Kansas City Chiefs - AFC West, 2008 Draft Selections & Prospects
Kansas City Chiefs
The Draft Was
... Almost perfect. All that's missing is a quarterback.
Glenn Dorsey should've gone No. 1 overall and was a joke of a
steal at the five. Branden Albert was the best guard prospect.
CB Brandon Flowers and RB Jamaal Charles are players who can be
plugged in right away, S DaJuan Morgan should've gone earlier,
and pick after pick after pick seemed to be the right guy at the
right time. Best Value Pick: Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU. 1st round. There
were several value picks from beginning to end, but Dorsey is
the type of tackle the Chiefs have been looking for over the
last few years. He's the one to build a defense around. Biggest Reach: Brandon Carr, CB Grand Valley State, 5th
round. Considering all the ready-made players the Chiefs got,
they can be forgiven for taking a project. Carr is a pure
athlete, but he needs plenty of work. They Should've ... Gotten a quarterback. There's no
question that Brandon Flowers is a fantastic prospect, but the
draft would've looked a whole bunch better if the Chiefs had
taken Chad Henne or Brian Brohm instead.
#
Pick
5
5
1st Round
Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU
Everyone's trying to poke holes in a near-perfect prospect, but
there aren't any. An ultimate warrior who'll play through
injury, pain, triple teams, and everything you throw at him, he
played over the second half last year when most players who
project to be a top five pick would've sat out and not risked
his future. Dorsey would've been fully justified to sit out the
rest of the year after the nasty chop block on his knee against
Auburn, but he ended up battling his way through the national
title season as the anchor of fantastic defense. Strong, agile,
and as hard a worker and as high a character guy as any in the
draft, he's exactly what you want in a leader. For some reason
his height, at under 6-2, is a knock, but if anything that helps
him with his leverage. Yes, the durability concerns are
legitimate, to a point, but it'll take something serious to keep
him off the field. He's a player you build a defense around for
the next ten years. CFN Projection: Top Five Overall
CFN Position Rank: 1
15
15
1st Round
(from Detroit)
Branden Albert, OG/OT Virginia
While he's not D'Brickashaw Ferguson as far as a prospect, he
has a lot in common with the former Virginia star. Albert is a
great athlete who only cemented himself further as the top guard
prospect in the draft with some nice off-season workouts. Even
though he has the range and the moves to be a tackle, even on
the left side, he could be a superstar if he stays inside. A
killer run blocker who started from day one, he can be plugged
into any NFL line and be a starter somewhere. It would be nice
if he had a little seasoning and he's a bit tall (6-7) for a
guard, but he has the potential to be a perennial Pro Bowler.
CFN Projection: Late First Round to Early
Second Round
CFN Position Rank: 1 (OG)
4
35
2nd Round
Brandon Flowers, CB/FS Virginia Tech
Flowers grew into a big-time ball-hawker over his last two years
at Virginia Tech breaking up 35 passes and picking off eight
throws. A great tackler who seems to crave the assignment of
facing a top-flight receiver, he has a safety hitting mentality
in the body of a brash corner. His problem is his speed; he
doesn't have much. In a draft with so many speed corners,
running a 4.59 makes him no better than several linebackers.
He'll eventually have to be moved to safety. CFN Projection: Second Round to Third Round
CFN Position Rank: 5
10
73
3rd Round
Jamaal Charles, RB Texas
So which Jamaal Charles will the pros be getting? Will he be the
breathtaking speedster who beat Oklahoma State and Nebraska by
himself last year, or will be the one who struggled as a
sophomore and didn't play up to expectations or his talent
level? Probably a little of both, but the upside is too great to
pass up. The big issue could be Texas. After the Ricky Williams
situation and Cedric Benson turning into a dog of a pro, is
there going to be an anti-Longhorn bias? Built like a smaller
Darren McFadden, Charles is a sprinter who can be used in a
variety of ways. While he showed he could handle a big workload
last season, he's not going to be a pounding back who can handle
a full-season NFL schedule if he's asked to pound away. He's not
a power back by any stretch, but if he's able to keep his
touches to around 15-to-20 per game, he'll be a difference
maker. CFN Projection: Second Round CFN
Position Rank: 5
13
76
3rd Round
(from Chicago)
Brad Cottam, TE Tennessee
At 6-7 and 270 pounds with not-that-bad speed, he has the size
and the skills to get offensive coordinators excited about
matchup possibilities. A bit of an afterthought after suffering
a broken wrist last season, he emerged as an "it" prospect after
a good Senior Bowl and excellent Combine. He's still a bit of a
project, but receivers his size are rare. CFN Projection: Third Round CFN
Position Rank: 7
19
82
3rd Round
DaJuan
Morgan, FS NC State
Considering this is a weak year for safeties, Morgan made a
great move leaving early. In most years he would've been better
served coming back for his senior season having only started for
one year, but he has decent 6-0, 205-pound size, good-enough
4.54 speed, and the versatility to play corner or free safety.
He cares about being good and will make himself better. He'll
need a little more time, a lot of patience to work through his
mistakes, and some serious coaching on consistent technique, but
he'll grow into a nice starter. CFN Projection: Second Round CFN
Position Rank: 3
6
105
4th Round
William Franklin, WR Missouri
Lost a bit in the overall receiver shuffle because he didn't put
up huge scoring numbers at Mizzou, that wasn't his role. He was
a deep threat while the Tigers liked to throw to the tight ends,
and he did his job very well. Wit sub-4.4 wheels and great
athleticism, he'll look the part of a star from time to time,
but he'll get beaten up by the stronger corners and he needs a
lot of work to be anything more than a fly pattern receiver. He
is what he is. Send him deep and hope for a big play or two a
game. CFN Projection: Mid-Third to Fourth Round
CFN Position Rank: 12
5
140
5th Round
Brandon Carr, CB Grand Valley State He'll be a chance on greatness. At 6-1 and 206 pounds, he
has the size and good speed, but he played for Grand Valley
State. He'll be a project, but he has plenty of production,
starting all four years, and was tremendously productive, but
he'll be a reach, at best. CFN Projection: Free Agent
CFN
Position Rank: NR
4
170
6th Round
Barry Richardson, OT Clemson
The centerpiece of a good Tiger line for the last three years,
he's a good, big blocker who uses his 6-6, 330-pound body well
in pass protection and did a good job against the premier ACC
linemen. The problem is his consistency and his toughness. He
didn't play up to his size all the time and he didn't grow into
the first round caliber blocker many thought he'd become. CFN Projection: Fourth Round CFN
Position Rank: 11
16
182
6th Round Kevin
Robinson, WR Utah State
A return man. One of the great returners in the history of
college football, Robinson was the lone bright spot on some
woeful Utah State teams. At just under six feet and 200 pounds,
he has decent size, but he's slowwwwww. Like around 4.8 slow,
mainly because he bulked up before the off-season workouts. He
can be used as a slot receiver, but he'll have to make it on
special teams. CFN Projection: Sixth Round to Free Agent
CFN
Position Rank: 33
3
210
7th Round Brian
Johnston, DE Gardner-Webb
At 6-5 and 271 pounds he's a big end who was ultra-productive at
the lower level earning the Big South Defensive Player of the
Year honor two seasons in a row. He's not fast and he needs a
lot of developing and polish, and even then he likely won't have
NFL skills. CFN Projection: Free Agent CFN
Position Rank: NR
32
239
7th RoundMike Merritt, TE UCF Just a blocker, the 6-3, 270-pounder is a developmental
project as a potential tackle. He doesn't have much room to get
bigger, but he could get up to 285 pounds and be used in jumbo
formations and two-tight end sets. CFN Projection: Free Agent CFN
Position Rank: NR
