The Kansas City Chiefs head into the 2014 NFL draft needing to boost the big-play potential of their offense, as well as improve their defensive backfield.
Even without picks in the second and seventh rounds, the Chiefs have enough selections to find talent for their main areas of need. In Round 1, head coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey may be unable to ignore a physically imposing wide receiver who can be a matchup nightmare in the pros.
Reid and Dorsey may also risk waiting to land their safety of choice, with the middle rounds likely to contain an intriguing prospect. That would make the later rounds a chance to bolster both depth and quality in the trenches.
Kelvin Benjamin is just too good for the Chiefs to pass on with the draft's 23rd overall pick. He is the big-bodied, roving playmaker this offense needs.
WalterFootball.com believes the Chiefs will likely take a chance on Benjamin.
The only real question about Benjamin concerns his modest experience and production at the position. NFL.com College Football 24/7 writer Dan Greenspan highlights Benjamin as something of a late bloomer:
At 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds, Benjamin was the Seminoles' most impressive specimen, but only started tapping into his potential late in his redshirt sophomore season. Benjamin had 18 receptions for 385 yards and six touchdowns in his final three games at Florida State, one quarter of his career receiving yards and nearly one third of his career touchdown receptions.
In two seasons, Benjamin caught 84 balls for 1,506 yards and 19 touchdowns, the kind of production the other top wide receivers in this crop -- Sammy Watkins of Clemson, Marqise Lee of USC, Mike Evans of Texas A&M and Brandin Cooks of Oregon State -- delivered in just one year.
He may have caught on late, but Benjamin is worth a risk as a first-round selection. Not many cornerbacks can cover a 6'5", 235-pounder who matches that giant frame with blazing speed.
Offensive coordinator Doug Pederson would craft many ways to get the ball in the hands of such a fleet-footed bruiser.
The Chiefs have been burned drafting a receiver with eye-popping physical intangibles before. Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star rightfully asks if Benjamin is not just another Jon Baldwin, the team's failed first-round draft choice of 2011.
But as Paylor points out, Benjamin has gotten better every year, rather than just leaning on his physical gifts:
However, Baldwin's profile also revealed that he was a sloppy route runner who wasn't a willing run blocker and occasionally took plays off. There have been some questions about Benjamin's work ethic ― he reportedly ballooned to 260 pounds as a true freshman, when he knew he wasn't going to play as he learned a complex playbook – and even headmitted that he was lazy on and off the field when he first arrived at Florida State.
But he's since cut a significant amount of weight, which shows a commitment to getting better, and has flashed ability as a run blocker, a potential boon in a Chiefs offense that is heavy on screen passes and reliant on downfield blocking for star running back Jamaal Charles.
With Reid and assistant head coach David Culley working closely with him, Benjamin will soon learn the techniques he'll need to thrive in the NFL.
That refinement, combined with his awesome physical potential, will make the ex-Seminoles star the focal point of the Kansas City passing game.
The need for a more accomplished safety is obvious after defensive coordinator Bob Sutton's single-high concepts were destroyed during the second half of the season.
If they roll the dice in Round 3, Reid and Dorsey can land a true steal in former USC ace Dion Bailey. He is projected as a fourth-rounder by CBS Sports in their updated, post-Senior Bowl position rankings. But Bailey is worth a so-called "reach" to the Chiefs.
The converted linebacker is a heavy hitter, but he does his best work breaking on the ball in coverage.
CBS Sports writer Rob Rang highlights attributes of Bailey's game that would make him perfect for the deep-safety role in Sutton's coverage schemes:
Quick, short backpedal and good fluidity in his hips to change directions. Accelerates smoothly and has good speed, overall. Good body control and hands for the interception (11 over his career). Durable. Missed one game due to injury in three seasons as a starter.
That ability to shift his feet and turn will be essential in a Cover 1 scheme where the deep safety has to make quick reads and go.
Just like with Benjamin, some scouts and teams may be put off by Bailey's limited experience at his position. He has only has a year lining up at free safety to his credit.
But in that lone season, he managed to intercept five passes and break up six more, according to cfbstats.com. That production is evidence of the playmaking skills the Chiefs need at an essential position on their defense.
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