

With these considerations in mind, it comes down to Cooks, Martin, and Tuitt. And considering how deep this class is at WR, and the Chiefs solid in-house options on the OL, the Chiefs opt to plug a big hole on their defense with a great project in Tuitt.

3.87. CB/S Terrance Brooks, Florida State

Keep in mind that this third round pick is going to be ridiculous value. The Chiefs are going to get a 2nd round caliber player in the 3rd round. It's awesome.

Brooks is likely to last this long, and his outstanding speed, great instincts and positional flexibility all make him perfect matches for the Chiefs. He has experience at corner, and at 5'11", he'd be really damn rangey there. And if John Dorsey is going to miss Kendrick Lewis' leadership, than Brooks is an excellent replacement as a locker room leader and, yes, "field general," whatever that is. It's also important to remember that he has that Dorsey-beloved "upside," as he has only played safety for two years.

He'll compete with Sanders Commings and Husain Abdullah for starting duties, and could potentially supplant either by the end of the year.

4.119. WR Matt Hazel, Coastal Carolina

Oh yes, my friends. Oh yes. There are few midrounders I'm more excited about this year than Hazel, the country's best kept secret at wide receiver. Hazel is a lot of things, but he is primarily a fiercely competitive receiver who plays best when the pressure is highest -- he torched Victor Hampton in the one game the Chanticleers played this year against a quality opponent.

What makes him special is his route-running. He possesses good measurables for a guy his size -- 6'1", just a hair under 200, with a 4.4 40. And his hands are, as should go without mention at this point, excellente. But his ability to use his body, adjust himself with the ball in the air, and create separation is what makes Hazel such an energizing prospect.

5.151 OT/G James Hurst, North Carolina

In this hypothetical, the Chiefs aren't going to be placing a premium on replacing Schwartz/Asamoah in the Draft because they have in-house options that are just as enticing: I anticipate they'll bring in Newhouse to compete. They have two promising guys in Rokevious Watkins and Rishaw Johnson. And everybody's favorite idea is to slide Rodney Hudson over and let Eric Kush take over at center.

Whatever the Chiefs do at guard, they will need depth. And if Eric Fisher is the kind of prospect Dorsey likes at OL, then James Hurst comes in as a prototypical Fisher-esque talent. A great athlete in his own right, the 6'5", 296 lbs did not run at the Combine, but possesses good in-game speed. His pass protection is damn good, with an ideal kickslide and good mirroring. For all Hurst's athleticism, however, he significantly lacks power and is coming off a season-ending broken leg injury. So while he will be a season-long project his rookie year, he has the kind of upside the Chiefs love, and fits our scheme perfectly so long as he can get stronger and tune up his runblocking.

6.177. TE Arthur Lynch, Georgia

The Chiefs are looking for some talent downfield for Alex Smith this year, and one of the best places to get it is in a reliable tight end, since that's a position that Smith clearly favors. But in bringing in TEs Fasano and Kelce, John Dorsey has proven that he prefers a tight end that can definitely block, with some receiving thrown in as a bonus.

That's where Lynch comes in. Lynch is never going to be the dynamic receiver that Kelce can be, but he can be the fantastic blocker and reliable receiver that Fasano has been. For a team looking to get faster and tougher, Lynch is a great addition, as the Bulldogs regularly asked him to block defensive ends. At 6'5", 258 lbs, he pulled in 30 receptions this past season with 5 TDs.

6.183. RB Henry Josey, Missouri

The Chiefs need more horses in the stable, because Charles can't carry 95% of the load again, and Knile Davis is an injury warning every time he takes the field, gifted though he may be. In acquiring Davis, however, Dorsey has shown that he loves gamebreakers at the RB position (who doesn't), and in the waning rounds of this already-weak RB draft, Josey is the MEPR -- most explosive player remaining. I'd love Dri Archer or even D'Anthony Thomas if either were on the board, but (a.) they won't be, and (b.) Josey's got more body to him than either of them do (not by much, though).

Josey's run game and passing game are rock solid. What he's missing is NFL-caliber passblocking, but fortunately the Chiefs have Cyrus Gray for at least another year to pick up the 3rd down passblocking as Josey picks it up over the year.