The first question that any football fan is likely to ask about ANY event in the league in the days leading up to the draft is: What's this mean for my team?
The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly traded last year's sack king and franchise player DE Jared Allen to Minnesota in exchange for the Vikings' first- and third-round picks this year and a third-rounder next year, plus they swapped sixth-rounders that no one will care about unless one of them turns out to be a Tom Brady.
The Chiefs already have the No. 5 pick overall and now the No. 17. So does any of this impact the Ravens who draft No. 8?
Well, just maybe. Some draft experts had the Chiefs taking an offensive lineman, Branden Albert, who hails from Glen Burnie and played at Virginia. Albert has played a lot of O-line positions in college and projects at left tackle. Obviously, left tackle weighs on the Ravens' minds because of Jonathan Ogden but it wasn't likely that Albert would last until No. 8.
Now, with Jared Allen out of K.C., the Chiefs may feel the need to immediately fill that defensive hole and one of the top defensive ends may be available -- Chris Long and Vernon Gholston. Long may be gone by No. 5 so this might be good news for Gholston. The Chiefs can come back for an OL at No. 17.
Bottom line here for Baltimore fans is that if the Chiefs go defense, Albert is probably still on the board when the Ravens go on the clock and then it becomes an issue of what the Ravens' draft board looks like -- keeping in mind, of course, that three of their their top six picks in the last two drafts were OL and the issue of QB (if Matt Ryan is there) and the need at CB.
Wow, this gets complicated.
Photo credit: Orlin Wagner/AP
