THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY MAY 1, 2000
SPORTS
3B
COMMENTARY
Successful draft could change Chiefs' direction
The Kansas City Chiefs had a great draft. That's correct, you did not missed The
You did not misheat. The Kansas City Chiefs, the same team that drafted bucks in Ryan Sims, Trazelle Jenkins and Junior Siavii in the past, showed the other teams how successful a draft weekend could be.
This was unprecedented. It was like David Spade winning the Oscar for Best Actor, MTV coming out with meaningful television or Mike Tyson being named "humanitarian of the year". The Chiefs went into the draft as an aging team with a questionable future and fans canceling season tickets, and they left the draft with renewed optimism and talks of Super Bowl contention in three years.
Herm Edwards, Chiefs coach.
and Carl Peterson,
Chiefs president/general manager and CEO, began the draft on thin ice. Edwards turned a high-powered offense into an abomination.
He ran down Larry Johnson
Defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Louisiana State University, acknowledges fans after being announced as the fifth overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL draft Saturday in New York. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mel Kiper Jr., a famous draft pundit, said the Chiefs had the best draft of any team the first day. The second day was not a let down,either.
The draft immediately started with success, with defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey somehow dropping to pick No. 5. Dorsey was considered by many teams to be the top prospect in the draft. Taking advantage of the other teams' ill-advised decisions, the Chiefs found the anchor of their defense for years to come. The franchise regarded the 299-pound tackle from Louisiana State University as a savior after it witnessed him over
with a 416-carry season, said goodbye to several veteran offensive linemen without having designated replacements and turned an aerial attack into an offense with the same entertainment value as an ant farm. Peterson is 19 years into a five-year plan to turn the Chiefs into contenders, and Chiefs fans have been calling for his head for years.
That all changed during the weekend. Suddenly, Edwards was a shrewd rebuilt, and Peterson was an unmatched negotiator.
come injuries to dominate at the college level. He can not only get to the quarterback himself but free up blockers for the defensive ends, which will be instrumental without the presence of All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen.
Ten picks later, Peterson saw his favorite offensive lineman still on the board. He traded up two spots with the Detroit Lions, giving up a fifth rounder and switching spots in the third, to obtain the 15th pick and use it on Branden Albert, the combo guard/tackle from Virginia. The Chiefs expect him to be the left tackle on a line that last year would have had trouble keeping a senior citizen with a cane from sacking the quarterback. In
many mock drafts, draft "experts" thought the Chiefs would pick Albert at five.
The good fortune did not end in the first round. At pick 35 in the second round, they were thrilled to see that Brandon Flowers was still on the board. Flowers, a cornerback out of Virginia Tech, was graded by the Chiefs as a first-round prospect. The Chiefs let Ty Law go this offseason after a down year, and Benny Sapp was signed by the Vikings, so there was a hole as big as the Grand Canyon in their secondary. Jayhawk fans can remember Flowers as the player who anchored the Virginia Tech defense that tested Kansas in the Orange Bowl. He will immediately be entrust to the starting role.
After the first day was over, there was not an analyst anywhere with negative things to say. Mel Kiper Jr., a famous draft pundit, said the Chiefs had the best draft of any team the first day.
The second day was not a let down, either. With three picks in the third round, the Chiefs added Texas' Jamal Charles as a backup running back to give Larry Johnson much-needed relief; Brad Cottam, a 6-foot-8 tight end out of Tennessee, to be the understudy to future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez; and Dajuan Morgan, a safety from North Carolina State who many had ranked as the second best safety in the draft. Charles ran a 4.32 second 40-yard dash and could challenge Speedy Gonzalez in a footrace. Cottam is a towering red-zone threat and Morgan is a fierce tackler.
In the next round, they added Will Franklin, who is familiar to many Jayhawk fans as a receiver from the Missouri Tigers. He should challenge Jeff Webb and Devard Darling to start opposite of last year's first rounder, Dwayne
Bowe. The rest of the draft consisted of cornerback Brandon Carr, offensive tackle Barry Richardson, wide receiver Kevin Robinson, defensive end Brian Johnston and tight end Michael Merritt — all players who should be on the roster come opening day.
The Chiefs should not expect
the playoffs this year, as they have an inexperienced team that has to adjust to NFL speed. However, with the talent amassed over the weekend, Kansas City should be competitive in all games rather than resembling a group of confused Boy Scouts who were thrown onto a football field. While they may
not experience a winning season this year, it should be entertaining to watch our talented rookies develop into potential Pro Bowlers. It has been a while since Chiefs fans could say that.
Edited by Katherine Loeck
MLB
Castillo hits homer ending Giant's drought
BY JOSH DUBOW ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — Jose Castillo ended a 450 at-bat homerless drought with a tiebreaking shot to lead off the seventh inning and Fred Lewis preserved the lead with a diving catch in the eighth that sent the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
Castillo's homer to left field off Ryan Speak (0-1) was his first since Aug. 14, 2006, for Pittsburgh against Milwaukee. It gave the Giants a 3-2 lead they struggled to hold onto.
With a runner on second base and two outs in the eighth inning, Willy Tavares hit a sinking line drive off Tyler Walker to left field. Lewis charged and made a headlong dive to make the catch, popping up and pumping his fist after the play. Walker was also excited with an exaggerated fist pump on the mound and pointing out at Lewis in appreciation.
Aaron Roward also homered for the Giants, who finished their homestand with a 3-3 record. Merkin Valdez (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 hitless innings to earn his first career win and Brian Wilson got three outs for his ninth save in 10 chances.
Ryan Spilborghs hit an RBI double and Garrett Atkins also drove in a run for the defending NL
champion Rockies, who have lost nine of 11 and are in need of a day off Thursday. Colorado has played for 16 straight days, going 6-10, and could be without reigning NL Rookie of the Year Troy Tulowitzki for a while.
Tulowitzki returned to Denver on Wednesday to have an MRI on his left leg. Tulowitzki injured himself fielding a ball in the first inning Tuesday and could be headed to the disabled list.
The Rockies got both of their runs in the fifth inning against Jonathan Sanchez with help from a rare bunt single by Todd Helton. After Tavares walked to lead off the frame, Helton laid a bunt down the third-base line. Catcher Steve Holm fielded the ball but his throw to first was too late to get Helton.
Tavarez scored on Atkins' one- out sacrifice fly and Spilorbos followed with an RBI double that gave Colorado a 2-1 lead. The Rockies loaded the bases but Sanchez avoided further damage by getting Jonathan Herrera on a groundout.
The Giants tied the game at 2 on Randy Winn's RBI single that knocked Ubaldo Jimenez out of the game with one out in the sixth inning. Jimenez allowed two runs and three hits in 5-13 innings.
Sanchez allowed two runs, five hits and five walks in 5 2-3 innings.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
San Francisco Giants' Aaron Rowand, right, is greeted by teammate John Bowker, left, after hitting a home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez in the second inning Wednesday in San Francisco.
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