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+

Tight end has been a black hole for the Chiefs since they traded Tony Gonzalez to the Falcons.  They might have finally found a solid player to fill the shoes of the best TE in team history in rookie Tony Moeaki.  Moeaki was a 3rd round pick out of Iowa last April and he has provided Matt Cassel with a nice big target (6’3″, 252 pounds) with a good set of hands.  Moeaki has played in all three of the Chiefs games so far this year and he has caught 12 passes for 123 yards (10.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Chiefs might have a steal on their hands as Moeaki has been pretty impressive so far this year.

CB Javier Arenas and RB/WR Dexter McCluster really provided a jolt on the special teams in the win Monday Night over the Chargers.  Arenas returned 3 kickoffs for 59 yards (19.7 avg) and 2 punts for 60 yards (30.0 avg) against the Chargers.  As good as Arenas was though, McCluster made a bigger impact.  He returned 3 kickoffs for 100 yards (33.3 avg) including one return that went for the 94-yard TD.  The rookies are looking like they are going to make a huge impact for the Chiefs this year.

The Chiefs picked OLB Cameron Sheffield out of Troy with the 142nd overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Sheffield is a big guy at 6’2″, 256 pounds and he can run a 4.8 40 so he is likely a good enough athlete to convert into a OLB as he played DE in college.  Sheffield played in 13 games (all starts) at Troy last season and he had 66 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks and he broke up 6 passes.  He played in 47 games (37 starts) in his four years in college and he had 163 tackles, 28.5 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks, he broke up 13 passes and he had 1 interception.  Sheffield will need coached up by Romeo Crennel but he has the talent to help out down the road for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have picked safety Kendrick Lewis out of Mississippi with the 136th overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Lewis is a so-so athlete at 5’11″, 195 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Lewis is a converted WR who is still learning how to play safety.  Lewis can probably handle either safety spot but he’s probably more equipped to play strong safety because pass defense is not his strong suit right now.  Lewis played in 13 games (all starts) at Mississippi  last season and he finished up with 84 tackles, he has broke up 10 passes, has 2 interceptions and he has forced 3 fumbles.  Lewis played in 44 games (33 starts) in his four years at Mississippi and he finished up with 226 tackles, he broke up 18 passes, he had 6 interceptions, forced 4 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  Lewis will likely help the Chiefs most on special teams as a rookie.

The Chiefs have picked TE Tony Moeaki out of Iowa with the 93rd overall pick of the NFL Draft (3rd round).  He is a nice target at 6’3″, 247 pounds and he has a good set of hands.  His pass catching is his lone asset though as he is not much of a blocker in the running game.  Moeaki played in 10 games (all starts) for the Hawkeyes last season and he caught 26 passes for 302 yards (11.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He played in 48 games (15 starts) at Iowa in which he caught 72 passes for 838 yards (11.6 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  Moeaki is a injury prone player as he has never played every game in a season in college.  I think the Chiefs reached a bit for Moeaki but he fills a big need.

The Kansas City Chiefs have picked OG Jon Asamoah with the 68th pick overall (3rd round) of the NFL Draft.  Asamoah is a big guy at 6’4″, 300 pounds and he has the potential to add some weight to his frame.  He played in 12 games (all starts) at Illinois and he played in 42 games (37 starts) in his four years there.  Asamoah has no real weaknesses as he is a strong run and pass blocker.  He could also play center if the need arises for the Chiefs.  The Chiefs were lucky that Asamoah fell to them in the 3rd round and he could be a starting guard for them as early as this September.  This was another solid pick for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have selected CB Javier Arenas with the 50th overall pick (2nd round) of the NFL Draft.  Arenas is small at 5’9″, 192 pounds and he’s not the fastest player around running a 4.59 40.  But, he’s football fast and he really is solid in run support.  Arenas played in 13 games (all starts) for Alabama in which he finished with 71 tackles, he broke up 5 passes and he had 5 interceptions.  He played in 52 games (28 starts) in his four year career with the Crimson Tide he finished up with 154 tackles, he broke up 13 passes and he has six interceptions.  Arenas has seven career returns for TDs on special teams so he will help the Chiefs out in that facet of the game too.  Arenas is a good football player who will help the Chiefs’ secondary and special teams from day #1.