It had appeared all but certain that the Kansas City Chiefs were set to select former Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel with the first-overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Now, with the draft just a few days away, there are rumblings surfacing that the Chiefs could have different plans.
More specifically, the Chiefs could be looking at former Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher over Joeckel. Many believe that Fisher is the better athlete and has more upside, but Joeckel is viewed as the “safe” pick.
Apparently “safe” isn’t in the Chiefs vocabulary.
According to NFL draft expert Tony Pauline:
Sources tell me several position coaches for the Kansas City Chiefs prefer tackle Eric Fisher over Luke Joeckel....
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) April 20, 2013
It would certainly ruin a lot of mock drafts, but fans shouldn’t be too surprised if the Chiefs pull a last minute switcheroo.
There are a number of teams around the league that view Fisher as the player with higher upside, and when two prospects are rated as closely as Joeckel and Fisher, you just need that one small edge. This could be it for Fisher.
We will find out exactly what the Chiefs have in store in just a few days.