And the Chiefs get the opportunity to stock their roster with a bunch of young players with loads of potential and an equal amount of uncertainty.
It's a dumb trade just to save money. While KC won because they traded what was a fourth round pick for a first rounder, in terms of play it could be costly. Allen was a proven pass rusher. Whoever the Chiefs draft to replace Allen is, there is no guarantee that he will become the player Allen was for Kansas City and will continue to be with Minnesota.
Granted if a team is armed with the fifth pick overall, there's a good chance to select a blue chip DE. But if the draft goes as I expect, Chris Long and Vernon Gholston will be just out of reach:
1. Miami Dolphins – OT Jake Long, Michigan
The ‘Fins opt for an O-line anchor for the next decade
2. St. Louis Rams – DE Chris Long, Virginia
This pick doesn’t change because 33-year-old DE Leonard Little started seven games and had just one of the team’s 31 sacks
3. Atlanta Falcons – DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU
Don’t like Matt Ryan this early. Will draft a QB later
4. Oakland Raiders – DE Vernon Gholston, Ohio State
Sacks look cooler than stopping the run
5. Kansas City Chiefs– QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
KC takes the best player available, unless the right trade offer comes along
6. New York Jets – RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas
Incumbent RB Thomas Jones hits the magical age of 30 in August. Time to get his replacement
7. New England Patriots – LB Keith Rivers, USC
He can play inside or outside and the Patriots love versatile players
8. Baltimore Ravens – CB Mike Jenkins, South Florida
He’s a notch below the top rated corner, but has the size the Ravens prefer
9. Cincinnati Bengals – DT Sedrick Ellis, USC
If the Bengals do convert to a 3-4, Ellis should be able to handle playing DE
10. New Orleans Saints – CB Leodis McKelvin, Troy State
The secondary really needs reinforcements.
11. Buffalo Bills – WR Devin Thomas, Michigan State
The Bills love one-year wonders. Remember QB Rob Johnson?
12. Denver Broncos – OT Ryan Clady, Boise State
The retirement of Matt Lepsis means Denver needs an eventual starter for the O-line
13. Carolina Panthers – DE Derrick Harvey, Florida
23 sacks as a team last year and Mike Rucker just hung up his cleats
14. Chicago Bears – RB Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois
They made a mistake with RB Cedric Benson. Hopefully this would fix the error
15. Detroit Lions – OG Branden Alberts, Virginia
A running back would be nice, but one won’t go far without holes to run through
16. Arizona Cardinals – CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
He would be the third young corner added to a budding secondary
17. Kansas City Chiefs – DE Calais Campbell, Miami
So basically KC trades a guy who averaged almost eleven sacks a season for an unknown commodity. They better be right
18. Houston Texans – DE Phillip Merling, Clemson
Could be the final piece of a young and hungry defensive line
19. Philadelphia Eagles – OT Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
Bookend tackles Jon Runyan and William Thomas are wearing out
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – WR Malcom Kelly, Oklahoma
There will be a two-to-one receiver-to-QB ratio during training camp
21. Washington Redskins – WR Limas Sweed, Texas
Using this pick to trade for a productive receiver hasn’t worked so they draft one
22. Dallas Cowboys – RB Felix Jones, Arkansas
If CB Adam Jones is reinstated, it clears the path to draft a different Jones
23. Pittsburgh Steelers – LB Jerod Mayo, Tennessee
12-year veteran ILB James Farrior gets an understudy to mold into his replacement
24. Tennessee Titans – DE Lawrence Jackson, USC
There would be no pass rush unless they add players that can get to the QB
25. Seattle Seahawks – WR James Hardy, Indiana
He’s a big target that can be groomed by 13-year vet Bobby Engram
26. Jacksonville Jaguars – RB Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
The Jags get an early jump to find Fred Taylor’s successor
27. San Diego Chargers –CB Aquib Talib, Kansas
The combined wingspan on this secondary would cover the field
28. Dallas Cowboys – S Kenny Phillips, Miami
He won’t be a liability in pass coverage like Roy Williams
29. San Francisco 49ers – LB Quentin Groves, Auburn
Minor heart surgery won’t deter the Niners from nabbing the fast pass rusher
30. Green Bay Packers – CB Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech
Both Charles Woodson and Al Harris are getting up in age
31. New York Giants – LB Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma
The Mathias Kiwanuka as a LB experiment comes to an end
Keywords: Aquib Talib, Branden Alberts, Brandon Flowers, Calais Campbell, Chris Long, Curtis Lofton, Darren McFadden, Derrick Harvey, Devin Thomas, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, Felix Jones, Glenn Dorsey, Jake Long, James Hardy, Jared Allen, Jeff Otah, Jerod Mayo, Jonathan Stewart, Keith Rivers, Kenny Phillips, Lawrence Jackson, Leodis McKelvin, Limas Sweed, Malcom Kelly, Matt Ryan, Mike Jenkins, Phillip Merling, Quentin Groves, Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Clady, Sedrick Ellis, Vernon Gholston
