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Wolf:Draft Alex Smith's understudy in the first round
Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey stands with newly signed quarterback Alex Smith following a news conference at the NFL football team's practice facility in Kansas City, Missouri.
Associated Press
▶ JORDAN WOLF
@JordanWolfKU
The Kansas City Chiefs haven't drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1983. This year, that needs to change.
It's been 34 years since Penn State signal-caller Todd Blackledge had his name called seventh overall by the Chiefs, and 30 since he took his last snap for the team. Since then, a band of outsiders have lined up under center in Kansas City, the most successful of which came originally from other teams.
Blackledge was the last quarterback drafted by the Chiefs to win a game for them. That's absolutely, undeniably, unacceptably ridiculous.
It's not to say the Chiefs have had an abundance of incompetence at the position, as Joe Montana, Trent Green and Alex Smith have all played very well and had their shares of success. But,
none of them were drafted by Kansas City. None were its own.
It's gotten to the point where many Chiefs fans, myself included, are tired of having to buy in to already-established quarterbacks every five or so seasons. I am the biggest Smith defender you'll meet, and he has done great things since coming to Kansas City. But, whenever he's done here, I don't want another him. I don't want another Matt Cassel.
I want someone we can believe in, someone we can watch grow. I envy the Seattle Seahawks, who have had the pleasure of watching Russell Wilson develop into one of the game's best quarterbacks, and I envy the Oakland Raiders, who probably won't have to worry about the position for the next 10 years.
Enough is enough. It's time for the Chiefs to draft a quarterback. One in the
first round, and one that we can safely invest the future in.
This isn't a call for Smith's job. He played excellent last season and has given the Chiefs no reason to believe he won't be as good in the next. But, father time will soon catch up to him. He's about to turn 33 years old, and realistically only has two, maybe three strong years left in him before his numbers — and his body — will begin to deteriorate.
But,whenever he's done here, I don't want another him. I don't want another Matt Cassel."
Drafting a quarterback in the first round doesn't mean that they'll be the
starter, especially as late in the draft as the Chiefs will select. John Dorsey can take a page out of the Green Bay Packers' book and let their guy sit under an intelligent veteran for his first couple seasons. After all, he was in Green Bay when they did this with Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre.
Should Dorsey and company choose to pick a signal caller with their first selection Thursday, the question becomes who to pick.
The sexiest pick seems to be Clemson product Deshaun Watson. He just led his Tigers to a National Championship, completing a dramatic game-winning drive in doing so. The two parties have met already, so there's certainly mutual interest. The concern here is not whether or not they would be a good pair, but rather whether or not Watson will still be available.
Another candidate, albeit slightly more unlikely, is
North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky. He's been subject to knocks on his lack of experience, as he started just one season for the Tar Heels before declaring for the draft. He's still likely to be the first quarterback taken, and probably won't be available for the Chiefs, but would definitely be a serious option if he was.
The final prospect I would consider in the first round is Patrick Mahomes II of Texas Tech. He has all of the physical tools to be a great quarterback, possessing maybe the best arm in the draft. He threw more than 5,000 yards his final season with the Red Raiders, so he knows how to air it out. He's been the guy I've envisioned the Chiefs taking all along, and appears to be the most likely to be available.
Any of these guys would be an acceptable pick. I suppose, should all three be selected, that going in another
direction would be acceptable. But, that's extremely unlikely, as almost every mock draft has at least one available at the Chiefs' pick. Other guys such as Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer and Tennessee's Josh Dobbs could be good fits, but the first round may be a little early.
While the Chiefs have had decent quarterback play in recent years, fans haven't had a real guy to call their own in decades. Having an experienced veteran is nice and safe, but after a while, nice and safe gets old. Conservatism can only get you so far in football, especially at the quarterback position.
So, when the Chiefs are on the clock Thursday night, they should have only one goal in mind: draft the quarterback of the next generation. Draft the guy you can put the faith of the future in. Draft the guy you can believe in.
Kansas basketball officially adds three transfers
AMIE JUST
@Amie_Just
Kansas Athletics has officially added three transfers to its men's basketball roster.
Dedric Lawson and K.J. Lawson, brothers from Memphis, and Charlie Moore, a guard from California, have signed their grant-in-aid agreements, per a Kansas Athletics news release.
"We're excited about all three of these prospects," coach Bill Self said in the release. "They've all had successful starts to their college careers at different
institutions. Certainly, the transfers became so attractive to us, in large part because we will have guys in our program who will be ready to contribute in a year. We could lose multiple guys next year, so I think this is a great fit for the University of Kansas. Not only will we get better down the road but this will certainly make us better in practice next year."
K. J. and Dedric Lawson announced their intentions to transfer to Kansas on April 10.
Dedric Lawson, a sophomore forward and former
McDonald's All-American, averaged 19.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Tigers this season. His 9.9 rebounds averaged led the American Athletic Conference, and his 19.2 points averaged was good for second in the league.
"Averaging almost 20 points and 10 rebounds last year, Dedric is one of the best big-man prospects in the country," Self said in the release. "He was a double-double machine last year."
K. J. Lawson, a red-shirt-freshman forward, averaged 12.3 points and
8. 1 rebounds this season. His rebound average was third in the conference, behind his brother and UCF's Tacko Fall.
Moore started every game for Cal last season during his freshman campaign and averaged 28.8 minutes, 12.2 points and 3.5 assists. His assists per game average was 11th in
"K.J. averaged over 12 points and eight rebounds while playing the small forward position," Self said in the release. "He's a very competitive athlete who we feel will add to our culture here."
the Pac-12 Conference for the 2016-17 season.
Certainly, the transfers became so attractive to us, in large part because we will have guys in our program who will be ready to contribute in a year."
Bill Self Kansas coach
Self compared Moore to current Jayhawk Malik Newman.
"Charlie started at Cal this past year and averaged just over 12 points a game as a true freshman," Self said in the release. "We think after a year sitting out that he'll be much like [KU sophomore transfer] Malik Newman will be for us this year, ready to make a serious contribution to our program."
All three transfers will sit out for the 2017-18 season.
TWINS FROM PAGE 10
Once again, in their junior year at the 2016 Kansas Relays, Nashia and Malika found themselves squaring off against each other in the women's 1,500-meter race. This time, despite a couple of lanes separating them, the twins once again finished within seconds of each other, with Nashia
claiming seventh place over Malika by 1.12 seconds.
It wasn't until their final year at Kansas that the pair found themselves cheering each other on from the sidelines. With Malika racing in the 1,500-meter race and Nashia racing in the 5,000-meter, they could finally cheer each other on at the Kansas Relays without having to worry about their
own performance in the same event.
She's such a great competitor, such a great teammate to work with."
Nashia Baker Senior
Yet despite the competitive nature the twins have endured throughout their time at college, they have nothing but positive things to say about racing alongside their twin sister.
"It's been so great, being able to have my sister with me through my whole collegiate experience," Nashia said. "She's such a great competitor, such a great
"It's amazing," Malika said. "She's one of my favorite people to run with. I'm grateful to be able to go to school where my sister is as well, and even before our time here being able to race
As if she were an echo to her sister, Malika felt the same way as she walked off the track.
teammate to work with, so it's really beneficial for me."
together."
Although the sisters look to go down different paths in life, with Nashia majoring in journalism and Malika in global and international studies, both of them will always cherish the time they had together between the white lines of the track.
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- Edited by Ashley
Hocking