SB Nation Writers Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick #3
by Mocking Dan on Mar 25, 2009 6:00 PM EDT
in SB Nation Writers Mock Draft
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 No. 3 |
KANSAS CITY |
Finishing off the first day of the SB Nation mock draft is Chris, the point man at the wildly popular Arrowhead Pride.
As Chiefs fans have discussed the 2009 NFL draft this off season, one fact has become increasingly clear- the Chiefs can go a lot of different ways with this No. 3 pick.
The team has an aging linebacking corp with a very short window of opportunity, which would have made linebacker Aaron Curry a great pick if he was available. With the Chiefs contemplating a fusion of 3-4/4-3 defensive formations in the upcoming year, a LB/DE combo like Florida State's Everette Brown may be a solid option here as well.
New head coach Todd Haley may not be ready to give up the power of having two star wide receivers and draft Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree to play opposite Dwayne Bowe. Or, with the 2007 season's 78 rushing yards a game average still fresh in their minds and a new quarterback in Matt Cassel to protect, the Chiefs could easily draft on the offensive line.
Offensive line is the direction I think that Haley and Scott Pioli will go with their first pick this year. It is the safest, most reliable position to draft at No. 3 overall. With this pick, you want a player who is going to be with your team for 10-plus years and Eugene Monroe can be that player.
Jason Smith and Monroe are the top two tackle prospects in this year's draft and I personally like Monroe over Smith, which is irrelevant since Smith is already off the board. Monroe started more games, is less of an unknown and comes from a program that has a solid history of sending good offensive linemen to the NFL.
Last year's 15th pick overall, Branden Albert, performed magically in his rookie season, making Chiefs fans forget about the dismal state of the '07 offensive line. Adding in Albert's former teammate Monroe gives the Chiefs franchise bookends at the tackle position, helping solidify one of the most fundamental positions in football.
Cassel was the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL last year. This was due to a combination of the Patriot's declining offensive line and to a lack of agility and experience on Cassel's part. The scrambling Tyler Thigpen played well behind last year's offensive line. Cassel would not have. If Cassel is indeed the future franchise quarterback in Kansas City, the team needs to protect him.
The Chiefs need Eugene Monroe to help stabilize their entire offense.
MTD thoughts: Another quality pick, given the offseason moves made by the Chiefs. The only thing making this questionable is putting Monroe on the right side. He played so well at left tackle at Virginia it pushed current Chiefs left tackle Branden Albert to guard. Monroe might not have the physicality to handle the strong side. Everette Brown is a possibility here, but this could be a little early.
Mocking the Draft's Top Five Remaining Prospects - WR Michael Crabtree, QB Matt Stafford, CB Malcolm Jenkins, OT Michael Oher, RB Knowshon Moreno
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Thanks Dan
The Chiefs would have to figure out who to move to the right side of the line- Branden Albert or Eugene Monroe.
It would probably be Albert, since Monroe is more of a pure left tackle.
by Chris Thorman on Mar 25, 2009 6:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Monroe did not "push" Albert to Guard
Branden Albert was originally put at Guard at Virginia because they already had D’Brickshaw Ferguson (who was a #4 overall pick in the 1st round), so Albert was put at Guard because of the importance of mobility in the Virginia offense.
After Ferguson was drafted, the coaches knew Albert was going to declare the next year after his Junior year so rather than have three different Left Tackles in three years, Al Groh decided to keep Albert at Guard for continuities sake and put Monroe, who isn’t half bad, in at Left Tackle.
Just wanted to clarify that. Monroe didn’t “beat out” Albert for LT at Virginia. It was a case of having two very talented players and deciding to keep one of them at the position he was already playing for continuities sake.
by ChiefDJ on Mar 25, 2009 6:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
As a Seahawk fan
my fear a few weeks ago would have been both Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe being off the table before our fourth pick. However, despite this draft being touted as a weaker draft, I’d be happy with either of the QBs, Crabtree, Orakpo, Jenkins, or Curry, which means I’ll probably be happy either way.
Looking forward to the 9 PM pick.
by LantermanC on Mar 25, 2009 6:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Don't see where this part is a given...
The only thing making this questionable is putting Monroe on the right side.
I would go the other way on that, most likey Albert would slide to RT and they’d keep Monroe at LT. Not saying I’d be in love with that decision, but it makes more sense to me to minimize the amount of “new stuff” for the rookie to handle, and force the guy with a year of experience under his belt to switch positions. Plus, you get better value from a draft pick perspective (no. 3 pick at LT, no. 15 pick at RT, rather than the other way around).
In the end, I’d expect Haley (and in some sense, Pioli) to make sure the best players are in the best positions to improve the team, and if they’re confident either of Monroe or Albert can made the switch to RT, they’d have a chance to upgrade two positions at once, something I’m in favor of.
by RoyalsFanInBillings on Mar 25, 2009 9:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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