(NFL teams are putting into play their off-season plans for improving their rosters for the 2007 season. Coming up in the next editions of Chiefs Skinny, we’ll look at several positions on the Chiefs radar screen. Today it’s defensive tackle. On Wednesday, it will be cornerback.)

Some in charge of building NFL rosters believe a team’s foundation is built on a strong talent base on the offensive and defensive line.

Certainly, the Chiefs under Carl Peterson have worked under that premise, especially on the defensive side of the football. They’ve used plenty of first-day draft choices on defensive linemen, including last year’s first-round draft pick, defensive end Tamba Hali.

But as good as Hali looked as a rookie, and as good as fourth-round choice Jared Allen has played in two seasons at defensive end, the Chiefs have failed miserably when trying to fill the inside positions on the defensive line through the draft.

Using the draft, however, is not the chosen path for all NFL teams. No position in the NFL last year had more starters signed as unrestricted free agents than defensive tackle.

FA-free agent (player released by another team)/UFA-unrestricted free agent/RFA-restricted free agent/CFA-undrafted college free agent/FP-T=franchise or transition player/SUP-Supplemental Draft. The number in ( ) is the spot in that year’s draft where the player was selected. Only left tackles with at least five or more starts are listed in this chart.

There were 69 players that started five games or more at defensive tackle during the 2006 season. Of that group, 20 (29 percent) entered the NFL as first-round draft picks, including 13 in the top half of the round. In total, there were 39 starters (57 percent) were first day picks among the starters (rounds 1 through 3.)

Among the teams that made the playoffs, there were 12 first-day draft choices. But there were also nine starters who were acquired as unrestricted free agents or through a trade. In fact 26 of the 69 defensive tackles (38 percent) joined their team in a trade or as a UFA. There were only five of the 32 teams that had starting DTs they had drafted: Chicago, New England, San Diego, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. Ironically, those five teams are among the more successful in the NFL in recent seasons, including three Super Bowls by the Patriots and one from the Steelers.

Here’s what else the information showed us:

• Among the 69 starters, 63 were entered the league through the NFL Draft, or 91 percent.
• Among those 63 that were drafted, 40 were selected among the top 100 players in their draft year, or 64 percent.
• There were 19 of 32 teams that had at least one starting DT they signed as a UFA. Plus, seven of the teams did not have DT starters that they drafted. That group included the Chiefs and New Orleans, both teams that made the playoffs.

CONCLUSION: If a team wants a winning effort on defense, they need to use first-day draft choices on defensive tackles. If they fail in the draft, then they had better find their tackles in unrestricted free agency.

CHIEFS AT DEFENSIVE TACKLE: over the last 18 years, 17 players have started at the defensive tackle positions, whether in the 4-3 or 3-4 defense.

Since 1989, the Chiefs have used 20 draft picks on defensive linemen, with 14 identified as defensive tackles. Among those tackles, only one could be called a success on the field: John Browning, a third-round choice in 1996, who started in 96 games over his career at all four defensive line positions, with 72 of those coming at defensive tackle. Among those 17 players who started at least one game only seven were home grown products, and that includes Bill Maas who was at the end of his career.

The Chiefs have used seven first-day draft choices on defensive linemen, including last year’s first-round pick Tamba Hali and Browning. None of the other five produced much of anything. That’s forced the Chiefs to be very active in all forms of free agency at the position.

That was a trend even before the Peterson Era began: in the last 30 years, the Chiefs have had only two Pro Bowl appearances by a defensive tackle: Maas in 1986 and Saleaumua in 1995. The Chiefs have not had a first-team Associated Press All-Pro at defensive tackle since the leagues merged in 1970.

The defensive problems the Chiefs started experiencing with the 1998 unit can be traced to a lack of talent and production from the defensive tackle positions.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS TO THE CHIEFS IN 2007: The defense made great improvement last year, elevating itself to the middle of the NFL pack. It’s one of the few times when mediocre was considered good around pro football. But mediocre won’t cut it in 2007 and the biggest hole on the defensive roster is at tackle. The Chiefs desperately need a big body inside that can provide pressure on the quarterback. Ron Edwards and James Reed would make good No. 2 and No. 3 tackles as part of a rotation. Combined, Edwards and Reed have 16.5 sacks in 159 career NFL games. They’ve proven they cannot provide a consistent rush on the passer. They can’t make the next step in improvement without pass rush pressure in the middle of the pocket.

Along with an offensive left tackle, defensive tackle must be at the top of the Chiefs draft wish list, especially on the first day.

Related:
GRETZ: The Personnel Road Part III - Right Tackle
GRETZ: The Personnel Road Part II - Left Tackle
GRETZ: The Personnel Road - Part I