+
PAGE 8
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
+
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"It gives you full freedom...it doesn't back you into a corner going into the draft. You can go in and you can take the best player."
Chiefs coach Andy Reid during the NFL Annual Meeting
FACT OF THE DAY
The Kansas City Chiefs have not selected a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft in more than four years.
— ESPN.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q. When was the last time the Chiefs dratted a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft?
A: 2011, Pittsburgh WR Jonathan Baldwin
THE MORNING BREW
ESPN.com
Analysts debate who Chiefs should select in draft
Chris Sitek
@ChrisSitek
With less than a month until the 2015 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs sit
at No. 18 in the first round. I wanted to look at potential prospects projected by NFL experts and my best fits for Kansas City this year. While moving forward, we have to look back at the Chiefs 2014 NFL draft and offseason moves.
Last draft, Kansas City selected Auburn defensive end Dee Ford at No. 23 in the first round. Other notable selections were Oregon running back DeAnthony Thomas at No.124 in the fourth round and Tennessee guard Zach Fulton at No. 193 in the sixth round, according to arrowheadpride.com.
This offseason was similarly
productive with the Chiefs adding wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, safety Tyvon Branch and guard Ben Grubbs; resigning defensive back Ron Parker and linebacker Justin Houston; and releasing wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, according to espn. go.com.
Now heading into the 2015 NFL Draft, the Chiefs have many options at No. 18 in the first round. According to NFL Draft Tracker, the Chiefs' biggest positions-of-need are offensive line, defensive line, wide receiver, cornerback and linebacker. There are a variety of opinions from the latest NFL mock draft, according to different analyses for ESPN. The NFL Network, CBS Sports and Fox Sports.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay has the Chiefs selecting Missouri/Oklahoma receiver Doral Green-Beckham. Mel Kiper Jr., an
ESPN College draft analyst, has Arizona State receiver Jaelen Strong as the Chiefs' pick at No. 18.
Fox Sports senior national writer Peter Schrager also has Strong as the Chiefs first-round pick. Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network Analyst, has the Chiefs selecting Alabama safety Landon Collins, but CBS Sports NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler has Central Florida wide receiver Breshad Perriman as his prediction. Sports Illustrated NFL writer Chris Burke has the Chiefs selecting Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney, Terez A. Aylor, the Chiefs beat writer for the Kansas City Star, has the Chiefs selecting Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, according to kcchiefs.com
I agree with Kiper and Schrager and believe that the best first-round pick for the Kansas City Chiefs would be Strong. At 6-foot-2, 217
pounds with an arm length of 32,5 inches. Strong possesses the size needed for the NFL. With a 4.44 second 40-yard dash, he also has the speed to make an immediate impact on this Chiefs' roster.
Strong, a former transfer of Pierce Community College in Los Angeles, made an immediate impact for the Sun Devils as just a sophomore, tallying 75 catches for 1,122 yards, and seven touchdowns, quickly emerging as a top player for ASU. In 2014, Strong was First Team All Pac-12 and a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist with 82 receptions for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns, according to NFL.com and CBSsports.com.
I believe with these statistics. Strong has the potential to become an impact player for the Kansas City Chiefs.
FC Kansas City proves to be too much for Jayhawks
Edited by Samantha Darling
CHRIS SITEK
@ChrisSitek
Kansas women's soccer has been preparing all offseason for a successful 2015 season.
The Jayhawks are coming off of a successful 2014 season with a 5-3 conference and 15-6 overall record, good for third in the Big 12 conference. Additionally, the Jayhawks are coming off a spring exhibition win against Iowa 1-0.
The Jayhawks fell to FC Kansas City on Tuesday 2-0 in their second spring exhibition game. This loss made Kansas 0-3 in the spring exhibition series versus FC Kansas, losing 4-0 in 2013 and 3-1 in 2014.
The two key statistics upon analysis of this loss were the Jayhawks' inability to score the ball and the National Women's Soccer League's defending champions providing timely goals and stifling defense throughout the entirety of the game. These goals were scored from midfielder Erika Tymrak and forward Shea Groom.
Tymrak is coming off
successful 2013-2014 season as the NWSL Rookie of the Year, scoring six goals and four assists in 16 starts in 21 appearances on the season. Groom, a rookie Texas A&M product, was the No. 12 pick of the 2015 National Women's League Soccer Draft.
Kansas scored zero goals on a mere one attempt the whole game, but there were positive takeaways that came from this game. Consistently playing a professional team in FC Kansas City every year is helpful toward the Jayhawks' growth, especially since FC KC is the 2014 defending NWSL champion.
This match will only help prepare the Jayhawks to face the top teams of the Big 12 conference, such as West Virginia (16-2-4), Texas Tech (16-4-2) and Oklahoma State (10-10-1) last season. The Jayhawks will play Drake Friday at 7 p.m. at Rock Chalk Park and finish their exhibition season at Tulsa on Saturday, April 18, and at home against Creighton in their exhibition finale on Saturday, April 25.
Edited by Callie Byrnes
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN After scoring the game-winning goal against UMKC on Sept. 14, 2014, junior forward Ashley Williams celebrates with fellow teammates. Kansas took on FC Kansas City on Tuesday, falling 2-0.