Why not a quarterback?

May 01, 2008, 3:41:00 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ

The most popular second guess about the Chiefs’ generally well-received draft is that they came away without a quarterback.

But even a dozen picks aren’t enough to fill every need after a 4-12 season. The Chiefs also could have used a guard, a center and a blue-chip pass rusher. Put them on next year’s list.

With the Chiefs having so many needs, quarterback had to be a secondary consideration — especially in a draft not projected to produce a bumper crop of quarterbacks.

Matt Ryan, picked third overall by the Falcons, was the only so-called franchise quarterback. After him came Joe Flacco, picked 18th overall by the Ravens. Three quarterbacks were taken in the second and third rounds and eight over the last three rounds.

That’s only 13 draftees at the game’s most important position. Unless there’s another Tom Brady among the late-round picks, this draft appeared short on both quality and quantity at quarterback.

Of the top four passers – Ryan, Flacco, Brian Brohm (Packers) and Chad Henne (Dolphins) – all except Brohm were picked to help new head coaches. The starting spot was vacant in Atlanta and Baltimore. Though the Dolphins drafted quarterback John Beck in the second round a year ago, the Bill Parcells-run regime wanted its own candidate for the job.

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards had mentioned that he saw little point in drafting a quarterback who didn’t promise a much better upside than incumbent Brodie Croyle. A drafted quarterback always generates tremendous buzz, however. In fact, if Croyle were drafted by the Chiefs this past weekend, fans would excitedly be asking how soon he might get on the field.

Even were Ryan available to the Chiefs, it might’ve been counter-productive to draft him before they’ve completely rebuilt the line. Poor protection has ruined many a young passer, and Croyle needs a lot more time in the pocket than he had a year ago to have a fighting chance.

For the Chiefs, drafting another quarterback in the second or third round would’ve been an exercise in duplication. Admittedly, that’s what the Dolphins did and they might argue that the more young quarterbacks you have, the better the chance that one of them will become a star.

The Packers drafted two quarterbacks, even though they have a young starter, Aaron Rodgers. Then again, the Packers kept drafting quarterbacks even when Brett Favre was in his prime.

The Chiefs’ quarterback situation is confused by the difficulty in evaluating Croyle’s 2007 performance. He went 0-6 as a starter but there were a lot of asterisks. He made his debut as a starter despite a leaky line, the absence of Pro Bowl runner Larry Johnson, consistently poor field position and unimaginative play calling.

With these problems fixed, Croyle might well prove himself the right man for the job. If they’re not fixed, it’s hard to imagine even a first-round draft choice could have a decent chance to succeed. But because this is Croyle’s third year, he’ll be squarely on the spot, no matter what kind of support he gets from his surrounding cast.

Chiefs decision makers won’t have to agonize over whether to draft a quarterback in 2009. Croyle will make that decision for them months before then.

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

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A former sportswriter and columnist in Kansas City and Miami, Rand has covered the NFL for three decades and seen 23 Super Bowl games. His column appears twice weekly in-season.