Yeah, I'm with you there.

Every now and again I look at a CP Darling (or even a mock draft hero) and think "man, I just don't see it..."

A lot of guys have become big fans of Ruiz and in the 2nd I'd be okay with him (still wouldn't love him even there), but as a 1st rounder I think that's just way out there.

He's not a 1st round caliber player, IMO.

What about Runyan Jr at G? Curious as his dad played for Andy Reid

The more I look at it, the more I think it's going to be someone who unexpectedly "fell."

That seems most likely to be A.J. Epenesa or DeAndre Swift, to me.

Yeah, the more I think about Epenesa, the more I think that's he's likely the pick.

There are reasons he might slide that are less critical to us. He fits an obvious short and long-term need. He plays a style of game that should age well (and you know GM's look for guys in the 1st that they'd gladly give a 2nd contract to; that's why I think we won't go RB).

Queen/Gladney is probably my 'hope' pick more than anything - neither seem incredibly likely to fall.

If weighing who I want to get with who we'll likely have a shot at, Epenesa does seem the most probable outcome. And I'd be pretty happy with that - he could be a big time help here. He complements Clark and would make that DL just not a lot of fun to play against. There's a lot of punch up and down the line at that point.

Epenesa paired with a RB in round 2 or (Crosses fingers he's still there) Willie Gay at LB would add a nice bit of punch to the front 7.

Epenesa falling into Friday won't be a shocker.

I think the Penn State DE isn't out of the question either at falling to 32.

I mean...if we're not picking until the 4th round - sure.

Maaaaaaaybe that late 3rd. But if Runyan were named Smith and his dad weren't such a badass, he'd probably be a priority UDFA for most teams with a 5th round upside.

I think Gay will be there. He'll be one of the guys most hurt by this truncated process because he can't 'interview away' the character flags.

I think there's an outside shot he's there in the 3rd, though not a great one. I also like Malik Harrison a lot at LB.

If they're both there, I think Veach takes Epenesa.

Gross-Matos has a sky high ceiling but he's that sort of guy who's bust potential is pretty significant. And I don't think he'll ever be as well-rounded even if he does become the kind of pass-rusher his tools say he could be.

Epenesa just doesn't do anything poorly and if his athleticism doesn't make him an asset at the next level, he'll still be able to win with hands/strenght. Gross-Matos, OTOH, is an athleticism or bust sort of guy to me. And it's just hard to say that his athleticism is THAT good.

He's exactly the kind of high-risk guy (like Burns) that I think Veach would prefer avoid.

Yeah.

A draft where the Chiefs get Epenesa, Dobbins/Akers, and Gay with their first 3 picks is definitely a possibility.

It would be absolutely HATED here because no CB and IOL, but the upside of those 3 would be pretty exciting. All would have a reasonable chance of becoming a Pro Bowl-quality performer for KC.

Yea he’s a possibly as well, but I don’t see any scenario where they both fall. Too man teams with a need there at the end of the 1st

Yeah, I would hate that to a degree. But, it also depends on what we do after the draft to address those needs we didn't address. I don't think we even currently have enough cap room to sign our draft picks, much less sign any other veterans. If somehow we can come up with a way to add another veteran corner then it's not the end of the world, although we'll yet again be in the same situation a year from now.

That feels like a classic Andy Reid draft.

People will be pissed because there is one obvious hole that wasn’t filled (in this case, two), but Andy will have loaded up on talent and made a strength of the team even stronger. Andy always seems to go with talent over “holes”.

I recently looked back at the Patrick Mahomes draft announcement on Facebook. Facebook Chiefs fan was pissed because we drafted “for the future” and passed on Reuben Foster. I highly recommend reading that again if you haven’t LMAO

You don’t take a corner just to take a corner. Besides, what’s the point in reaching for need when your starters are set? They will certainly make a move after the draft if they miss out. Relax.

Gimme Epenesa, Aiyuk and Gay 1-2-3 and I'd be damn pleased.

I like Aiyuk as a long-term replacement for Watkins a LOT. He's a perfect X in this system, IMO. The odds of him getting to the late 2nd aren't great, but the depth of the WR class might push him down a bit.

Every time I run a mock, I'm happier w/ the drafts that don't have a CB early. I just don't like the way the value falls at CB in this draft. I seem to be constantly stuck in the middle on them and feel like I end up taking a guy like Hall about 15 picks before I'd ideally want them or they're gone by the next round. Occasionally I see someone like Troy Pride fall to the late 3rd and am happy to get him there, but more often than not, I see better players on the board when we're up.

And RB just doesn't fit my positional value terribly well. It's just not a position I find myself eager to throw capital at even when there are quality players there.