Dec 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) drops back to pass during the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The following is a guest post submitted by Aaron Stafford, a future writer for NFL Spin Zone. The Kansas City Chiefs have the first pick and are on the clock, we’ve made our projections in our first pre-Super Bowl mock draft, but Aaron disagrees and makes a case for West Virginia Quarterback Geno Smith.
While there may be a huge football game being played this Sunday between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, there are 30 other teams in the NFL who are preparing to revamp their rosters in hopes of making it to next year’s Super Sunday.
Arguably the worst team in the NFL this past year, the Kansas City Chiefs currently own the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft. I am proposing they spend that #1 pick on quarterback Geno Smith from West Virginia for a few reasons.
The Chiefs’ new head coach, Andy Reid, has quite the resume when it comes to developing QBs in the NFL. He also runs an offense that would fit Geno Smith’s abilities as a QB. Andy Reid was able to win with multiple quarterbacks while he was in Philadelphia. Most notably in my opinion is Jeff Garcia. Geno Smith fits the mold of the type of QB Andy Reid wants. Geno’s accuracy and his ability to move around in the pocket fits perfect in Reid’s offense. Add a receiver of Dwayne Bowe’s stature with a running back like Jamaal Charles and suddenly a pitiful Chiefs offense looks elite.
Rather than paying a stopgap quarterback like Alex Smith $30 million for a few years of game manager type of play, the Chiefs need to invest in the long term with Geno Smith. The risk/reward weighs too much in the favor of reward with Geno Smith. If Geno comes in and isn’t any better than Matt Cassel or Brady Quinn, (which would be hard), the Chiefs wouldn’t have to waste $50 million in guaranteed money due to the new CBA agreement. But if and when Geno comes into Kansas City and shows his elite potential, Chiefs fans might finally have something to cheer about.
All I’m saying is that not much can go wrong with taking a chance on the future for the Kansas City Chiefs. The rewards of drafting and developing Geno Smith in Andy Reid’s offensive system could result in finally bringing a winning team to Kansas City.