Draft History 202

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Alright, settle down kids, please take your seats. Another semester, another class, hopefully you retained last semester's knowledge over break because if you didn't you might struggle starting off. But don't worry, I'm sure it will all come back to you. Any questions? No? Alright, let's get started on Draft History 202.

Easy question. Who makes the final choice on who the Chiefs draft?

Scott Pioli.

Good. Now a tougher question; does Pioli favor a certain side of the ball, as in offense or defense, with higher draft picks more than the other?

Pioli favors the defensive side of the ball more.

And why do you say that?

In the last two drafts for the Chiefs, Pioli has taken a defensive player in the first round.

You make a very good point, but don't let Pioli's recent actions fool you. Despite the fact that Pioli, at the NFL Scouting Combine this past weekend, said that "the cupboard wasn't bare when Todd (Haley) and I arrived to Kansas City," the fact of the matter was that one side was more bare than the other.

Pioli had a reputation for being excellent with the draft from his days in New England. What most people in Kansas City don't remember is that Pioli was very balanced with his draft picks in the top three rounds. When Scott Pioli took over as the Director of Player Personnel for the Patriots in 2001, a series of balanced draft selections followed.

Between 2001 and 2008, the Patriots drafted in the first round nine times. Of those nine, five selections were for defense, four for offense. In the second round, Pioli selected seven times: four on offense, three of defense. And in the third round, four on offense, three on defense.

These might not be as skewed of numbers as you thought after Pioli came over to the Chiefs in 2009.

Granted, in 2009, the first three picks the Chiefs had went to defense, but the the remainder of the picks went to offense (with the exception of Ryan Succop, the kicker).

But the following year, in 2010, you could start seeing the balanced draft that Pioli was known for in New England. Defense might have been addressed in the first round, but the rest of the draft showed why Pioli is renowned.

So what does that mean for the draft?

That means don't put all your money down on a defensive player in the first round.