http://sportstwo.com/NFL/Story/NFL/2146011 <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Chiefs big winners in NFL draft</span> Monday, April 28, 2008 01:57 PM By Tom Torrisi PA SportsTicker Pro Football Editor Rating the NFL draft can be one of the greatest exercises in futility. So why do we do it? Mostly because it's the only exercise some of us get, not to mention that this inexact science takes years to prove - or disprove. NFL followers always like to point to the Peyton Manning-Ryan Leaf comparisons as well as the Drew Bledsoe-Rick Mirer tale of the tape - two examples in which the consensus top two quarterbacks in the draft were wildly divergent hit-and-misses. In 2006, the New Orleans Saints were taking bows for a draft class headed by No. 2 overall pick Reggie Bush, a projected superstar-in-waiting. Two years later, whispers of the word "bust" are being attached to Bush's name, but the Saints can take solace from that draft by pointing to the success of Marques Colston - a seventh-round choice out of tiny Hofstra who has blossomed into one of the league's elite wide receivers. With that providing a cautionary warning, we look at the winners and losers in this past weekend's 2008 draft. WINNERS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and the Chiefs certainly got a dose of good fortune when defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey - the best player in the draft - fell into their laps at No. 5. After trading away reigning NFL sacks leaders Jared Allen and collecting 13 picks, the Chiefs could not afford to miss - and they did not. The Chiefs added versatile lineman Branden Albert, cornerback Brandon Flowers, running back Jamaal Charles and safety DaJuan Morgan. And the best part? Given the state of their quarterback situation, they'll probably be back with a high pick next year. CAROLINA PANTHERS: One of the more pro-active teams in the draft, the Panthers get kudos for that alone. Carolina took Oregon's star running back Jonathan Stewart at No. 13 - ignoring his recent toe surgery which happened to be performed by one of its team doctors - to fill a major need in the backfield. The Panthers then traded up to land behemoth offensive tackle Jeff Otah before grabbing linebacker Dan Connor - a tackling machine out of Penn State who some said could go in the first round. Plenty of guts, plenty of glory. DALLAS COWBOYS: Team owner and Arkansas alum Jerry Jones could not resist the lure of plucking running back Felix Jones from his alma mater with the No. 22 pick. The speedy Jones will serve as a great complementary back to Marion Barber and give the Cowboys a home run threat from anywhere on the field. Dallas then traded up three spots to snare cornerback Mike Jenkins at No. 25, providing valuable insurance if "Pacman" Jones stays on the suspended list. Blocking TE Martellus Bennett and RB Tashard Choice also were nice choices. WASHINGTON REDSKINS: The 'Skins made sure they kept up with the Joneses in the NFC East. They desperately needed big wide receivers and landed two of the best in Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly in the second round sandwiched around tight end Fred Thomas. Chad Rinehart can play at either guard or tackle, and in a look toward the future, Washington took a flier on record-setting Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan in the sixth round. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: The Steelers strayed from areas of needs and consistently went with the "best player available" theory. They took highly regarded Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first round and followed that up with Texas' Limas Sweed - considered by many to be the top wideout in the draft - in the next round. Linebacker Bruce Davis had 24 1/2 sacks the past two seasons and is a good fit for the Blitz-burgh defense. ARIZONA CARDINALS: Not often do you see winner and the Cardinals in the same sentence. But Arizona came up big with its first three selections, starting with cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at No. 16. The Cardinals added huge defensive end Calais Campbell from Miami with the No. 50 overall selection and struck again by landing wide receiver Early Doucet of national champion Louisiana State in the third round. ALSO RECEIVING HIGH MARKS: The Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. LOSERS TENNESSEE TITANS: In dire need of a big wide receiver to help quarterback Vince Young, the Titans instead picked East Carolina running back Chris Johnson - the fastest player in the draft - at No. 24 overall. A bit of a reach, it's the third straight year Tennessee went with a running back in the first two rounds despite glaring needs along both lines. Although there were a plethora of top wideouts available, the Titans didn't address the situation until picking Lavelle Hawkins at No. 126 overall. HOUSTON TEXANS: Yes, they needed an offensive tackle, but trading down from No. 18 to 26 to get Virginia Tech's Duane Brown was a mystery. Brown was moved to left tackle last season and yielded 8 1/2 sacks. Selecting West Virginia's Steve Slaton in the third round did little to address their brittle, old running back corps, since his production dropped markedly last season and he projects to be a third-down back in the NFL. DENVER BRONCOS: Started off fast but faded faster. First-rounder Ryan Clady is a perfect fit at offensive tackle, but wide receiver Eddie Royal was a puzzling pick for two reasons - Denver brought in a pair of veteran wideouts as free agents in the offseason and there were a bunch of players more highly rated at the position when Royal went at No. 42. As usual, Mike Shananan brought in a pair of late-round picks at running back. ST. LOUIS RAMS: Another team that showed great promise after the selection of Chris Long with the No. 2 pick. But they followed that up by making Houston's Donnie Avery the first wide receiver off the board with the 33rd pick - one of the biggest head-scratchers of the day. The irony is that "Mr. Irrelevant" David Vobora has a chance to become more relevant that many of the players drafted above him. DETROIT LIONS: The good news is they didn't draft a wide receiver in the first round. The bad news is their top pick, offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, had a sub-par senior season and probably went too high at No. 17. The team's fortunes likely hinge on running back Kevin Smith, who was taken with the first pick in the third round. Smith led the nation in rushing as a senior and steps into a situation where only Tatum Bell is his competition. CINCINNATI BENGALS: First give them their due for taking Keith Rivers, the best linebacker on the board. Then ask, how could they possibly not address their defensive line situation - specifically a pass rusher? Chad Johnson's threatened holdout notwithstanding, did the Bengals really need to take two more wide receivers among their top four picks? HEADING FOR SUMMER SCHOOL: Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets.
I love how no one factors in the loss of the leagues most productive defensive lineman, who at 26 years old, is likely to remain as such for years to come....Is Dorsey going to be better than Allen was? Is albert going to be? those are large shoes to fill....if neither guy reaches Allens level, then they lost more than they gained....I think they had a decent weekend, but I dont think the chiefs are clear winners
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheBeef @ Apr 28 2008, 01:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I love how no one factors in the loss of the leagues most productive defensive lineman, who at 26 years old, is likely to remain as such for years to come....Is Dorsey going to be better than Allen was? Is albert going to be? those are large shoes to fill....if neither guy reaches Allens level, then they lost more than they gained....I think they had a decent weekend, but I dont think the chiefs are clear winners</div> Agreed, I think you have to put it into context. However, if you look at the draft in a vacuum, yeah, they are clear winners. Dorsey, trading up for Albert, Flowers, Morgan, Charles, etc...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheBeef @ Apr 28 2008, 02:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I love how no one factors in the loss of the leagues most productive defensive lineman, who at 26 years old, is likely to remain as such for years to come....Is Dorsey going to be better than Allen was? Is albert going to be? those are large shoes to fill....if neither guy reaches Allens level, then they lost more than they gained....I think they had a decent weekend, but I dont think the chiefs are clear winners</div> However, Allen had zero desire to continue playing in KC and the Chiefs weren't going to get a 100% of him if they retained him. Considering that they were essentially going to be playing without him, I don't have a problem ignoring that when grading them.
