Not a single wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs managed to catch a touchdown pass this past season. Let that sink in for a second.
If anyone can use an upgrade at the position, it's the Chiefs. And if there is any team out there willing to take a risk on a talented player with question marks, it's the Chiefs again. That's why ESPN NFL Insider Mel Kiper Jr. projected Kansas City to select Oklahoma wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham with the No. 18 pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
"The physical book on Green-Beckham is a good read: He's got great length and can take the top off the secondary as a straight-line runner but also creates an impressive amount of space with quickness on short routes," Kiper wrote. "He's a red zone fear-factor player because he can just go up higher than anybody on the field to get the ball.
"The off-field book, however, is a major question. He was booted from on program because of off-field transgressions, and he'll have no fun with the interview process as teams get answers about his past and maturity. But talent like this is hard to pass on."
Green-Beckham caught 59 passes for 883 yards and 12 touchdowns during the 2013 season at Missouri. He did not play in 2014 after transferring to Oklahoma. Considering Andy Reid's pass-happy offenses, it's more than likely that the Chiefs will do everything they can to bring in more talent for 2015. Quarterback Alex Smith has been incredibly solid over the last few seasons but he also needs playmakers around him to succeed.
It wouldn't be out of the question for Reid to look through the free agent options for help as well. The team has other needs elsewhere on the roster and may want to reserve their top pick for those other holes.
"If the Chiefs address those (WR and left guard) with veterans in free agency, which might be the best option, given coach Andy Reid's complicated playbook, that would allow general manager John Dorsey to take the best player at a position of need," Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star wrote.
"Lanky Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes could be tempting, particularly with veteran Sean Smith set to hit free agency in a year, but inside linebacker is a bigger need right now, particularly if they fail to address it in free agency."
