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Among the NFL’s most profitable groups within the final couple a long time have been capable of pull it off—the developmental quarterback pipeline. In doing so, they had been persistently capable of get pleasure from staying on high with a little bit of safety at an important place within the league solely to then ship off these property in alternate for priceless draft alternatives to different quarterback needy groups. In case you have goals of the K.C. Chiefs beginning such a pipeline, you might need to attend one other yr.
Whereas the Chiefs do have eight whole draft selections to make the most of within the 2021 NFL Draft, even a late-round flyer on a quarterback seems like a stretch for this roster that has a number of wants at different positions that would use even a Day 3 roll of the cube. If the Chiefs by some means can’t get to, say, middle or cornerback throughout the first two days of the draft, then taking a prospect or two at these positions is price making within the late rounds over starting some kind of QB pipeline.
In an excellent world, the Chiefs would have the bandwidth. They’re set, after all, on the place with Patrick Mahomes, and there’s a superb cause (or 100) why they signed him through the 2031 season. From there, the likes of Chad Henne and Matt Moore have made up the depth chart—growing older veterans who’ve served as each backup and mentor to the NFL’s brightest younger star in a era.
Now as Mahomes is slowly shifting to veteran standing, provided that this can be his fourth yr as a beginning quarterback in ’21, the Chiefs start to consider ramping up the developmental pipeline. If that doesn’t make sense, nevertheless, allow us to remind you of names like Invoice Belichick and the Patriots or Ron Wolf and the Inexperienced Bay Packers. Each franchises employed a developmental quarterback pipeline for years behind celebrity quarterbacks. In doing so, they not solely had thrilling younger arms-in-waiting in case of emergency however in addition they had tradable property to leverage at key occasions.
Nothing is extra determined than a crew with no quarterback. This offseason alone, we watched the San Francisco 49ers transfer heaven and earth in an effort to land the No. 3 spot within the ’21 NFL Draft to land their franchise quarterback—likely Alabama’s Mac Jones, per reviews. Regardless of loads of beforehand heralded quarterbacks, there are nonetheless quite a few groups attempting to make one thing—something!—work on the place with out success. From the Chicago Bears signing Andy Dalton to the Carolina Panthers trading for Sam Darnold, groups are determined for hope at QB.
That’s why these groups just like the Packers and Patriots had been good to draft and develop quarterbacks later in particular draft courses in an effort to preserve the pipeline flowing. The shares of these gamers who’ve been capable of sit and be taught behind the NFL’s finest gamers are sometimes inflated, and the Chiefs will surely profit from this. Think about a fifth spherical decide who will get to be taught from Andy Reid and watch Patrick Mahomes daily for 2 to a few years. You suppose one other crew isn’t flipping a third-round decide for him afterward? After all they’ll.
Nonetheless, whereas it sounds good to start out that kind of pipeline down the highway, if we’re taking a look at what to anticipate from the upcoming NFL Draft at every place, we’ve to confess that it doesn’t really feel like the precise time simply but for the Chiefs to plant seeds on the quarterback place. It is a crew in win-now mode with some very actual positional wants within the current and close to futures. Whereas that’s true for each crew, the Chiefs’ latest draft historical past has damage the developmental window in a number of locations (linebacker, defensive finish, offensive sort out) and depth is required through draft investments.
Perhaps subsequent yr would be the yr we are able to take note of intriguing late-round quarterback prospects, however this yr seems like one other yr during which luxurious picks are put aside. That definitely contains beginning any draft-and-develop pipeline at QB.
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