In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been going back over the 2008, 2009, and 2010 draft class of each franchise and assigning each pick a grade. Up next? Well, that’s the Kansas City Chiefs.
Each pick between the 2008 and 2010 draft classes has earned a grade between +2.0 and -2.0 (in 0.5 increments) that depends upon:
• Where they were drafted
• Their performance
• Their contribution (how many snaps their team got out of them)
• Other factors, such as unforeseen injuries and conditions that could not have been accounted for
Let’s take a look at how Kansas City drafted.
+2.0: You’ve just found Tom Brady in the 6th round
The Chiefs haven’t, and were forced to settle for spending big money on Brady’s back up.
+1.5: Getting much more than you bargained for!
Brandon Flowers, CB (35th overall pick in 2008): Cornerbacks like Flowers don’t come along all that often, so getting him in the second is tremendous value. He hasn’t quite reached the heights of his first half of 2010 in his recent play, but he’s an incredibly consistent player at a premium position.
Jamaal Charles, RB (73rd overall pick in 2008): Before C.J. Spiller claimed his throne, there wasn’t a more electrifying back in the league than Jamaal Charles. Wasn’t quite as explosive in 2012 (yet still picked up 1,509 yards). How did so many teams pass him up?
+1.0: The scouts nailed it!
Branden Albert, T (15th overall pick in 2008): A former college guard, Albert has gotten better and better the more time he has spent at tackle. Consistently gets the job done in pass protection, which makes it odd that the Chiefs seem intent on moving on from him.
Brandon Carr, CB (140th overall pick in 2008): Teams are desperate to find starting-caliber NFL cornerbacks, so to get one in the fifth round is something of a coup. Carr has recovered from a horrid rookie year to solidify himself as one of the better young cornerbacks in the league, even if he does lack the upside of some of the top corners out there. He has played more snaps than any other KC draft pick over the four years he was with the team, but accepted a lucrative new contract from the Cowboys for 2012.
Jon Asamoah, G (68th overall pick in 2010): Good on his heels, Asamoah is coming off his strongest year to date where he finished sixth overall in our right guard rankings. Good value.
+0.5: Never hurts to find a solid contributor
Jake O’Connell, TE (237th overall pick in 2009): Finding his way onto the field for 509 snaps, O’Connell was a better blocker and special teams player than you normally get at his spot.
Ryan Succop, K (256th overall pick in 2009): If you’re going to spend any draft pick on a kicker they should contribute. To say that Succop, our 18th-ranked field goal kicker, has would be an understatement. This is a position that looks to be solidified for a long time.
Javier Arenas, CB (50th overall pick in 2010): Arenas has quickly become one of the league’s better slot cornerbacks, while also being one of the most productive punt returners. Can he be any more? Didn’t look like it when forced into being a starting corner.
Tony Moeaki, TE (93rd overall pick in 2010): Missing 2011 didn’t help him and he looked a little off his best returning last season. But, even so, he’s a decent starting tight end with some upside found in the third round.
Kendrick Lewis, S (136th overall pick in 2010): Lewis doesn’t have the talent of Eric Berry, but he’s held up (few blown assignments aside) as the deep safety. Not bad to find a starter in the fifth.
0.0: It could have been worse
Kevin Robinson, WR (182nd overall pick in 2008): The former sixth-round pick did little as a kick returner as a rookie and found himself on the outs when Todd Haley took over.
Brian Johnston, DE (210th overall pick in 2008): Another player let go by the new coaching staff, Johnston somehow earned a -11.1 grade on just 136 snaps.
Mike Merritt, TE (239th overall pick in 2008): Merritt didn’t see the field and was cut by the new regime a month after being arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession.
Eric Berry, S (5th overall pick in 2010): If not for missing nearly all of the 2011 season injured, who knows how high a grade Berry would have earned. Started looking the part late in 2012 after being exposed trying to match up with tight ends. Needs to do more to justify being such a high pick.
Dexter McCluster, RB/WR (36th overall pick in 2010): McCluster is dangerous with the ball in hand, but does he do enough that he warrants being the fourth pick of any second round?
Colin Brown, T (139th overall pick in 2009): Brown missed his rookie year on injured reserve and never caught on.
Barry Richardson, T (170th overall pick in 2008): On one hand, the Chiefs have gotten more snaps out of Richardson than you’d expect from a sixth-round pick. However, that -33.7 grade earned on 2,326 snaps isn’t pretty.
Quinten Lawrence, WR (175th overall pick in 2009): Just 19 snaps were logged after Lawrence bounced between the active roster and practice squad.
Javarris Williams, RB (212th overall pick in 2009): He’s spent time on the practice squad and even managed 29 largely unimpressive snaps, with six rushes for 6 yards.
Cameron Sheffield, LB (142nd overall pick in 2010): Sheffield made it on the field for 144 snaps in 2011 and just one in 2012, failing to make much of an impact.
-0.5: That pick was not put to good use
Brad Cottam, TE (76th overall pick in 2008): Injuries limited him to just 489 snaps, but not a great return from a pick in the third.
DaJuan Morgan, S (82nd overall pick in 2008): In his 286 snaps for the Chiefs, Morgan didn’t do enough to convince coaches he was worth any more of an investment.
Will Franklin, WR (105th overall pick in 2008): Not a fan of the new coaching staff, the former fourth-rounder was given a chance to shine as a rookie but had problems adapting to life in the NFL.
Alex Magee, DE (67th overall pick in 2009): A waste of a third-round pick, Magee only served to turn the Chiefs sixth-round pick in 2011 into a fifth-round pick.
Donald Washington, S (102nd overall pick in 2009): Washington seemed to get more playing time each year, although without his performance actually improving. Then he got arrested and released and his time with the Chiefs was done.
-1.0: What a waste!
Glenn Dorsey, DE (5th overall pick in 2008): It’s true that Dorsey has become a solid run defender in his tenure. Yet, you expect more from a Top 5 pick and his inability to get pressure on the quarterback is a massive disappointment for a team that saw him doing so much more.
Tyson Jackson, DE (3rd overall pick in 2009): Much like Dorsey, if you draft a player in the Top 5 they need to be someone that can play in any situation. Jackson is a decent run defender, but he’s failed to be the player he was drafted to be and it’s surprising that he’s still with the team.
-1.5: The scouts/ coaches failed, big time!
No whiffing from this team.
-2.0: You just drafted the love child of JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf!
All potential Russell/Leaf hybrids were successfully avoided.
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