So by far the best draft work being done by Chiefs fans is the Arrowhead Pride AP Lab, which has its own podcast.
They are not the professional journalists/analysts that populate our media, but they are insanely diligent and put together an outstanding "KC Draft Guide" every year. It's like you have three kccrow's working full time.
Last year, they called BoPete Keyes, among other players. So they're not infallible but I respect the hell out of their efforts.
Get the KC Draft Guide, though, if you don't listen to the podcast. But listen to the podcast.
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That said, they said some asinine stuff on the last podcast about Zaven Collins (LB out of Tulsa,
who I've pimped for on this forum).
They have released a weekly mailbag episode this week and answered a question about how well Collins fits Spags' scheme, which is nice because I've had the same thoughts.
Their thoughts were that he was both a fit and not a fit. He's a fit because he's got good coverage abilities, probably among the best on our team should he be drafted, but "when you see him and his size on the field" he's going to look so lengthy and large (since he is 260 lbs) that you're going to be tempted to shoehorn him into other roles on the field. That he wouldn't be super-utilized this year anyway with Gay and Hitchens eating up snaps (which
I've already addressed but whatever).
One thing they said was that he projects well, size-wise, to DE, and that he's a good blitzer, but they started going deep into his passrush plan and whatnot.
But I think that's just asinine. You don't take Collins to play DE, that's crazy to me. He's an off ball LB who can use his intelligence and size to jack up the LOS against the run.
You put him at Sam for a year while you play out Hitchens at the Mike for 2021, then when Hitchens becomes cuttable next year, you put Collins at the Mike and play him and Gay as your two LBs who have great size, great athleticism, great coverage ability, with tons of promise against the run.
Surround them with contributing LB role players, sandwich that LB squad with a well coached secondary and a talented DL, and you're looking at a Top Ten D so Mahomes doesn't have to be Superman 19 games a year.
I just thought their take was poorly considered. But maybe that's because I'm thinking about Collins obsessively while they're cracking down on over 200 players. I don't know.
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Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Is the Guide print or online?
Online.
It's about $20, but if you follow Kent Swanson on Twitter right now, they give discount codes on the regular. I believe it's currently $8, but since I was a customer last year I already got on the train for $7.
Highly recommended reading -- not only do they grade the prospects, they measure their fit with the Chiefs. I don't think they are the best draft analysts I've read, but they are plenty good and very diligent, and far and away the best and most comprehensive draft analysts I've read with the KC angle.
That's how they came across BoPete, who later on the Chiefs traded two picks to move up and select. Just outstanding work by the AP Lab.
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I follow all the dudes on Twitter, but don't listen to their podcast.
During the season they do great gif breakdowns of plays.
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