We were stuck there at Pick No. 29 in this year's draft, and what little I've seen it's all, "Will that guy still be there? With this other guy still be there?" Veach has done his due diligence with free agency, picking up critical components of a revamped defense so he's free to take the best player available. Awesome stuff.
Well, today, two days before the first day of the draft, Veach went ahead and snatched the best player available. He traded that No. 1 pick and next year's No. 2 to the Seahawks for standout defensive end Frank Clark.
One of the reasons people have criticized the move is that Clark has a history. Oh wow, is this touchy, what with the Kareem Hunt affair and the still unresolved Tyreek Hill situation. There is so much to all of this, but here's how I look at it.
I look at what Al Davis did. Yes, the reviled Oakland Raiders Al Davis. I'm not even saying any of these Chiefs players are bad in some way, simply because I don't know them -- I'm only hearing it from others. But when Al Davis was in his prime, you know, late 70s, early 80s, he found diamonds in the rough who were, well, very rough. Many Raiders players had reputations, and not as choir boys.
But they were the fiercest competitors who played for a team that embraced them.
And they won three Super Bowls from 1976 to 1983.
I'm all for the Chiefs organization being so respected from top to bottom that supposed rebels can find home and family here. I'm thrilled like crazy to see Brett Veach doing the Al Davis thing, welcoming these guys into the glory of a fine organization and sharing with them how meaningful Kingdom pride is.
I know many are worried we're not going to get that first-round cornerback we need. Eh. I kind of like what we've got in Kendall Fuller, Bashaud Breeland, and Charvarius Ward. We've been retooling that front four to mold new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's 4-3 and make those D-backs' jobs a bit easier.
Not to mention, please, let's give our new kids, now with some fine experience under their belts, a chance to shine. Derrick Nnadi worked his way into a starter last year. Armani Watts was playing somewhat regularly before he was hurt. Dorian O'Daniel showed amazing skill on a number of stops. And nothing has shown that Breeland Speaks can't continue to improve and ultimately be a real gamer.
It was imperative this off-season that Veach do some major, and we all know, major retooling -- this defense will look nothing like it did last year.
The Frank Clark acquisition means yet another extended preview post for a team that Brett Veach at least believes can win it all this year. It is all extraordinarily fun right now, that is for sure.
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