Experts and analysts seem to all concur that Curry is a special talent.  Earlier this week we talked about how former Chiefs coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards feels about Curry.  But the most heaping praise comes from Scouts Inc.’s Todd McShay:

“The safest pick in the draft…  It’s hard to find any glaring weaknesses… A leader.”

McShay also compares Curry to San Francisco’s Patrick Willis and Tennessee’s Keith Bullock.

Curry will be drafted somewhere in the top 10 and most likely in the top five.  But the Chiefs might have a need too pressing to select an outside linebacker, no matter how perfect he appears to be.

Despite most mock drafts still predicting the Chiefs to select Aaron Curry, there seems to be a growing feeling that the pick will either be OT Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe.  Even after Herm tried to turn me off of Curry, to this point I still think he would be the best player any team could take this year.  That said, it’s hard to argue with having bookend tackles for the next decade.

The scenarios for the Chiefs this weekend are still pouring in and last night I broke down what their options are on the heels of Matthew Stafford set to sign with the Lions.  This morning Bob Gretz is talking about the obstacles facing Scott Pioli as he tries to trade out of the No. 3 slot and get picks in return for Tony Gonzalez.

The next 48 hours will decide of Pioli can pull off a deal or two and add more picks by giving up the third selection and Gonzalez.  Pioli has deal-making in his blood.  He was part of it so many times with the Patriots.  They approached draft day trades on two avenues.  If their targeted player was still available, they wanted to make sure they got him and would trade up.  If there wasn’t a player on their list still available at their pick, they would trade down.

Of course, we know nothing for sure on how Pioli views the prospects in this draft or the possibility of trading out of the pick.  The same goes with the Gonzalez situation and whether or not he will deal the veteran tight end who wants to be elsewhere.

One man’s prediction: he gets stuck with the third pick, but does work out a deal for Gonzalez.

The factors that go into trading their top pick and Gonzalez seem to change daily and I have to imagine they will continue that way right up to when the Chiefs are on the clock.  As it stands right this minute, I’m thinking Pioli will find a way to move back with a team that wants a shot at Mark Sanchez and hold onto Gonzalez.  Clearly I’m biased, but an aging TG is worth at least as much as a young Kellen Winslow who has yet to prove anything in this league and he fetched a second round pick for the Browns.  If the best deal for Gonzalez is a third rounder than I cannot see Pioli pulling the trigger.

On Tuesday, the Chiefs put OT Andrew Carnahan on waivers.  Yesterday he was claimed by the the New York Giants, who will bring him into camp to battle for a backup job along their line.  Carnahan was in town for the Chiefs mini-camp last weekend but did not appear in any games last season.

I didn’t think twice about any of the three players Kansas City cut loose Tuesday, but seeing a team like the Giants pick him up is making me reconsider.  It’s one thing when a guy like Will Franklin is claimed by one of only a handful of teams that was worse than the Chiefs last season.  But to see the Giants, a team with a fantastic offensive line, give him a look you have to think he is better than camp fodder.  Some might argue that’s all he’ll be with the Giants, but if that were the case why wouldn’t they just wait to see if he cleared waivers and then took a flier on him via free agency?  It’s not as if he would have passed on the chance to catch on with the G-Men.  New York clearly sees potential in Carnahan.

Former Chiefs kicker Justin Medlock, who recently signed with the Toronto Argonauts, is so impressive in camp he may take the job of former NFL kicker Mike Vanderjagt according to the Toronto Sun.

The club is high on kicker/punter Justin Medlock after impressing team officials at a free agent camp earlier this month in Florida.  And it’s just as clear that if Vanderjagt holds onto his job, the Argos want more bang for their buck, says GM Adam Rita:

“If Mike is the guy, so be it.  But we want a better performance out of our kicker. We’re not going to hand him the job. We need more consistency.  We hope that when we come out of this, after training camp, that we have a very competitive kicker (whether it’s Vanderjagt or Medlock).”

Medlock was a fifth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007 and won the No. 1 role in his first NFL camp. But after making just one of two field goals in Week 1, Medlock was released. He signed with the St. Louis Rams in February 2008 but was a final cut at camp.

“I know I can do the job,” Medlock said yesterday from Texas, where he was caddying for girlfriend Hannah Jun as she prepared for the Historic Brownsville Open on the LPGA Futures Tour. “I’ve competed against a lot of guys at the NFL (level) so I would not be nervous (going head-to-head with Vanderjagt).”

I’m not sure who I’m more surprised found work, Medlock or Vanderjagt.  I will warn Toronto though, he may have looked good in a workout, but once he gets into a game he’ll act like he’s kicking a 50 lb. ball.  Not that I expected to know a whole lot about the personal life of Justin Medlock, but I feel like I should have known that his wife is a potential LPGA pro.

Lions GM Martin Mayhew said the team hoped to have a contract completed for the top selection before the draft started.  Detroit officials have been negotiating with Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, who not only represent Stafford but also Baylor OT Jason Smith.  Smith is believed to be an option for the Lions should a deal with Stafford not materialize.

Should Stafford and the Lions agree, the QB is expected to work behind Daunte Culpepper, who impressed coaches at a recent mini-camp.

The Rams hold the No. 2 pick and if Stafford’s deal is completed before the draft, all eyes would then move to St. Louis.  It is believed the Rams would select Smith or Virginia OT Eugene Monroe, but team officials said they like what they have seen from Alex Barron, whom they moved to left tackle and they could take LB Aaron Curry or QB Mark Sanchez.

Earlier today,Tom Kowalski at MLive.com reported the Lions completed a contract with Curry while they waited to see if an agreement could be reached with Stafford, their No. 1 target.  The Lions, per a source, would give Stafford until Friday and then if he still isn’t signed they would officially go with Curry.

Lots going on with Detroit today.  If the Chiefs want to trade out of the No. 3 spot the best thing that could happen would be Curry being taken by the Lions and Smith by the Rams.  Any team looking for a quarterback could trade up with Kansas City and have their choice of quarterback instead of waiting for No. 5 and whoever the Seahawks don’t take.  If Stafford, as expected, goes to the Lions and the Chiefs keep their top pick then the Rams would virtually decide who they would take.  They would go with Curry if the Rams pass on him or Smith if St. Louis decides to go defense.

McShay will update his mock one more time on the eve of Draft Day and it is available to view in full to all ESPN Insiders.

With the third pick in the first round the Chiefs are still projected to select Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry.  If they decide to go in a different direction it will likely be OT Eugene Monroe from Virginia.

In the second round, the New England Patriots are slated to pick UConn CB Darius Butler with the selection acquired from the Chiefs for Matt Cassel.

According to McShay, Kansas City will make Oklahoma Safety Lendy Holmes Mr. Irrelevant.

I’ve been pretty clear that I want the Chiefs to take Curry, but after Herm Edwards’ endorsement I’m starting to rethink that stance.  I really like Butler and would love to see him end up in Kansas City if Scott Pioli can pick up an extra pick in the first or second round.  Holmes, from a big time program like Oklahoma, would have a great chance to make the roster.  If you aren’t an ESPN Insider, I highly recommend it even if it’s just for McShay’s mocks.

“The linebacker is a good pick for them.  An offensive lineman is a good pick for them, the kid from Virginia (Eugene Monroe).  The kid from Texas (Brian Orakpo) is kind of a unique guy, too.  But if the linebacker is sitting there, he is a good player now.  He comes in and plays.  He’s going to play right away.  He’s a heck of a football player.”

Well, I think I’m officially sick to my stomach.  Not just because Herm thinks the Chiefs should pick the player I’ve been leading the bandwagon for, but that the man stole my description of Curry virtually word for word from the first episode of the Red & Gold Report (Around the 10:15 mark).  Herm and I have been on different pages from his first day in Kansas City and now he’s stealing my material?  I’m pretty sure the world is coming to an end.  Now I’m off to go and find another player for the Chiefs to draft…

So far during his time in Kansas City, Cassel is at Chiefs team headquarters every weekday morning at 7:30 so he can train with the first group of players going through the team’s offseason program.  Cassel has shown his understanding that his off-field behavior at this time of year is just as critical as what happens in practice.  During this weekend’s mini-camp, Cassel has sounded like someone ready to make this team his own:

“You need to show [your leadership] by example instead of by what you say.  Once you do that, then you can open your mouth a little more.”

It’s nice to see that Cassel gets it. That attitude will serve him well as the Chiefs try to change the culture of a team that has won just six of its past 32 games.  You can also see he understands how he needs to act when he shook reporters’ hands and introduced himself at his first news conference with the local media.  He wants to make a strong impression.  he wants people to know what he’s about.  Just as in the locker room, Cassel sees the benefits in letting people see he’s simply a laid-back, outgoing native Californian who’s trying to help his team win games.

Someone sure doesn’t sound like a guy competing to be the starting quarterback.  I’m sure Todd Haley was genuine when he told Tyler Thigpen, and the rest of the team, that every position was open but Cassel sure is playing the part of starting quarterback pretty well right now.

We have heard plenty from Michael Lombardi at the Football Post regarding Tony Gonzalez and his potential trade to the Atlanta Falcons.  Today he is reporting the Chiefs have a new player targeted for draft day.

The word around the league is Kansas City is in love with DE Tyson Jackson of LSU and see him as another Richard Seymour.

I can buy that the Chiefs want to go with someone other than Aaron Curry, but I don’t see how Jackson can be that guy.  If they go defense and it has to be a pass rusher, then Jackson would be a poor choice as he doesn’t have the closing speed a top line rusher needs.  That’s not to say he wouldn’t be a welcome addition to the defense, but I don’t understand how he would be a better pick than Curry.

‘Tis the season to mock!  To try and figure out who the Chiefs will select with the third pick, Joe Posnanski scoured through 200 mock drafts.  What do those mocks tell us?

Aaron Curry of Wake Forest will probably be the pick.  73% of the mocks predict the Chiefs will select Curry.  He is far and away the consensus choice of the mockers.  If it isn’t Curry, 9% of the mockers think the pick will be Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo.

Talk about an interesting read.  We all know most mock drafts aren’t worth the web space they occupy, but I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to reading as many as I can.  Posnanski makes a great point that nobody gets the picks right, but the fun of the process is playing the guessing game.  I’ve been guessing almost since day 1 that Aaron Curry would be the pick, but that doesn’t stop me from moving the pieces around every day to see who might fit in with the Chiefs.  Add in the trade possibilities that are being floated out there and putting together an accurate mock draft is harder than picking a perfect NCAA bracket.

Todd Haley and the Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their first mini-camp today with another indoor practice session, reports Bob Gretz.

There were 64 players on the field for the workout with Tony Gonzalez, Brian Waters and Mike Vrabel all missing.  Haley said the players were interested in doing things the way they want them to do it:

“That’s one of the criteria for being on this team, you are going to have to do it the way you are coached to do it.  They are listening and paying attention and doing it the way we are talking about…We have a long ways to go.”

Haley also stressed that this mini-camp was about teaching and not so much about player evaluation:

“There’s no pads so there is only so much that you can see.  I told the players you are not going to make the team this weekend. You have a better chance of making the team lifting and running the way we want it done.”

I wondered a couple days ago if Haley and Scott Pioli might make an example out of a player that decided to skip this mini-camp even though it was voluntary.  Haley seemed to be convincing when he said the players not in attendence were good about letting him know why they wouldn’t be able to make it.  That said, I wish everyone would have been around this weekend, including Gonzalez, Waters and Vrabel.  I understand some players prefer to work out on there own and I don’t have any problem with that under normal circumstances but with new coaches putting in new schemes on both sides of the ball, players should make sure they are at every mini-camp and conditioning program.

Lions president Tom Lewand has met or is expected to meet with agents of other top prospects, including Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford and Baylor tackle Jason Smith.  Leward met Curry’s agent, Andy Ross, at the Lions’ practice facility as they watched most of the morning mini-camp workout from the sideline.

While there is speculation the Lions have agreed to draft Stafford, that doesn’t appear to be true.  Stafford said during an interview on the NFL Network on Friday that his situation with the Lions is “wide open”.

Detroit has made it clear they want the No. 1 pick to be signed prior to the beginning of the draft.

With the amount of Chiefs fans that are anti-Curry, I can’t even imagine what Lions fans are saying today.  I think Curry is the best player available so for me he would be the best choice for Detroit, but Stafford is clearly the sexier pick for the fan base.  And even with the Lions covering their bases by meeting with all of the top players available, I still fully expect to see Stafford be the pick for Detroit.  But if Curry does go first overall, then the Chiefs will have teams lining up for their selection as both Stafford and Mark Sanchez of USC could be on the board depending on who the Rams take at No. 2.  So while I like Curry and would love to see him end up in Kansas City, it would be most beneficial to the Chiefs draft plans if he were selected by Detroit.

The teams at the top of the draft are going to be paying big money for players that are not viewed as worthy of that kind of cash.  While teams have spoken highly of Curry, quarterback Matt Stafford of Georgia, tackles Eugene Monroe of Virginia and Jason Smith of Baylor they have also agreed there were unanswered questions about each one.

History also is not in the Chiefs favor when it comes to trading top 10 picks.  Just once in the past 9 drafts has there been a trade for the #3 picks.  That was in the 2000 draft when the 49ers send that pick to the Redskins for the 12th and 24th selections.  Over that same time period there have only been six trades in the top five of the draft and three of those transactions were in 2000.  Only once in the last seven drafts has a top five pick been moved.

The one factor that could work in the Chiefs favor would be a surprise or two ahead of them.  If the Lions and Rams happen to both pass on Stafford that would make the #3 pick much much more valuable.  Teams looking for a quarterback would be much more willing to offer Kansas City an appealing package for their pick.

All in all some great info from Bob Gretz, who continues to deliver day in and day out. I’ve felt more and more over that past week that the Chiefs would trade back in the first round.  But Gretz puts a very convincing argument together here on what I shouldn’t expect it to happen.  Not only does history support the idea that top picks are not moved, but this is a world the NFL has never had to operate in before with businesses (including most franchises) taking extra precautions when committing to big time money.  So while I think Scott Pioli would like to move his top pick, it does not look like it will be an easy task.  I do still believe the Chiefs will find their way into the second half of the first round and/or front end of the second.

Mock drafts are seemingly everywhere these days and the folks as the Red Zone Blog are no different.  With the third pick in the NFL draft the Kansas City Chiefs select: OT Jason Smith from Baylor.

Scott Pioli wants to build with big, fast and smart players.  Smith, a converted tight end, is all three, and together with Branden Albert, can give the Chiefs bookend tackles.

If the Chiefs keep the third pick, Curry is the guy I want.  But it will be hard to argue with Smith or Monroe because all of a sudden a notortiously weak unit will start shaping up as one of the best young units in the league.  Some have suggested you do not select a RT with a pick this high, but to me — just like with Curry — you bring in the best talent available and I would love for the Chiefs to finally have two solid offensive tackles again.

There have been 34 linebackers drafted in the top five selections of the NFL draft and there is a good chance Curry will be number 35.   Chris at Arrowhead Pride crunches the numbers for all 34 of those players.

Just some amazing numbers for every Chiefs fan to pour over this weekend.  And while I looked over the various names, the one that jumped out to me was Carl Banks.  The anti-Curry crowd is unwilling to take a player in the top 3 if he is not known as a pass rusher, but if Aaron Curry can be a Carl Banks-type player I’ll be happy.  Banks “only” had 39.5 sacks in his career but was a major part of two Super Bowl champion teams for the New York Giants.  He was also named to the NFL’s 1980′s All-Decade Team.  Everyone — myself included — wants the next Derrick Thomas or Lawrence Taylor but why is getting a Carl Banks such a disaster?

If the Chiefs refuse to draft Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech or Brian Orakpo of Texas then the Chiefs should “pull a Minnesota” and let other teams leapfrog them on draft day.  It just is not worth it to invest all that money on Curry, who was not used to rush the passer at Wake Forest.  Even though next season is uncapped, it will still be for the Chiefs because Clark Hunt’s pockets aren’t that deep meaning getting value now is that much more important.

I love the enthusiasm but Adam and I are on opposite sides of the “draft for need” arguement.  I just want the best player available  and believe that will end up being Aaron Curry if the Chiefs stay at #3.  While I know he’s trying to make a point, the Chiefs are done being a laughingstock and thus will not let any team jump ahead of them on draft day.  If we were talking Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards I might put the possibility at 1%, but I won’t even joke about it with Pioli and Todd Haley.  If the NFL ends up playing any season uncapped, I think the Chiefs will be able to spend plenty of money this season and beyond.  Certainly not Daniel Snyder type of cash, but I’ve seen no indication that the Hunt family is all of a sudden hurting financially.  I don’t think the league will actually ever get to an uncapped year, but that’s a different discussion for a different day.

Speaking of Curry, with talk of the Chiefs possibly trading down there is a discussion at Mile High Report about the Broncos  being the trade partner so they can grab Curry.

Interesting… This is the first time I’ve seen anything about the Broncos trading up without Mark Sanchez’s name attached.  There are a lot of fans on both side of this rivalry that would not deal with the Broncos, but if the Chiefs can pick up two picks in the first round and anohter in the later rounds I would sign on for that right now.  If it helps Kansas City heal the wounds from the past few seasons, does it matter where that help comes from?

And finally today, a moving article from Joe Posnanski on the Nick Adenhart tragedy and how it stirred up memories of other athletes that died young including the great Derrick Thomas.

Just an awful, awful story.  It’s sad anytime a person dies young, but when it’s the result of some idiot drunk driver the tragedy hits that much harder.  For more information on helping prevent drunk driving, visit MADD.

There has been a general consensus that Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry was the Chiefs choice because he was the safe pick.  Nawrocki is now hearing the Chiefs will be in the big-man sweepstakes so the team can protect new quarterback Matt Cassel.

If the Lions take Stafford that means the Chiefs will be guaranteed either Smith or Monroe.  With Monroe there is a connection to both Scott Pioli and Todd Haley as he played for Al Groh who worked with Pioli and Haley in New York with the Jets.  Monroe could play right tackle with former Virginia teammate Branden Albert staying at left tackle and current Chiefs right tackle Damion McIntosh moving inside to guard.

This could be the first time I’ve heard a legitimate arguement for the Chiefs to take one of the top tackles at #3.  Other than Curry the only other guy that has been connected to the team was Brian Orakpo of Texas.  I’ve been pretty clear that if the player is at the top of the draft board, take him.  But with Albert already set at the most important slot on the offensive line I can’t imagine one of the tackles will be ranked higher than both Curry and Orakpo.  It does feel good though to have so much mystery around the Chiefs going into the draft.  I can’t ever remember Carl Peterson drawing this kind of intrigue.

I’m starting to lose count of the players projected to go in the first round but outside the top 10 that the Chiefs have had in for a workout or interview.  As we’ve talked about before, every General Manager has to cover all of his/her bases and there is every possibility that is all that’s going on here.  Especially since you can only watch the top 5 guys on your draft board workout so many times.  As the draft gets closer my belief that the #3 pick will be moved gets stronger.

Even though Larry Johnson’s agent has said he wants to play for the Chiefs and Todd Haley insists everyone has a clean slate there is still an assumption around the league that the running back will be released.  Clearly, many people are asking why the Chiefs don’t trade LJ to get something in return instead of releasing him and having nothing to show.  But Adam Teicher wonders if Johnson has any trade value at this point.

If he had any value at all of course Kansas City would rather grab an extra pick in the upcoming draft.  There just are so many factors working against Johnson, not the least of which is his age (30 in November) or the wear and tear already on his body.  Not to mention he does not block or catch the ball out of the backfield well.  There is also a big suspension waiting for Johnson if he gets in trouble with the law again.   That doesn’t add up to much trade value.

If I’m Scott Pioli and someone offers me a 7th round pick and some new water bottles for training camp I am personally driving LJ to the airport.  And if you are unable to get value, then release him as soon as possible.  Not just for all the reasons Teicher covered, but I don’t want to give Larry Johnson any more opportunities to taint the young players on this team.

The Chiefs are generally believed to be targeting LB Aaron Curry if they keep the #3 pick, but Carlos Holmes at the Dayton Daily News is hearing another name has emerged and it’s DE Brian Orakpo of Texas.  Just like people in the media feel Kansas City is eyeing Curry, the same has been said about the Cleveland Browns and Orakpo.  But league sources are now saying Orakpo might be in play at #3.  Especially with new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast coming away from Orakpo’s April 1st visit very impressed.

Even though I continue to drive the Aaron Curry bandwagon, I think Orakpo would be a good fit here.  The only thing I really worry about is his durability.  Orakpo has been injured the past two seasons and strained his hamstring at the combine.  He’s a big guy that has always bounced back, so I don’t think he’ll be Brodie Croyle frail but it’s something to be concerned about all the same.