(Brian Spurlock/USA Today Sports)
Over the last couple of months, there’s been plenty of talk regarding the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2013 NFL Draft and which player they will select at No. 1 considering how many different areas they have in need of improvement. With the draft set to take place one week from today, it appears the Chiefs are already “locked in” on the first pick–Luke Joeckel out of Texas A&M.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports was the first to break the news and it shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone since Joeckel is arguably the most talented offensive tackle from this year’s class. When taking this into consideration with the fact that Kansas City just acquired Alex Smith during the offseason, there’s no question this seems to be the right move.
Texas A&M left tackle Luke Joeckel will be the first name called next week. According to numerous league sources, the Chiefs are locked in on him, barring anything unforeseen, after also strongly considering Central Michigan left tackle Eric Fisher. But Joeckel has played in a tougher conference and is a safer pick, and in a league where first-time general managers is becoming the rule (especially guys with college backgrounds), you are going to see a lot of clubs deferring to the safest guy (more on that later, when we delve into the guards).
Despite last season’s disappointing finish, expectations are high for the Chiefs heading into next season now that they have a new quarterback in Smith and a new head coach in Andy Reid calling the shots. It’s rare to see an offensive lineman be selected with the first overall pick, but that just shows what type of special player Joekel is and it will be interesting to see the impact he has during his rookie season.
“Like” Dan Parzych on Facebook
Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych
