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McShay-Kiper draft yields interesting choices for Chiefs

For those with ESPN Insider access, draft analysts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. did a three-round mock draftInsider, alternating every pick. They gave the Kansas City Chiefs quite a haul, one that addresses some of their needs and gives them yet another developmental quarterback.

Let’s take a look.

First round: Kiper picked and gave the Chiefs Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong.

My take: The Chiefs have already invested a lot at wide receiver in Jeremy Maclin. Yes, they still need help there but they can get a wide receiver in a later round, somewhere in these subsequent three picks. So, I think the Chiefs would be better off using this resource, the 18th overall pick, elsewhere.

Second round: McShay gave the Chiefs another Arizona State player, safety Damarious Randall.

My take: McShay notes that Randall can play nickel corner, which is a huge plus. But the Chiefs need a full-time corner far more than they need a safety. Only Sean Smith is established among their cornerbacks, though Jamell Fleming and Phillip Gaines have shown progress. At safety, they have Ron Parker, Husain Abdullah, Tyvon Branch and Sanders Commings, not to mention Eric Berry.

Third round: Kiper gives the Chiefs Jake Ryan, an inside linebacker from Michigan, and Brett Hundley, a quarterback from UCLA.

My take: From a positional standpoint, Ryan makes sense. The Chiefs have Derrick Johnson at one inside position. He said this week he is getting close to 100 percent after missing most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon. But Johnson will be 33 in November and is in the last season of his contract. They also recently re-signed Josh Mauga, but need depth and for the longer term they’ll need the help Ryan could provide. If the Chiefs weren’t so committed to Alex Smith as their starting quarterback and they didn’t draft Aaron Murray last year, Hundley would be a smart pick. But they have too many developmental quarterbacks as it is.