According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Kansas City Chiefs may be looking to go quarterback in the first round of the upcoming 2014 NFL draft. The primary reason for this, as indicated by Rapoport, is that extension negotiations with Alex Smith aren’t moving a long too well, and they could be looking to move forward beyond the 2014 season without the veteran.
Team that will consider a 1st-round QB: The #Chiefs. Negotiations with Alex Smith aren’t progressing well. Must keep long-term options open
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 5, 2014
Unfortuantely for fans in Kansas City, this would be the worst-case scenario. Smith, who was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers for two second-round picks last offseason, is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign. Drafting a quarterback just one year after giving up two early-round picks for Smith makes little sense. Kansas City earned a playoff spot with 11 wins last season and needs upgrades on both sides of the ball in order to compete with the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
Exhausting a first-round pick on a player that likely won’t see the field isn’t a sound strategy, especially considering that the Chiefs are also without a second rounder from that Smith deal.
Again, it could all be smoke and mirrors here. Kansas City could very well have leaked this information in order to put some pressure on Smith, who has to still have the whole Colin Kaepernick situation in the back of his head. There is also a potential trade-down scenario at play here. Kansas City selects right ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals, who might be looking to go quarterback. If a team at the top of the second round thinks the Bengals will go quarterback or that Kansas City might actually take a replacement for Smith, that team might give up a nice haul to guarantee itself a quarterback.
Photo: Andrew Weber, USA Today