Chiefs take Donald Stephenson in 3rd Round

With the 74th overall pick, the Chiefs selected Donald Stephenson, Offensive Tackle, from Oklahoma.

I am a bit surprised by the Chiefs 3rd round pick, since I figured that Jeff Allen, selected in the 2nd round, was enough of an insurance policy for Branden Albert at LT. Obviously, I was wrong, and the Chiefs want as much depth at the tackle position as they can get with Albert's free agency approaching at the end of the 2012 season.

Stephenson is a two year starter at OkSt, and ranked as the 11th best OT prospect on CBS Sports. I don't think that bringing in Stephenson is a sign that they aren't going to try to resign Albert, just a sign that they know sometimes negotiations don't go the way they want and that having a valid backup plan is sometimes the best leverage a team can have when sitting down for contract discussions.

I would have prefered to see the Chiefs pick up an ILB, S, CB, or WR in the 3rd round with some exceptional value still available, but it is clear that the Chiefs are stockpiling depth in this draft, which is usually a good strategy, especially considering last season.