Despite the fact that Romeo Crennel has taken the coaching reins from Todd Haley, fans shouldn't expect the Kansas City Chiefs' strategy to change during this week's NFL draft.
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"It's an organizational philosophy, and it doesn't change from person to person," Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli recently told The Kansas City Star. "There's going to be a way that we're going to build this franchise. ... If you don't have a core structure and you change things based on certain dynamics, you're setting yourself up for failure."
The Chiefs have maintained the same draft strategy since 2009, when Pioli took over and decided the team wouldn't give in to the demands of its coach.
"There hasn't been much that has changed ... we have our philosophy, an organizational philosophy that involves a lot of people," Pioli said. "It's not just mine, it's not just the head coach's, it's not just the coordinators. There's an organizational philosophy in place."
When Crennel was the Cleveland Browns' coach from 2005 to 2008, he had input in draft decisions, but not the final say -- just like he will this go-around with Pioli.
Prior to Pioli's tenure, the Chiefs often drafted according to the coach's wants under former general manager Carl Peterson. Because Gunther Cunningham liked big receivers and cornerbacks, the team drafted wideouts such as Larry Parker and corners such as William Bartee. Herm Edwards liked the energy of youthful players, the newspaper reported, so the Chiefs traded away defensive end Jared Allen in 2008 for extra draft picks. That year, the Chiefs made six selections in the first three rounds and 12 total.
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Pioli recently hinted at what position the Chiefs could target during a pre-draft news conference.
"Ultimately, I think every year, if possible, we'd like to find a way to draft a quarterback because it's just good business and it's smart business," Pioli said. "Now, who that is, when we do it, how we do it, you never know."
The Chiefs have selected two quarterbacks during the three drafts in which Pioli was involved. By comparison, the team used just two total picks on quarterbacks between 1998 and 2008.
NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora recently reported that Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehillwon't make it past the Chiefs' No. 11 overall pick.
