Chiefs OL

This is also an excellent article explaining some of their grading process.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog...-april-2-2012/

You guys have talked a lot about Barry Richardson dragging down the quality of the Chiefs’ line. Now that they’ve added Eric Winston, how do you think their line grades out compared to the rest of the league? – Matt Conner


Ben Stockwell: The addition of Winston immediately makes the Chiefs one of the best offensive lines in the league. In terms of an offensive line ranking, Winston not only upgrades a line that we ranked 16th in the 2011 season, it plugs their biggest weakness and also takes away one of the best players from our fifth-ranked offensive line from last season. It doesn’t solve all of their problems, but any time that you can replace arguably the worst right tackle in the league with arguably the best, well you can’t really make a bigger jump than that.

You can only really imagine where the Chiefs might be if they hadn’t made the hasty decision of cutting Jared Gaither during the middle of the year. A line of Gaither at left tackle, Winston at right tackle and shifting Branden Albert inside to his collegiate position of guard would be a fearsome group for the Chiefs’ backfield duo of Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis to run behind. As it is, they don’t have Gaither anymore, but they’re not exactly short changed.

The biggest obstacle for the Chiefs to improve in 2012 will be getting more from there interior offensive line as run blockers. Winston really helps them on the edge–not only in upgrading their pass protection, but also helping them spring more runs off-tackle–but Jon Asamoah and Ryan Lilja really need to up their game as interior run blockers. It’s just about all this line is missing now that they have made that big leap at right tackle.

So with the addition of DeCastro, do we suddenly have the best OL in the league? Just might if Asomoah and Hudson are half as good as advertised.

If Decastro is passed on, I will be royally pissed..

Either trading down or passing on one of the best OG prospects to be available in quite sometime AND a position of need, would be a major error on Pioli's part...

Lot of articles suggesting Tannahill or Kuechly..Noooooooo!

WHEN we add Decastro, we will be plugging a hole and creating depth at the same time...

..and yes, we would be the best OL in the NFL, IMO....

I hate to say it because Trent Green was great here, but he was only great here and IMO thats because of the HOF OL we had, great running game, and HOF TE. We didn't even have that good of WR's. We have a lot better WR's now, we are set at TE, we have a great running game, and adding DeCastro gives us a great OL again.

Hard for any QB, including Cassel to fail in this situation.

Cassel has the weapons and the line now. It is make or break for him. I have defended him the most I think. He has no excuses now. He either proves me right or I eat crow. So Cassel show up or move on out brother.

Back to OLine. Just a thought on a few options. If fixing the OL is top priorty in the draft. And DeCastro is gone before we pick. Maybe we could move back a bit and draft Cordy Glenn G from Georgia, Or make Hudson the G where he actually placed most of his spot duty last season and draft Peter Konz C Wisconsin. Just some options. Any opinions.

RustShack wrote:

So with the addition of DeCastro, do we suddenly have the best OL in the league? Just might if Asomoah and Hudson are half as good as advertised.

I wouldn't count on it in year 1. We have to remember we could potentially have 3 new starters on that line. It's going to take awhile for them to mesh and get in the groove. We don't know anything about Hudson yet. I still think it will be very good and tons better than last years. I just hope they take Decastro because Lilja just sucks in the ground game. Lilja is a fine pass protector, but he's like a fish out of water on this line in my opinion.

I like Konz allot. We could deffinetly trade down and get that guy. He would be an instant upgrade. I still like DeCastro. Glenn can get too lazy and lean too much.

by Bill Williamson

Kansas City:

"Here is a reason why the Chiefs should consider drafting Stanford’s David DeCastro and playing him at right guard. The Chiefs ran well to the left last season, but struggled running on the right side. They addressed the issue by signing right tackle Eric Winston, considered one of the best at his position. Adding DeCastro, considered one of the premier guard prospects in the past several years, would further help. Kansas City ranked seventh in the NFL running to the left in 2011, but was ranked 32nd up the middle and 31st to the right side."

I didn't realize they were that bad to the right. I guess Moeaki hurt those numbers alot.

I thought Lilja was supposed to be the weak link in the run game?

It was that POS Richardson. He has such a terrible first step. If we draft DeCastro we will have one of the best OL groups in the league. I really could see Pioli going in the direction of the DL or LB. The only reason I see that is because Pioli thinks so much of positional value in terms of draft position. I dont know if he will be his most valuable player available when we come up to draft. Allot of it depends on how much they value what we already have at Guard and Center.

Berry wasnt very good positional value where we got him and Decastro is probably a better prospect at G than Berry was at S

Chiefs09 wrote:

Berry wasnt very good positional value where we got him and Decastro is probably a better prospect at G than Berry was at S

I remember reading that NFL scouts were saying Berry was the most athletic and best athlete in his draft year...

Regardless of position, we got a very good player...

Of the top 5 players picked in that draft, only 2 are pro bowlers..Berry and Suh...

IMO, we got great value..

Chiefs09 wrote:

Berry wasnt very good positional value where we got him and Decastro is probably a better prospect at G than Berry was at S

No disrespect meant, but fuck positional value! I have never been a fan of drafting that way. You always wind up passing on guys that shouldn't be passed on. You take great players no matter what position they play when they are available. That is why I want Decastro. He's easily the best prospect to come out at his position in awhile. I think he compares to Steve Hutchinson who was taken at 17 in the 01 Draft. He might not have the quite as much dominance at the point as Iupati did, but I think Decastro at this point is a more polished player and makes up for the difference with his pulling ability. Todd McShay said Decastro is the best O line prospect he has ever scouted on film period. McShay gushed when he talked about the balance that Decastro displays in the open field.

SylvesterMalone1978 wrote:

I thought Lilja was supposed to be the weak link in the run game?

I think he is. I don't think we all realized just how bad Pope was in the run game. I think Casey being on his last legs didn't help matters.

Lilja is too damn small, old, and injury prone. And on top of it all, he still thinks Cassel is a great QB. Ship his ass off with Cassel ASAP.

Albert - DeCastro - Hudson - Asomoah - Winston

Epic.

Yeah the Falcons GM or whatever who Pioli is friends with made the comment that Pioil would never draft a safety that high because the value isn't there. The talent was though, and DeCastro is the same situation.