2017 NFL Draft KC Chiefs Scouting Report: C.J. Beathard
The 2017 NFL Draft is on the horizon and it won’t be shocking if the KC Chiefs go after a quarterback early on. The Chiefs tend to be a team that grabs one later in the draft though, and if they do that, C.J. Beathard is an option for them.
Over the last ten years, the Kansas City Chiefs have only grabbed a quarterback in the first three rounds once. That guy was Brodie Croyle in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Croyle did nothing for Kansas City.
Since then, the Chiefs have drafted all of their quarterbacks in the fifth round, which has appeared to be a pattern for them. If they go with that route again in this draft, they might be looking to select C.J. Beathard out of Iowa.
Beathard had a nice four-year career with the Hawkeyes, but he won’t likely be anything more than a backup in the NFL. The reason I say that is because Beathard just never seemed all that confident in his throwing abilities while at Iowa. He was sacked a ton and just didn’t catch on that pressure was coming in the backfield.
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NFL.com even said themselves that C.J. Beathard could be a career backup, but could see some playing time if injuries occur. With all of that said, this wouldn’t be the guy that Kansas City Chiefs fans would want to be their future franchise starter.
As a Nebraska fan, I’ve watched Beathard quarterback the Hawkeyes over the last four years and he looked average. If the Chiefs drafted him, it’d mean they’re planning on sticking with Alex Smith for another year or two, and then potentially drafting a quarterback early the following year.
Beathard’s four-year totals at Iowa were for 5,562 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. The stat from NFL.com that Chiefs fans will really love (sarcasm) is that the former Hawkeye struggles with throwing the deep ball, completing 30% of his passes that sail 20 yards or further. Yikes.
At the end of the day, the Chiefs need a quarterback, yes, but this really is the draft where I see them going after one in the first three rounds. At the same time, however, none of those early round guys are all that impressive, so if the Chiefs wait and draft someone like Beathard, it doesn’t mean they won’t try again for a first round signal caller in 2018.
We’ll just have to continue being patient with the quarterback drafting process.