Chiefs Need a Quarterback, Unfortunately Pickings Are Slim

The Chiefs have the third-overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. That's about the only benefit to going 2-14. Unfortunately, teams that win twice in 16 tries often have more needs than a handful of college kids can fix, however.

Luckily, the club hired Scott Pioli to oversee the rebuilding effort, and there probably isn't a person better qualified for the task.

Pioli comes from the Patriots where he, along with Bill Belichick, put together a roster that won three Super Bowls in the first half of this decade. And he'll now try to do the same in Kansas City.

One of the Chiefs' biggest needs is finding a franchise quarterback. Tyler Thigpen was surprisingly effective in the role last season, but people who know about such things aren't convinced he's anything more than a solid backup. There are worse things to be.

Which means Pioli must find a long-term solution to the quarterback quandary in free agency, through a trade or via the draft. One problem: there isn't much to choose from. Sure, Matt Cassel had an eye-opening performance in New England, but is he worth a huge contract, and more importantly, is he that much of an upgrade over Thigpen? I'm not so sure.

There are also names like Byron Leftwich, Kerry Collins and Chris Simms; players at different stages of their careers who still have the potential to be competent NFL starters. But again, we're talking about two or three years and not much more.

The current crop of draft prospects isn't much better. In fact, they're worse.

Scott Pioli earned a reputation while with the Patriots as being able to mine a talented quarterback from the depths of the draft. The Chiefs general manager might need that ability if his new team is to find its future starting quarterback this year.

That, plus a lot of luck. Plenty of questions surround the top available quarterbacks, Matt Stafford of Georgia and Mark Sanchez of USC. Depth of this season's class is also lacking in what could be the worst crop of quarterbacks to come along in years.

The consensus seems to be: wait till next year, Kansas City, and the available talent should be much, much better. Of course, that doesn't help the 2009 Chiefs, but there's no reason to think that drafting a QB just to say you did it would change that fate.

Ideally, Kansas City could get their hands on a time machine, go back to last year's draft, use their overabundance of picks to trade up and grab Matt Ryan. Short of that, hoping Pioli unearths another Tom Brady might be the organization's best hope.