Oh good, it's already starting.
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Every. Single. Year.
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One thing I seem to notice about so many of these draft grades are how well these experts score teams that draft high and how low they score teams that draft late. The simple fact is that teams like KC who draft late every round will not get the blue chip prospects that teams drafting Top 10 each round get. If our front office likes the value of what we got then I am content. Not every player will they hit on, but I do believe they will hit on more than the arm chair GMs that rate drafts.
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Problem with these rankings is my favorite pick for the Chiefs was really #31 getting Orlando Brown Jr... That should be part of the equation and easily puts the Chiefs in the top 10...
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The Athletic surveyed NFL evaluators about how the 2021 draft played out.

Front office people said they were impressed with the drafts of the Cowboys, Chargers, Giants, Jaguars, Jets, Ravens, Steelers and Vikings, among others.

The Chargers were praised for their solid first two picks, offensive tackle Rashawn Slater and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., as well as wide receiver Josh Palmer. One front office person said he thinks all three are starters, with Palmer being a No. 2 receiver who runs excellent routes. Their second pick in the third round, Tre’ McKitty, was called “the best blocking tight end in the draft.” One predicted fourth-round pick Chris Rumph II will enhance the team with excellent technique, intelligence, savvy, athleticism and character.

RAIDERS: Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said he knew the selection of offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood with the 17th overall pick would be controversial, and he was right. Several of his peers questioned the choice.

Leatherwood was the third offensive tackle taken, but he was ranked sixth-best by one general manager. Another general manager said he was sure the Raiders were going to take Darrisaw instead of Leatherwood. Said a third, “Darrisaw would have been a more solid pick.”

Leatherwood had impressive workout numbers, but he turned off some people by being late for commitments at the Senior Bowl, one scouting director said. An evaluator said Leatherwood has the athleticism and length of the best tackles in the draft, but he doesn’t show it consistently. “Every game, he does something you question,” he said. Another said he didn’t think Leatherwood was the best fit for the Raiders’ power-blocking scheme, and that he would have been better in a zone-blocking offense.

BRONCOS: The Broncos mostly were praised for taking Surtain even though they passed a quarterback with excellent potential in Fields. “He’s the most well-rounded cornerback I’ve seen in a very long time, and he got one of the highest grades I gave a corner in a while,” one scout said. “He doesn’t have many holes.”

Cornerback wasn’t a pressing need for the Broncos, but a scout said he understood why they would take a cornerback with Patrick Mahomes in the same division. Last season the AFC West had the top-ranked passing team (Chiefs), the No. 6 passing team (Chargers) and the No. 7 passing team (Raiders).

• More than one front office person remarked that area scouts and even scouting directors had less influence than usual over the 2021 draft and were marginalized in the process.

Part of it is because they didn’t have as much valuable information as in a normal year because they couldn’t travel as much during the fall. And part of it is because they had less face time with their teams’ top decision-makers. They usually weren’t physically in their draft rooms, and in some cases, they weren’t even at their team facilities. As a result, general managers, head coaches, and even assistant coaches wielded more influence over this draft than usual.
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Honestly, the guy completely loses all credibility with this statement. Cable is a noted zone blocking coach, and integrates a ton of zone blocking in with the power blocking scheme.

Add in that Leatherwood's strength per every single draft analysis I've seen is his power in the run game, and that guy is left with no credibility.
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Teams realized the way to beat KC was to rush four and drop seven into coverage. The idea was to pressure Mahomes and make it harder for receivers to get open in time. They could do this because they did not fear or respect the KC run game. The contenders felt that addressing that gave them the best opportunity to beat KC. What does KC do? They go all in on the OLine which will allow us to run the ball, which minimizes the impact of those pass rushers. They will have to dedicate more personnel to stopping the run which will open up the passing game again which Mahomes, with more time to throw, will exploit.
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So last year int he draft those wanting to compete with the Chiefs, all went out and added dynamic WRS. Now after the Super Bowl it's drop a bunch in coverage and be able to rush the QB so teams are adding edge rushers and corners.

The problem is the Chiefs recognize their weak spots better than anybody else. Just wait until next year when we add an EDGE and WR early in the draft.

Can't wait to see these guys on the field!
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I love what the Chiefs have done on the interior of the line and for starter at LT. But backup LT is question mark. And RT is either Remmers, who is no Schwartz or Niang, who is unknown right now. Hopefully Niang steps up and takes that spot and I guess Remmers can be backup for both tackle spots? Brown/Remmers, Thuney/Allegretti, Humphrey/Blythe, LDT/Long, Niang/Remmers, and Smith inactive every week? Is that how it plays out?
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Niang will end up there if disaster happens.

I don't know many teams that have 2 starting caliber left tackles. Most carry one and a swing tackle.

Niang is a better option than Cam Erving.
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An old tractor tire is a better option than Erving.
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Yes, it is a low bar.
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Chiefs don’t have a true fatal flaw on paper right now.

The secondary was good last year, and it’ll be pretty much the same group. Guys like Sneed and Fenton will only get better.

Linebacker is younger and more talented than last year.

DL should be better with Reed coming aboard and Wharton getting even better.

OL is vastly improved.

TE depth is better.

WR is the same, since Watkins was always hurt anyway. Maybe Powell or Callaway is a productive addition. Maybe Hardman takes a major stride as a receiver.

CEH will be better with an improved OL and a year in the system. Depth is a little thin, but I’m sure we’ll add another vet.

Mahomes is Mahomes. The coaching staff is essentially back again.

Injuries are the only thing that can derail us. The last 2 years have been rough with injuries. Maybe we’re due for some luck.

13 wins is the floor for the regular season IMO.
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Wonderful post... and true, too!
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