The Chiefs picked 22-year old DE Allen Bailey out of Miami (FL) with the 86th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Bailey is 6’3″, 278 pounds and he can run a 4.75 40.  Bailey is strong enough to kick inside to tackle once in a while.  Bailey plays hard all the time and he’s a very strong player.  Bailey played in 13 games (all starts) for Miami (FL) last season and he had 45 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks and he batted down one ball.  He played in 50 games (24 starts) in his four years with the Hurricanes and he had 107 tackles, 31 tackles for a loss, 19 sacks, batted down three passes and he forced 2 fumbles.  Bailey will give the Chiefs a very solid pass rush and he could win a starting job early on in his career.  I really like this pick for the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs picked 22-year old outside linebacker Justin Houston out of Georgia with the 70th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Houston is 6’3″, 260 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40…so he’s a pretty solid athlete who can also play DE a little if the Chiefs need him there.  Houston isn’t that good against the run, so he might not be an every down player with the Chiefs.  Houston played in 13 games (all starts) at Georgia last year and he had 67 tackles, 18.5 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, be broke up 2 passes and he had 1 interception.  Houston played in 36 games (24 starts) in his three years with the Bulldogs and he had 125 tackles, 38 tackles for a loss, 20 sacks, broke up 5 passes and he had 1 interception.  The Chiefs needed pass rush help and Houston should be able to give it to them, starting in 2011.

The Kansas City Chiefs have picked 22-year old center Rodney Hudson out of Florida State with the 55th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Hudson is on the small side at 6’2″, 291 pounds so he will likely be used only at center despite having a lot of experience at guard.  Hudson is very good when pulling as he’s fast and can hit moving targets.  He played in 14 games (14 starts) for the Seminoles last year and he has played in 51 games (48 starts) in his four years there.  Hudson might not be the starter at center this year, as it depends on if the Chiefs bring back 37-year old Casey Wiegmann.  Even if the Chiefs do bring back Wiegmann, Hudson will be learning from one of the best until replacing him down the road.  This was a solid pick for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs traded down to the #27 slot as the Browns moved up to take DT Phil Taylor out of Baylor.  The Chiefs got the #27 overall pick (1st round) and the #70 overall pick (3rd round) from the Browns for the 21st over pick.  But when the Ravens failed to turn in their draft card on time, the Chiefs rushed up and snatched the 26th pick away from them.  The Chiefs then selected 22-year old WR Jonathan Baldwin out of Pittsburgh.  Baldwin is 6’4″, 225 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  Baldwin is a big time playmaker down the field as he has a good size/speed combo.  Baldwin played in 13 games (all starts) for Pitt last year and he caught 53 passes for 822 yards (15.5 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He played three years for the Panthers in which he appeared in 39 games (28 starts) and caught 128 passes for 2,337 yards (18.3 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  Baldwin will be a perfect fit for the Chiefs opposite of Dwayne Bowe.  I really like this pick for the Chiefs.

With free agency in limbo because of the lockout, I look for the Chiefs to concentrate on needs in next weekend’s NFL Draft.  Chiefs’ GM Scott Pioli showed off last April when he added a lot of talent in the draft and I think he will do it once again in 2011.  Here’s who I saw the Chiefs getting in my own mock draft:

1st round (#21 overall) – Tyron Smith, OT, USC

2nd round (#55 overall) – Drake Nevis, DT, LSU

3rd round (#86 overall) – Edward Gates, WR, Abilene Christian

4th round (#118 overall) – Ian Williams, DT, Notre Dame

5th round (#135 overall) – Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma

5th round (#140 overall) – Dwayne Harris, WR, East Carolina

6th round (#199 overall) – Chris White, ILB, Mississippi State

7th round (#223 overall) – Lee Smith, TE, Marshall

This would be a nice haul for the Chiefs as it would address some of the needs on the roster for the 2011 season and beyond.

The Kansas City Chiefs really cleaned up in last April’s NFL Draft.  Here is a look at how their rookies did in their first taste of the NFL in 2010:

Eric Berry – The Chiefs used the #5 overall pick in the NFL Draft on safety Eric Berry out of  Tennessee and he didn’t disappoint.  Berry played in 16 games (all starts) for the Chiefs last year and he had 92 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 9 passes defensed, 4 interceptions (one he returned for a TD, 102 total yards on the returns) and he also forced a fumble.  Berry is going to be an anchor at the back end of the Chiefs’ defense for a long, long time.

Dexter McCluster – The Chiefs used the 36th overall pick (2nd round) on WR/RB Dexter McCluster out of Mississippi.  McCluster played in 11 games (7 starts) for the Chiefs in which he carried the ball 18 times for 71 yards (3.9 ypc) and he caught 21 passes for 209 yards (10.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  McCluster also returned 26 kickoffs for 527 yards (20.3 avg) and 13 punts for 202 yards (15.5 avg) with 1 TD return.  McCluster touched the ball 78 times last season overall for the Chiefs and he got 1,009 all-purpose yards (12.9 yards per touch) with 2 TDs.  He is a gamebreaker despite being really small.

Javier Arenas – The Chiefs picked CB Javier Arenas in the 2nd round (#50 overall pick) out of Alabama.  He played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Chiefs last year and he had 43 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  Arenas was also a force on special teams as he returned 24 kickoffs for 509 yards (21.2 avg) and 39 punts for 322 yards (8.3 avg) last year.  Arenas is a big time player on both D and special teams.

Jon Asamoah – The Chiefs used the 68th overall pick (3rd round) on OG Jon Asamoah out of  Illinois.  He played in 15 games (1 start) for the Chiefs as a rookie.  Asamoah might eventually get into the starting lineup as the Chiefs like what they saw out of him last year.

Tony Moeaki – The Chiefs took TE Tony Moeaki in the 3rd round (#93 overall) out of Iowa.  He was incredible for the Chiefs last year.  He played in 15 games (all starts) for the Chiefs last year and he caught 47 passes for 556 yards (11.8 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Chiefs’ QBs completed 47 of 64 passes (73.4%) to Moeaki last year as he seemed to have really sticky fingers.  The Chiefs got a true steal with Moeaki as he has the potential to develop into a Pro Bowler in the very near future.

Kendrick Lewis – The Chiefs picked safety Kenrick Lewis in the 5th round (#136 overall) out of Mississippi.  Lewis played in 12 games (10 starts) for the Chiefs last year and he had 30 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 3 interceptions and 1 forced fumble.  He has the potential to keep a starting job in the Chiefs’ secondary if he starts doing better defending deep passes as he got burnt a few times last year.

Cameron Sheffield – The Chiefs picked OLB Cameron Sheffield in the 5th round (#142 overall) out of  Troy State.  He suffered a neck injury in August that caused him to miss his entire rookie year.  The Chiefs like Sheffield, so he will likely get another chance to prove himself in 2011.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2010 SEASON:  A

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+