I'll Make Them An Offer They Can't Refuse

Who doesn't like a good Godfather quote?

The scouting combine unfortunately makes me feel like the 2011 NFL Draft is right around the corner. I say unfortunately because it is not. It's at least a couple of corners away. However, some would say that it is never too early to start talking about draft scenarios (I try my hardest not to but on slow news days concerning the Chiefs, it seems to be the only place I can turn).

So, how many of you Chiefs fans out there would want to trade our first round pick?

Now, without thinking about it, this would seem like a stupid thing to do. After all, building a team comes through the draft. But this draft is different then the last few drafts. This year, we're not picking in the top 10.

We sit at the number 21 spot in this years draft. A spot that does not sound very enticing. We don't get the best player at a given position, yet we still have to pay first-round money for him.

So what should we do?

There are three options:

1. Keep the 21st pick and take the best player available
2. Trade up in the draft for a player we want
3. Trade down in the draft and get more mid-round selections

There is nothing wrong with the first option. Somebody's got to pick at the 21 spot, and many good players have come in that spot (Vince Wilfork, Randy Moss, John Alt [KC example]). And we are not in as dire of a need as last season; we are defending AFC West Champions after all. But if we want to take that next step as a team, should we just wait and see what lands at 21, or should we be proactive?

Trading up is another possibility. If we don't acquire a wide receiver in free agency, this would be the time to go up and get an A.J. Green or a Julio Jones. That would instantly solve our wide receiver issues and make our wide receiving corp a threat. But what would a move like that cost us and would it be worth it? I'm not a fan of trading picks, even to move up in the draft, simple because it doesn't always work out (was Ryan Mathews underachieving or what?) and then you are stuck with a mistake and a debt to another team.

Now for option three. This is the one I think the Chiefs should consider this season. 21 is not the best place in the draft, and Pioli's draft selection last year has made me a believer in his ability to collect talent in rounds other than the first (something that Carl Peterson always struggled with). If we could add a couple of other picks by giving a team another first round pick or a team behind us a jump up, then I think it just might be worth it; especially if we get another pick in the second. We can solve just as many problems having two picks in the second as we could with a draft in the first and second.

These are just some things to weigh in your mind as the month of February comes to a close.