Kansas City Chiefs: Price not right for cornerback at trade deadline
By John McCarty
Draft picks, even early picks, provide great value both on and off the field.
Yes, Jalen Ramsey is likely far better than any player the Chiefs would draft in the late 20s or early 30s of the 2020 draft. But how much better would that player be and at what cost? All relevant to a discussion. Smart teams understand draft picks are four years of low cost value, dumb teams view draft picks as players likely to become stars.
Draft picks provide a great deal of value and financial flexibility for a football team before they even take the field. Take for example defensive end L.J. Collier, a TCU defensive end taken by the Seahawks with the selection they acquired from the Chiefs last year.
During his four initial four years, he will earn a grand total of just over 10 million dollars ($10.836 million). So will Frank Clark be better than L.J. Collier, that’s highly likely. However, the Seahawks, in football terms, are paying next to nothing for Collier’s services, allowing them perhaps to allocate financial resources elsewhere.
The Chiefs, under Brett Veach, have been way, way too trade happy and are left in a weird situation in which they are relying on every draft pick to contribute in a big way. The 2017 draft class is shaping up to simply be an unmitigated disaster, and the 2018 class outside of the top two players, Mecole Hardman and Juan Thornhill need to step up their games.
In short, to be more effective, especially with a roster about to be significantly more expensive, the Chiefs need to embrace draft picks, not ship them out.
Ever wonder how teams maneuver as if the salary cap isn’t real? It’s very simple, those organizations rely on the bottom third of their roster to be draft picks earning next to nothing, again in NFL terms, allowing them increased financial freedom at the top of their roster.
You can’t have high priced players at the top of your roster and not value draft picks for the low cost value they provide. Can’t have it both ways.