Now that the major free agent signings have been finalized, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be looking at the top three needs for each team heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. Today, the Kansas City Chiefs are the focus. Andy Reid’s team has the 28th pick in the NFL draft but lost their third round pick due to breaking the NFL’s tampering rules.
Kansas City Chiefs 2016 NFL Draft: Top 3 Needs
Cornerback
Sean Smith signing with the Oakland Raiders hurt the Chiefs a bit when it comes to their defensive backfield. Kansas City does still have the Defensive Rookie of the Year in Marcus Peters, but the rest of their young secondary seems to be largely unproven. Philip Gaines played well in 2014 but went down with an ACL tear in his left knee.
Kansas City drafted Steven Nelson out of Oregon State in the 2015 draft and, while he has yet to prove himself on defense, he did perform well on special teams. The Chiefs brought back Jamell Fleming but he’ll really play more on special teams and just add some defensive depth. Kansas City has also announced that they are moving Fleming to safety so he falls in the next need category.
Unless Hargreaves III or Jalen Ramsey fall big time in the draft the Chiefs will probably look towards Eli Apple out of Ohio State to fill the need of cornerback. Kansas City did draft Marcus Peters in the first round last year but will probably go corner with their first pick in this year. Cornerback is probably their biggest need, especially since their young secondary seemed to struggle the few games that Sean Smith sat out with his suspension .
Safety
Kansas City was dealt a tough blow when Hussain Abdullah announced his retirement on Mar. 28th. They Chiefs did franchise tag Eric Berry and they expect to give him a long-term deal later on this year which is huge for the Chiefs. Abdullah cited the five concussions he has suffered in a seven year career as the reason for his retirement. With the new information about CTE and concussions it makes sense that Abdullah would retire after suffering multiple concussion throughout the years.
Kansas City did recently sign two safeties, in Jimmy Wilson and Stevie Brown, to try and help fill the voi, but they are probably not long term solutions to fill the need at safety. The Chiefs are also working towards moving Jamell Fleming from corner to safety in hopes that he will thrive with the position change.
Kansas City has been reported to have met with Middle Tennessee State University safety Kevin Byard to get a feel for possibly drafting a safety out of a small school. Byard is probably capable of playing both strong and free safety which should interest the Chiefs and he was also a receiver at one point in time so he can catch as well. Will the Chiefs take a chance on him though? The only way to know is to watch the draft.
Middle Linebacker
Some Chiefs fans believe that Kansas City needs to draft a quarterback, defensive lineman, or offensive lineman, and of course everyone always loves to draft a stud wide receiver. But I’m going out on a limb on this final need. I believe that the Chiefs need to look towards middle linebacker as an area they need to address. Kansas City signed Derrick Johnson, who will be 34 in Nov., to a three year contract and he will probably retire at the end of that contract.
Kansas City has a sort of drop off at middle linebacker outside of Johnson however. They have a few relatively untested middle linebackers in Justin March, Ramik Wilson, and Cameron Gordon, and Gordon might be more of an outside linebacker. Derrick Johnson is not only a Pro Bowl linebacker, he is also the leader of the Chiefs top 10 defense and it will be difficult for someone to replace him once the time comes.
Kansas City probably will not go after a linebacker in the first round but Kentrell Brothers out of Missouri should be available in the second round. He would do well learning behind Derrick Johnson for a year or two and could also contribute on special teams at first.
Kentrell Brothers was voted All-SEC by the league coaches and he could end up being a sneaky good pick by the Chiefs. He would be a fan favorite to half the fan base since he played at the nearby University of Missouri.
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