Dontari Poe
General Manager Scott Pioli needed a big wide-bodied grass grabbing nose tackle to help shut down the tackle-to-tackle runs. Enter Dontari Poe, a unique athlete with underdeveloped skills. He is light on his feet with a thick lower body and bench pressed 225 pounds, 44 times. He has the tools to play the position, but lacks experience in a 3-4 scheme. If Poe produces, a strong linebacker corps becomes better as does the back end of the defense. In the second round, Pioli drafted the talented Jeff Allen. Allen has experience at both left and right tackle, but is a perfect fit inside at guard. Donald Stephenson is a very athletic tackle who needs some developmental time. Right tackle Eric Winston and running back Peyton Hillis were a pair of seasoned NFL starters who will upgrade the power on offense. Dontari Poe has been rotating with Amon Gordon at nose tackle during OTAs. However, he wasn’t in on the base run packages. He may be used as a sub package specialist. The most athletic interior lineman in the 2012 draft over 300 pounds, he has innate athletic gifts, is light on his feet, and has a thick lower body. He has good lateral quickness but needs technique work in every phase of his game. Poe has rare tools and shows the ability to change directions quickly to make a play. The talent is there to be an impact player for the Chiefs. Jeff Allen projects to be the left guard of the future for Kansas City. In college he was a four year starter. He has long arms and big hands for the position. Strong and stout in his play, he has an explosive punch. He bends his knees, rolls his hips, and has good surge on short yardage plays. When blocking on the move he stays balanced. He missed some OTAs due to a high ankle sprain. Donald Stephenson is getting repetitions as a backup at left tackle, despite a less than glowing rookie mini-camp. He has excellent athletic ability for the position and passes the look test physically and athletically for the position. A Kansas City native, he possesses all the physical tools but needs to upgrade his technique and desire to succeed. Devon Wylie is a Wes Welker clone and will compete with Dexter McCluster and Steve Breaston for playing time in the slot. The speedster will also be in the mix on punt and kickoff returns. Quick in and out of his breaks, he gets vertical quickly up the field after catch. A natural hand catcher he possesses soft hands. DeQuan Menzie was having a good rookie mini-camp until he injured his hamstring. He was still on the shelf at the start of OTAs. He has the skill set of a corner that can play either safety or line up on the nose of a slot receiver. Physical and aggressive in run support, he has a nose for the ball, good ball skills, and good body control. Cyrus Gray is a rhythm type back who is more pick and slide but has good inside vision to slash into a seam. He can turn the corner with speed and quickness. Patient and elusive as a North/ South runner, he can make a defender miss in space. A complementary back, he can return kickoffs. His hamstring was injured in OTAs. Jerome Long has also missed time in OTAs because of injury. Last season he had 69 tackles, and five sacks. At 6041 and 290 pounds he will be lined up behind Tyson Jackson and Allen Bailey. Junior Hemingway struggled in rookie mini-camp but finished strong his senior year catching two touchdown passes in the Sugar Bowl and was named MVP. An outstanding athlete, he is built like a running back. He will help the Chiefs between the hashes. Physical in his play, he has strong hands and good contact balance. GRADE: AVERAGE.
Box 235 Hiawatha, IA 52233