Kansas City Chiefs ‘Fascinated’ With Geno Smith
By Josh Sanchez
The Kansas City Chiefs have a big decision on their hands with the first-overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The pick can make or break a franchise and missing on the top pick often sets teams back a number of years. Kansas City has already been on a roll this offseason with their new regime, so you know they are looking at this pick and will make sure they maximize the value.
Kansas City has already been linked to offensive tackles Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher, along with defensive linemen Sharrif Floyd and Dion Jordan, but now there is growing buzz that West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith is valued by the team despite spending multiple second-round picks on Alex Smith.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said less than a week ago that the team wasn’t ruling out drafting Geno Smith with the first pick and now another report about their interest in the signal-caller has surfaced.
Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network:
Word from #Chiefs scouts: They're fascinated by Geno Smith, comparing him to a young McNabb. They love how he throws. Need to study deeper
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 27, 2013
If there is genuine interest in Smith, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
Geno could sit behind Alex and learn the ropes of the NFL while the team builds talent around him. Once the team was ready for a run, Geno would be expected to take over the reigns and lead the team forward. Of course, that would be unfortunate for Alex Smith who has already been replaced by a young quarterback once.
While there is a chance the interest and intrigue in Geno Smith is legitimate, it could just as easily be a smokescreen from the team in hopes that they can get someone to trade up for the first pick.
A number of teams in the top ten have publicly expressed their interest in Geno Smith, so if they know the team at No. 1 is also interested, they could try to work out a deal.
The other option is Kansas City could select Geno Smith first overall and then shop him for a boatload of picks to the highest bidder. Either way, the Chiefs have options and draft season is officially starting to get interesting.
Chiefs fans are split on the direction to go with this pick and the organization is exploring all options. It will be interesting to see the verdict they reach when they are officially on the clock just under a month from now.