Yep, it's that time. We need to list our draft choices.

Man, I haven't prepared at all this year. I hope I don't Pioli myself out of contention.

Due to free agency so far, I assume we lose:

Branden Albert T
Jon Asamoah G
Quintin Demps FS
Tyson Jackson DE
Akeem Jordan ILB
Kendrick Lewis FS
Dexter McCluster WR
Jerrell Powe NT
Geoff Schwartz G

and I assume we have the option to add:

Cory Grissom DT
Otis Hudson G
Jeffrey Linkenbach G
Joe Mays ILB
Chris Owens CB
Vance Walker DT

with these guys still in limbo:

Terrance Copper WR
Chad Hall WR
Jerrell Jackson WR
Dunta Robinson CB
Anthony Toribio DT

Boy, I'm hurting at offensive tackle with seemingly slim pickings in the draft.

Thanks for the free agency update.

Losing Albert is going to hurt all of us, I think. And yeah, I don't think any of the Tier 1 tackles dropped far enough for us to draft one.

I kept Eric Winston but he's been cut, so I may be out of luck on both tackle spots. I better hope that Menelik Watson starts in Oakland this year.

I kind of prepared for it but yes tackles gonna hurt everyone

Ok I never cut my draft pick I forgot to add him this upcoming season lee Ziemba is still on my team.

Okay, so the base draft of the Chiefs this year is...

1-23
2-56, but only if you did not accept the Alex Smith trade
3-87
4-124
5-163
6-193 minus the 7-238, but only if you had Edgar Jones on your roster and accept the trade with the Cowboys
6-200
7-238 unless you had Edgar Jones on your roster and accept the trade with the Cowboys

This is not going to be a sexy draft for me. My offensive line was decimated this year. Three of my five offensive line starters have left in free agency or been released by their team.

Do we lose players when other teams release them or lose them to free agency?

We decided that we wouldn't lost those players just to keep it from being a pain in the neck on tracking. But at the same time, if a player gets released by some other team, they're not going to be really good for our roster if no one else picks them up.

In the long run, that means we probably need to evaluate if the simulation is still fair since, as we diverge more and more from the Chiefs' roster, we're continuing to get free agents and aren't really losing them at the same pace. But we can discuss that after the draft.

Okay, I studied this all day and I'm making my picks.

This draft was brutal. Every position of need for me seemed to get drafted before I could get my picks, and then there would be a big dropoff. I hate trading down, but I had no choice this year.

First, we are trading down with the Buffalo Bills. We are trading our #23 pick (760 points, discounted to 494) for their #44 pick (460 points), #153 pick (30.2 points), and #221 pick (3 points).

I did not make the Alex Smith trade, so I keep my #56, and I didn't have Edgar Jones to trade, so I don't move up at the bottom of the round. My picks are:

44
56
87
124
153
163
200
221
238

And without further ado, my draft is ...

#44 - Cyrus Kouandjio, OT (Bills)


With Branden Albert and Geoff Schwartz leaving, and with Eric Winston currently without a team, the only tackle on my roster is Menelik Watson. Kouandjio seems to have a good chance at being a starter if his medical stuff works out.

Other players considered: Xavier Su'a-Filo (G), Dee Ford (DE/OLB), or Teddy Bridgewater (QB) if no trade down. The first two would've filled big needs but I decided I could get a better return on investment with later picks.

#56 - Morgan Moses, OT (Redskins)


Yeah, two tackles with my first two picks. I've had problems replenishing this position over the years, so it's time to stock up.

Others considered: Kony Ealy (DE), C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE), Terrance Brooks (FS). Three more areas of need, but Moses seemed like the best value. I also pondered Gabe Jackson (G) and Louis Nix (NT).

#87 - Donte Moncrief, WR (Colts).


This pick was very difficult. I really wanted to fill one of my major needs areas, but couldn't find a pick that seemed worth the price. WR is a bit of a luxury here, though I could use some depth and competition.

Others considered: Crockett Gilmore (TE) was on my board almost the whole time as a need pick since Tony Gonzalez retired on me, but I eventually decided that I could get by with Fasano and Travis Kelce and see how they do. That let me go with the player that I think has the higher upside.

If we were allowed two trade-downs, I would've traded down out of this pick and taken Carl Bradford (OLB) and some lower picks. But since I couldn't trade down, Moncrief seemed like the better risk.

#124 - David Yankey, G (Vikings).


With Brian Waters' career in doubt and Wade Smith getting cut, my once-deep guard position was suddenly shaky. Yankey seemed like a really good value pick here who can potentially fill a need.

Others considered: None, really. Yankey was way above my other choices. I looked at G Dakota Dozier and OLB Telvin Smith, along with FS Nate Berhe.

#153 - Ed Reynolds, FS (Eagles)


I really need a free safety, and the top ones went before my first-round pick. Ed Reynolds can be competitive for the starting position with Quentin Demps on my roster. Screw Kendrick Lewis. I may cut him even if I don't have any other safeties.

Others considered: I really wanted DE Chris Smith as well, but couldn't find a way to get both. It came down to Smith or Reynolds.

#163 - Ronald Powell, OLB (Saints).


He's a medical risk that I'm hoping pays off, because I'm very shallow at OLB right now.

Others considered: Lots of good choices here. I really struggled between OLB Jordan Tripp versus Powell, so hopefully I made the right decision. I also strongly considered the two QBs (Aaron Murray and A.J. McCarren), along with FS Vinnie Sunseri.

#200 - Daniel McCullers, NT (Steelers).


I invested heavily in the DT position last year with three draft picks, but only one of them had a good year. McCullers seems like a cheap backup with notable upside.

Others considered: OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and DT Shamar Stephen. I've already drafted two OTs, though, and liked McCullers on the nose. He's huge. I also pondered FB Jay Prosch, but figured I'd wait on that position.

#221 - Trevor Reilly, OLB (Jets).


I think he slipped a lot due to his age (Mormon mission), but if I can get a good player cheap for a few years, he's definitely worth a late pick.

Others considered: None, really. He was my guy in this slot.

#238 - Trey Millard, FB (49ers).


I need a fullback. He's a fullback. Let's hope he sticks on the Niners' roster.

Others considered: There were a few others that I liked, including OLB Tyler Starr, ILB Yawin Smallwood, and WR Tevin Reese. But they were all depth at this point and I had no fullback on the roster.

In summary, my draft is:

#44 - Cyrus Kouandjio, OT (Bills)
#56 - Morgan Moses, OT (Redskins)
#87 - Donte Moncrief, WR (Colts)
#124 - David Yankey, G (Vikings).
#153 - Ed Reynolds, FS (Eagles)
#163 - Ronald Powell, OLB (Saints).
#200 - Daniel McCullers, NT (Steelers).
#221 - Trevor Reilly, OLB (Jets).
#238 - Trey Millard, FB (49ers).

1) I accepted the Alex Smith trade,

2) I didn't have Edgar Jones on my roster,

3) I'm trading down with the Denver Broncos. I give them my #23 (760 pts), discounted to 494 pts. In return, we get #56 (340 pts), #95 (120 pts), #156 (30 pts), and #242 (1.2 pts) for a total of 491.2 pts.

so my picks are:

#56 - Cody Latimer WR (Indiana) - Denver

I coveted Jordan Matthews with my first pick, but I was able to get more back in a trade with Denver for a similar player who is also headed to a prolific offense.

#87 - Phillip Gaines CB (Rice) - KC

I'm already in good shape at CB, but the draft didn't really fall to my needs well here and Gaines will give me insurance in case KC parts ways with Brandon Flowers in the next year or two.

#95 - Michael Schofield OT (Michigan) - Denver

With the loss of Branden Albert, my offensive line is looking pretty thin. Terron Armstead is penciled in as my starting LT, but my other tackles are still big question marks. Schofield and 6th round pick of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif give me a couple of other prospects to take up the slack or play guard in a pinch.

#124 - Kevin Pierre-Louis OLB (Boston College) - Seattle

With Tamba Hali getting older, it's time to find his replacement. I've got a couple candidates on my roster, but no sure things so I'll add Pierre-Louis to the mix and hope for the best.

#156 - Ed Reynolds S (Stanford) - Philadelphia

Reynolds is a guy I had targeted to bolster my thin safety ranks. The trade down was designed around him and Latimer.

#163 - Aaron Murray QB (Georgia) - KC

I don't know whether he'll replace Chase Daniel or Tyler Bray, but I think he's a good deal this late in the draft and I expect him to have an equal or better career than either of those guys.

#200 - Laurent Duvernay-Tardif OT (McGill) - KC

He's smart, he's strong, and he's big. I hope his name will fit on the jersey.

#238 - Trey Millard FB (Oklahoma) - San Francisco

I too need a FB. Why, oh why didn't I roster Anthony Sherman so I could use this pick on Henry Josey? I don't know, but at least I have one more pick.

#242 - Bruce Gaston NT (Purdue) - Arizona

Damnit! I need a NT worse than I need a RB so no Henry Josey here. NT is probably my thinnest position. One of the guys on my roster plays for Arizona so I'm picking up Gaston with my final pick because he went to Arizona as an UDFA. It's possible that neither of them will win the starting job, but one of them will almost surely make the team.

Ah, interesting. Another trade down.

I'm philosophically opposed to trading down, but have now done it two years in a row with my top choice. Last year was a no-brainer with the value of the #1 pick, but this year was just a fluke of player availability for me. I would've probably taken my top pick with the #23 pick, so I might as well trade down and get a couple of late picks as well.

Yeah, same here. I was going to take Jordan Matthews with #23, but then I realized he was far enough down on the draft board that even with the steep discount, I could pick up a late pick to go with him. And with Ed Reynolds going one pick before #163, I started to think about maneuvers that would bring him into reasonable range.

I wonder if we buy the same draft magazine. Ed Reynolds was a factor in my trade down too.