Hurtin' for: blockers
There are plenty things that Kansas City could use, especially on offense, but nothing will get done without some worthwhile blocking up front. According to Football Outsiders, the Chiefs ranked second-to-last in the league in adjusted line yards (the best available measure for the portion of a team's rushing yardage attributable to the blocking) and fourth from the bottom in adjusted sack rate (which determines how often a team allows a sack, adjusting for strength of opponent). Neither stat is surprising when you consider that the team started a mediocre journeyman (Damion McIntosh) at left tackle and a failed reclamation project (Kyle Turley) on the other side. The Chiefs have to take their top rated tackle with the fifth pick of Round 1. If some other team snatches him first, they might even have to reach for the second guy at the position like Arizona did with Levi Brown at the same spot last year. Kansas City could be justified in taking a defensive tackle if they just don't like, say, Boise State's Ryan Clady or Pittsburgh's Jeff Otah enough at 5 and Michigan's Jake Long is gone, but the other available talent at that level seems to match up with two of the team's strengths: defensive end and running back.

Should be lookin' for: receivers and corners
Dwayne Bowe had a very nice rookie season and certainly merited his first-round status. Behind him, however, the Chiefs boast Jeff Webb and a couple of tumbleweeds. Herman Edwards has said that he likes Webb and that he strongly regrets not giving Jerricho Cotchery more playing time as a young guy with the Jets, but Webb caught just 28 balls in his second season. Samie Parker is out of chances, and Eddie Kennison is gone. Someone else needs to catch the ball besides Tony Gonzalez.

At corner, Ty Law is both old and gone. Patrick Surtain is so far just one of those, and there is little else at the position. This cornerback class doesn't appear to stack up to top-five status, but the Chiefs should be looking for an option in Round 2. This is probably a more immediate need than receiver.

Will likely settle for: whatever they can get
The needs listed above are glaring, but K.C. wouldn't suffer for adding interior line depth on either side of the ball, a middle-linebacker prospect to develop, another option at safety and quarterback, and an eventual replacement for Tony Gonzalez. This is a team that shouldn't plan on contending this year, looking instead to build a young talent base for 2009, 2010 and beyond. It's a tough spot to be in for the franchise, but it should be easier to draft when its simpler to justify following the best-available method over filling immediate needs.


Matt Schauf is a contributing writer for Draft Stock and an associate editor for the Sports Buff Fantasy Network