NEW YORK -- Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and the Kansas City Chiefs got lucky with the choice of LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
Dorsey was the top-rated player on their board and was at or near the top of boards across the NFL. There was no way he was supposed to get to the Chiefs at the fifth position, but he did.
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| After the tears flow, Glenn Dorsey says he's 'thankful and grateful for the opportunity.' (US Presswire) |
The Falcons needed a defensive tackle, but they needed a quarterback, too, and they passed on Dorsey to take Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan in the first surprise of Saturday's NFL Draft.
Ryan reportedly was the choice of Atlanta owner Arthur Blank, and he makes sense as the new face of the franchise. Ryan is bright. He's articulate. And he doesn't own pit bulls.
He's also a solid quarterback the Falcons think can be a franchise player, and that's a good reason to take the guy. But how do you pass on Dorsey? Especially with the holes the Falcons have at defensive tackle?
Kansas City doesn't care. The Chiefs were locked on to Dorsey months ago but never thought they had a shot at the guy. In fact, when I ran into someone with the organization following the February combine he lamented being left in "no-man's land" with the loss of a coin toss involving Oakland and Atlanta -- both of whom were tied with Kansas City at 4-12.
So how do you like the view now?
"When my name was called," said Dorsey, "I told myself I'm not going to cry. But, of course, you get the tears start coming and you can't control that. So I'm just thankful and grateful of the opportunity."
Imagine how the Chiefs felt.
They were so sold on Dorsey they rebuffed efforts by New Orleans to trade into the position.Once Oakland picked Darren McFadden at the fourth spot, the Chiefs' strategy was clear: Take the top player on the board.
"I feel like the best player," said Dorsey. "Just like everybody else feels they're the best player, you know what I mean? That's just the way it happens. I didn't come in with any expectations.
"I know the draft. It's tricky. Nobody can come out and predict it unless they've heard from the teams themselves. So I try to come out and stay even keeled. Like I said: I'm just thankful and grateful for the opportunity."
But let's not stop there.
Kansas City fell into one of the most coveted offensive lineman in the draft when it traded up to gain Virginia's Branden Albert, a guy who can play guard or tackle. I figured Albert would be gone by the 17th pick, which is where the Chiefs originally slated, and so did Kansas City.
But the Chiefs couldn't have had an idea that Detroit coveted Boston College's Gosder Cherilus more than Albert. Not until they called Saturday.
That's when the Chiefs moved, and good for them. They gained the first player on their board and one of the top offensive linemen on everyone's boards, and tell me that's not how you start rebuilding.
I don't care that they were lucky. I just care that they got better. A lot better.
