Chiefs draft board: Taking a sneak peek

The Kansas City Chiefs should already be focused on the upcoming NFL Draft. We look at who they might be eyeing going into February.

Here’s a sneak peak of what the Chiefs draft board looks like for prospective first round picks. It’s not long. In no specific order.

DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

Pat Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson

Yep, that’s it. Quarterbacks. That’s it. Why is it only quarterbacks?

1) For the first time in a long time, the Chiefs have about as complete a roster as I can remember. There are no glaring issues or holes. Where on player may be heading out the door, players are either already in place or returning from injury to help fill the void. There is no void, no glaring weakness that needs immediate addressing.

2) None of the above mentioned participated in the Senior Bowl . (Watson was invited but choose not to attend). For those that watched the Senior Bowl, they saw the next tier of signal callers. If you looked closely enough at the right angle and the right situation, you can see a scenario in which a starter eventually emerges. The two favorites in that category are Pitt’s Nathan Peterman and Cal’s Davis Webb.

However, neither are sure things and leave a lot to be desired. Peterman strikes me as a really good backup quarterback, and Webb strikes me as a bust or small boom prospect. (Both of these players have the distinction to losing out on the starting job to another quarterback in this draft class.

Peterman was unable to beat out Josh Dobbs at Tennessee and Webb lost his job to Mahomes at Texas Tech). Basically, after these four prospects, there’s a lot of ugly, so it’s these four prospects or you’re moving forward on a wing and a prayer.

3) As I’ve previously mentioned and continue to bring up, while the Chiefs hold all the cards on the Alex Smith contract, if they go through the draft without truly grabbing a potential starter, the role at the table flips, and Smith will hold most of the cards.

I may be making a mountain out of mole hill, I wouldn’t be stunned if the Smith’s representatives are already working Dorsey and company about a new contract, one that raises Smiths guaranteed dollars from the paltry 7.2 that remains on the last two years of his contract. Without a quarterback of the future on the roster, the Chiefs could find themselves forced to work out an extension with Smith, ensuring he’s their quarterback of the short term future, for better or worse.

4) You will hear ‘experts’ slam this quarterback class and say its no good. That should be music to the ears of Chiefs fans. To many times, experts pigeon hole themselves into either a prospect is a future hall of fame, ubber-elite prospect or they are an awful player with flaws and holes and will never be any good. What they are really saying is that teams in need of a 2017 rookie quarterback are going to endure some growing pains.

Well, with the Chiefs not needing a 2017 starter but, at a very minimum, desperate for someone that can compete for the 2018 spot, the Chiefs are in a position to draft a guy and let him sit for a year to work out whatever kinks may be found in their game. Over the past 30 years, we constantly hear team executives talk about wishing they could draft a quarterback and allow him to learn before throwing him into the fire. Well, the Chiefs are ideally positioned for just a path.

5) Did you know it’s been 25 years since the Chiefs drafted a quarterback in the second round and a staggering 33 years since they did so in the first round. Fans will have a difficult time fathoming an early round quarterback. It will be a conversation I’m not old enough to remember. Could be fun.

6) Lastly, and this ties into above. If there is a quarterback on the board and the Chiefs pass on said player, well, Arrowhead may be burnt to the ground. Fans may riot. Torches and pitchforks. This team was very fortunate this year and the recipient of numerous breaks, and there’s a lot of work to do in order to take the next step.

If they think they are one player away, they are solely mistaken. Lets hope they don’t make that mistake. It’s the mindset that did in the Peterson/Shottenheimer regime, which led to to ensuing disasters to follow.

In this mindset, Chiefs fans should be really looking forward to the Gruden quarterback camps he does on ESPN. All four will likely be highlighted, and will give fans and junior draft junkies an opportunity to learn something about a prospects knowledge of the game. They are always interesting and informative, and this year, will likely have a future Chiefs quarterback referenced.