24 April 2005

A Insider Look | Chiefs 2005 Draft

Here's the Insider breakdown of the Chiefs' first 2 draft picks (Day 1) in 2005:

Derrick Johnson LB Texas
OLB (6'3", 242, 4.54) TEXAS
Scouts Grade: 96
Round 1 - Pick 15 (15)

Strengths: Was one of the most active and productive linebackers in college football the last three seasons. Plays with a terrific motor and has outstanding athletic ability. Is fluid and fast. Can cover loads of territory if protected and given room to roam. He does a nice job of reading his keys, locating the ball carrier and taking the shortest path to the ball. Is on the taller side and he has a lean frame, but was able to add some bulk without losing mobility as a senior. Is a very reliable tackler. Tackles low, breaks down in space and also does a nice job of breaking down and wrapping up in the open field. Has outstanding potential in the passing game in the NFL. Has terrific speed and closing burst as an edge rusher. Is tall, has a wide wingspan and is extremely fluid in coverage. Has excellent range in zone coverage and can matchup one-on-one with most backs out of the backfield. Has terrific instincts in coverage. Also is a playmaker with excellent ball skills.

Weaknesses: Bulked up as a senior but doesn't play like a 242-pound LB. Much better fit at WLB than ILB. Has most trouble when teams run at him. He is cut a little bit high and tends to let blockers get into his body too much. Has improved technique but still can get better in terms of using his hands to get through traffic. Also needs to be more consistent with leverage at the POA. Will get engulfed too easily when bigger blockers reach him and must improve his ability to take on blocker in the phone booth. Not an explosive tackler. Got bigger as a senior but still lacks explosive upper body power.
Overall: Johnson played every game as a true freshman in 2001 and started two at outside linebacker. He was a fulltime starting outside linebacker for the Longhorns from his sophomore season in 2002 through his senior season in 2004. As a junior in 2003, Johnson led the Longhorns with 129 total tackles, including 29 TFL, two sacks and four INT's. He finished his senior season in 2004 with 130 tackles, 19 TFL, two sacks and one INT. Johnson has experience playing inside and outside linebacker but is an outside linebacker prospect that will best fit on the "weakside" in the NFL. He is a tall, somewhat lean, active, aggressive, athletic and fast linebacker with tremendous NFL potential. Johnson made an unexpected but wise decision to return for his senior season in 2004 and he became an even more complete player over the course of the last year, particularly in terms of his size, technique and consistency. Johnson still needs to improve his strength at the point of attack and his ability to take on blockers. However, Johnson is the best linebacker prospect in the 2005 draft class and he might be the best overall defensive player, which is why he projects as a sure-fire top-10 selection.
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Dustin Colquitt
PT (6'2", 211, 4.9) TENNESSEE
Scouts Grade: 67
Round 3 - Pick 35 (99)
Overall: Colquitt redshirted in 2000 and has been the Vols fulltime starting punter since 2001. He was a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2002 and 2003 and he finished sixth in the nation with a 45.3 yard per punt average in 2003. Colquitt averaged 40.8 yards per punt and he placed 17 of his 26 punts inside the opponent's 20-yardline in 2004. He was also a semi-finalist for the Ray Guy Award.
Colquitt is hands down the best all-around punter in this class. He has good size, excellent leg strength, an impressive understanding of angles and placement, and he has very good control of his punts. He gets great hang-time and he's as good as we've seen at the college level when it comes to placing punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Colquitt should be the first punter taken and he could come off the board as high as the third round.

* All Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.
Originally posted 11:15 pm April 23, 2005
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