Putting together a solid draft, round by round

Tell me that for one brief moment last weekend Bill Kuharich, vice president of player personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs, didn't feel like Leonardo DeCaprio's character in Titanic. You know ... "I'm the king of the world!"

The Chiefs needed a blocking tight end and they got one in Brad Cottam. (US Presswire)

"No," said Kuharich, "because there was a lot of hard work that went on, and I didn't make the picks. Carl (Peterson, the team's president) and Herm (Edwards) did.

"I got all the support from the scouts who helped me line up the board, which was my job. I got the board aligned, made suggestions when asked and let Carl and Herm pick the apples off the tree."

OK, fine, but Kuharich still deserves a curtain call. Because everywhere you turned Monday people were congratulating the Chiefs for one of the best drafts in recent history.

It's not just that they got it right; it's that they aced the exam, with Kuharich & Co. finding value with nearly all of their 12 draft picks.

They started by taking defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. He was the top player on their board. Then they moved up to grab Branden Albert, the top guard in the draft. Cornerback Brandon Flowers was next, followed by star running back Jamaal Charles and DuJuan Morgan -- someone one NFC club ranked as its top safety.

I think you get the idea. This was Home Run Derby, with Kuharich clearing the fence with almost every swing. Hail to the Chiefs. They ran a near-perfect draft, and Kuharich is here to explain how.

First round

Taking Dorsey with the first pick was a no-brainer, but here's my question: What if he hadn't been there? What if Atlanta chose him with the third pick instead of quarterback Matt Ryan? Then what?

"We would've taken a defensive lineman or an offensive tackle," Kuharich said. "I don't want to get into it, but we also would've looked to trade out."

The Chiefs didn't look anywhere after Dorsey fell to them, and why should they? When I spoke to Kuharich months ago, he was drooling over the guy -- lamenting only that he wouldn't be there when the Chiefs picked.

As it turned out, he was.

"We didn't send in the card right away because if somebody got ridiculous we could move back," Kuharich said. "But we wouldn't go beyond 10. So we weren't fielding calls from anybody below New Orleans, and New Orleans called to offer us their first and seventh this year and their first in '09.

"That was an easy 'no.'