Last year's draft class was special. It was a group of high character, high football IQ, sudden impact football players.
They were fast, they were good, and they helped win us an AFC West Championship.
Out of the players drafted, only one didn't get to play in a game last season (Cameron Sheffield after he was injured in preseason). The rest made great impacts for the Chiefs.
Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis sured up the safety positions and strengthened our once weak secondary. Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas made electrifying returns on special teams to put our offense in great positions when they came onto the field. McCluster even showed glimpses of stardom on his offensive plays early in the season. Tony Moeaki gave us another great receiving tight end (Tony G. Jr. anybody?). And Jon Asamoah got a little playing time during the season, but during that time, showed that he is one of our guards for the future.
The Chiefs class of 2010 will be talked about for a long time in Kansas City because of their sudden impact for the team.
The class of 2011, however, will not offer such sudden impact in my opinion.
Now, let me clarify. Sudden impact isn't a necessity in every draft class. Last season it was, some would say, and we got what we wanted and needed from our rookies. With that draft class, the Chiefs made major strides on both sides of the ball. Which is exactly why we don't necessarily need sudden impact from this year's class.
Players like Jon Baldwin and Justin Houston I suspect will be sudden impact. Usually a team doesn't take a wide receiver in the first round and be ok with that player not contributing immediately to the team. And Justin Houston many thought was a first round talent, so I suspect he will receive significant playing time this coming season.
But look at the rest of the players from this year.
Rodney Hudson is the only other player I could see starting games for the Chiefs, and that's only if Casey Wiegmann doesn't retire. But nonetheless, Hudson will be a good, maybe even great, center for the Chiefs when he does get the opportunity to start. And having a veteran to teach you the nuances of the game is an added bonus. So for Hudson's first year, I actually prefer him to not be a sudden impact player.
Both Allen Bailey and Gabe Miller are DE/OLB prospects for the Chiefs. With the drafting of Houston, plus the fact that we already have Andy Studebaker (and possibly even Mike Vrabel and Wallace Gilberry if the Chiefs wish for them to return), it seems that Bailey and Miller will be developmental players. I find it very hard to believe that with the depth we already have at the position, that Bailey and Miller will be sudden impact players. But once again, there is nothing wrong with that (unless we are going to try to develop them into Tamba Hali's replacement. Remember, all we did was tag Hali, we have yet to work out a deal and this could explain why we took three OLB prospects in the same draft).
And now I get to Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi is the definition of a developmental quarterback: he has the raw skills, they just need to be refined. And Stanzi will be given time to develop with Matt Cassel, fresh off his first Pro Bowl, returning. If Stanzi is asked to be a sudden impact for the Chiefs next year, then something has gone terribly wrong.
Jalil Brown and Jerrell Powe will both have their opportunities next season on subpackages for the defense. Brown as a CB/S hybrid player that can be good at the nickel position. Powe as a giant nose tackle on the defensive line. I have no doubt that these players will get playing time, but once again, no sudden impact. Both players will be able to sit on the sidelines for a year, watch the process, learn from Romeo and the players higher on the depth chart, and then be solid players the next year or the year after.
And then there's Shane Bannon, a man you can't help but root for. If he's a sudden impact, then God help the other AFC West teams.
Now let me make clear that I liked this year's draft. We got better as a team. We might not have gotten many sudden impact players like in 2010, but we didn't need to. We got players that are going to make us better over the long run. This is what good teams do: they build for the future. That is what I feel like we did last month.
Although their impact may not be sudden, it will be felt.
They were fast, they were good, and they helped win us an AFC West Championship.
Out of the players drafted, only one didn't get to play in a game last season (Cameron Sheffield after he was injured in preseason). The rest made great impacts for the Chiefs.
Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis sured up the safety positions and strengthened our once weak secondary. Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas made electrifying returns on special teams to put our offense in great positions when they came onto the field. McCluster even showed glimpses of stardom on his offensive plays early in the season. Tony Moeaki gave us another great receiving tight end (Tony G. Jr. anybody?). And Jon Asamoah got a little playing time during the season, but during that time, showed that he is one of our guards for the future.
The Chiefs class of 2010 will be talked about for a long time in Kansas City because of their sudden impact for the team.
The class of 2011, however, will not offer such sudden impact in my opinion.
Now, let me clarify. Sudden impact isn't a necessity in every draft class. Last season it was, some would say, and we got what we wanted and needed from our rookies. With that draft class, the Chiefs made major strides on both sides of the ball. Which is exactly why we don't necessarily need sudden impact from this year's class.
Players like Jon Baldwin and Justin Houston I suspect will be sudden impact. Usually a team doesn't take a wide receiver in the first round and be ok with that player not contributing immediately to the team. And Justin Houston many thought was a first round talent, so I suspect he will receive significant playing time this coming season.
But look at the rest of the players from this year.
Rodney Hudson is the only other player I could see starting games for the Chiefs, and that's only if Casey Wiegmann doesn't retire. But nonetheless, Hudson will be a good, maybe even great, center for the Chiefs when he does get the opportunity to start. And having a veteran to teach you the nuances of the game is an added bonus. So for Hudson's first year, I actually prefer him to not be a sudden impact player.
Both Allen Bailey and Gabe Miller are DE/OLB prospects for the Chiefs. With the drafting of Houston, plus the fact that we already have Andy Studebaker (and possibly even Mike Vrabel and Wallace Gilberry if the Chiefs wish for them to return), it seems that Bailey and Miller will be developmental players. I find it very hard to believe that with the depth we already have at the position, that Bailey and Miller will be sudden impact players. But once again, there is nothing wrong with that (unless we are going to try to develop them into Tamba Hali's replacement. Remember, all we did was tag Hali, we have yet to work out a deal and this could explain why we took three OLB prospects in the same draft).
And now I get to Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi is the definition of a developmental quarterback: he has the raw skills, they just need to be refined. And Stanzi will be given time to develop with Matt Cassel, fresh off his first Pro Bowl, returning. If Stanzi is asked to be a sudden impact for the Chiefs next year, then something has gone terribly wrong.
Jalil Brown and Jerrell Powe will both have their opportunities next season on subpackages for the defense. Brown as a CB/S hybrid player that can be good at the nickel position. Powe as a giant nose tackle on the defensive line. I have no doubt that these players will get playing time, but once again, no sudden impact. Both players will be able to sit on the sidelines for a year, watch the process, learn from Romeo and the players higher on the depth chart, and then be solid players the next year or the year after.
And then there's Shane Bannon, a man you can't help but root for. If he's a sudden impact, then God help the other AFC West teams.
Now let me make clear that I liked this year's draft. We got better as a team. We might not have gotten many sudden impact players like in 2010, but we didn't need to. We got players that are going to make us better over the long run. This is what good teams do: they build for the future. That is what I feel like we did last month.
Although their impact may not be sudden, it will be felt.
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