Chiefs, Bears, Mizzou and Illinois as the NFL Draft Approaches

Assorted notes and musings to consider as the 2016 NFL Draft approaches...

Missouri linebacker Kentrell Brothers probably gets his name called in the second. He might go late in the first round. Illinois defensive tackle Jihad Ward could go in the second or third round according to the gang at Pro Football Weekly and some other mock drafts I’ve seen. Illinois running back Josh Ferguson, and Missouri offensive linemen Evan Boehm and Connor McGovern may get their names called at some time on Saturday.

Kansas City currently holds the 28th pick in the first round. As was the case in John Dorsey’s first Chiefs draft in 2013, the Chiefs will take the best football player on their board even though the situation is very different than it was in ’13. Then, the roster left behind by Scott Pioli was so bad that pretty much anyone drafted was going to be a significant upgrade. Now, the Chiefs roster is solid enough that the best player on the board may well make a good position group great. However, I can’t see the Chiefs going for a quarterback. I’m not enamored with any of the QB’s in this draft. I can’t see ‘em taking a running back, a kicker or punter in the first round either.

The Chicago Bears currently hold the 11th overall choice. I expect the Bears to take a lineman. Help is needed on both sides of the ball and the odds are good that an o-lineman or d-lineman who can help will be there. Winning football starts with the 300 pounders. A running back also wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Ezekiel Elliott to the Bears?

Some teams will do foolish things that will assure more bad football for their fans. At least one of those foolish moves will involve drafting a quarterback in the first round. This isn’t the mid 1980’s. No Elways, Jim Kellys, or Dan Marinos in this draft class. Just watch the Rams come up with a busted pick with their first post move choice.

The Cleveland Browns have been notorious for busts so far this century. Brady Quinn? (I was very amused by ESPN freaking out about Quinn being a plummeting pick on that draft day.) Then the Browns showed a couple years later that they had learned from their mistake and could repeat it exactly with Johnny Manziel. Maybe the new people in Cleveland have a clue. We’ll start to find out soon enough.

I was a St. Louis football Cardinal fan until they scuttled off to the Arizona desert. As with many things with the Big Red, draft day was... interesting. Sometimes for the right reasons, other times for the wrong reasons. There were first round goofs like Larry Stegent, Steve Pisarkiewicz, Clyde Duncan and Kelly Stouffer. To be fair, draft day also brought the likes of Ottis Anderson was a superb pick in 1979. E.J. Junior in the first round and Neil Lomax in the second were excellent decisions in 1981.