FanHouse Glenn Dorsey

In the three drafts prior to Scott Pioli's arrival in Kansas City a few months ago, the Chiefs selected in the first round defensive end Tamba Hali, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

For varying reasons, all three players could be elsewhere a year from now. Pioli, who came to Kansas City from New England, hired Todd Haley to replace Herm Edwards, and Clancy Pendergast to rebuild a defense that lost its way in recent seasons under Gunther Cunningham. This includes a switch to the 3-4 defense, a scheme Pendergast had some success with during the Cardinals' 2008 late-season surge.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Compared to last April, the 2009 Chiefs draft was unremarkable. A year ago, the team landed five players who contributed immediately, and a handful of others will get opportunities this season.

But unlike 2008, Kansas City finally has a franchise quarterback. New general manager Scott Pioli sent a second-round pick to New England for Matt Cassel (and linebacker Mike Vrabel). Cassel, who went nine years between starts, led the Patriots to an 11-5 record last season and parlayed that into a handsome payday (eventually) and a starting gig.

ESPN's John Clayton is reporting on ESPN Radio that the Chiefs and Falcons may get together for their second trade in three days with Chiefs' defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey heading to Atlanta for the Falcons first and fourth-round picks.

Of course this rumor could end up being nothing, but it's a trade that doesn't have to take place for a couple of more hours as the Chiefs can wait and see what is on the board when Atlanta picks.

The trade makes a lot of sense for both teams. Dorsey was awful last year, but a lot of that was because the Chiefs asked him to do something he's not. In Kansas City's defense, he was lined up head-up on offensive guards and asked to try to control his man, which didn't allow him to use his quick first step to try to fly into the backfield.

Last year, the Chiefs put together one of the most impressive two-day draft showings I can remember. Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, and Jamaal Charles -- all taken in the first three rounds -- saw significant playing time as rookies, and fifth-round defensive back Brandon Carr started every game. (Worth pointing out: the Chiefs might try to move Dorsey.)

It wasn't enough to save Herman Edwards' job; after taking the Chiefs to the playoffs in 2006, he only managed six wins the last two seasons. But new general manager Scott Pioli and new head coach Todd Haley have plenty of young talent to rebuild the team, and in March, they traded for their franchise quarterback: former Patriots backup Matt Cassel who, according to NFL Network's Mike Lombardi, just signed a six-year, $36 million deal. Not Matthew Stafford money, but it'll keep him comfortable.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

After winning just twice in 2008 and six times in two seasons, the Chiefs have decided to blow up the whole operation and start over. Scott Pioli and Todd Haley have replaced Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards, and the rebuilding process is currently underway.

Conventional wisdom suggests that such turnarounds might take a couple seasons, but after what the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins were able to accomplish, expectations are almost certainly higher -- which means that Kansas City could be just a few personnel moves from returning to the playoffs. The issue, of course. is which personnel moves will give Kansas City the best chance to make a postseason run in '09.

Andre Smith has had a fun week. Considered one of the best -- if not the best -- left tackles available in the April draft, the former Alabama standout showed up to the combine chubbier than usual and not at all ready to work out.

Then he went missing. Apparently, it was a misunderstanding -- at least to hear his agent explain it. Okay, fine. These things happen. But there's more, and it's not pretty. Via SI.com's Tony Pauline, not only was Smith out of shape and in need of a watch, his people-person skills could also use a little work.

Every Thursday we take a close look at line play in one NFL game. Click here for all of the Between The Lines.

When Glenn Dorsey came out of college last year, he was considered the best interior defensive line in the draft, a havoc-creating defensive tackle who would not only create plays of his own, but also require enough attention to help make everyone else on the defensive line better.

The scouting reports were effusive in their praise:

Dorsey's dominance should go a long way toward helping Kansas City rebuild its defense. He should command double-teams and the Chiefs become better up the middle instantly. There were some concerns about problems with Dorsey's tibia stress fracture, which may have been the reason he was still on the board at this point. His best traits are outstanding agility and a great motor.

The Chiefs picked Dorsey with the No. 5 pick. Since many expected Dorsey to go even higher, the Chiefs were hailed for getting a steal. While that was the scouting report coming out of Louisiana State, it's hard to see much of that when you watch Dorsey against the Jets. Dorsey was facing a tough matchup, as Jets left guard Alan Faneca is one of the best guards in the league. But if this was a heavyweight fight between Dorsey and Faenca, it would have been called early in the first quarter.

Hey, look at that, the Steelers finally caught a break when it comes to the offensive line. Sure, it's not their o-line, but it could've been. The Chiefs second first-round pick, guard/tackle Branden Albert suffered a foot injury last week, hasn't practiced since, and the prognosis for the rest of preseason doesn't look so hot.

In fact, Albert says he'll need a "miracle" to play in a real live game before September, which sorta puts him behind in his battle to win a starting job. In other first-rounder news, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey is also on the mend after suffering a knee injury during Saturday's Family Fun Night, which, presumably was much more fun for the families in attendance than it was for Dorsey or head coach Herm Edwards, who generally seems like a fun-loving guy.

If Chiefs fans are looking for a bright spot heading into tonight's preseason game against the undefeated Bears, there's always Dwayne Bowe. It also looks like rookie second-round pick, cornerback Brandon Flowers will start, and Edwards expects that to be the case from here on out.

That's one of the benefits to having the BEST DRAFT IN THE HISTORY OF TACKLE FOOTBALL: even when you lose a few players to injuries, there are plenty of other guys who can fill in the gaps.

Former LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was drafted fifth overall this off-season by the Kansas City Chiefs. Entering the NFL, I doubt Dorsey thought he enjoy an injury free career. Then again, I also highly doubt he was counting on the Chiefs annual "Family Fun Night" being the venue to witness his first professional malady.

That's right, Dorsey tweaked his knee Saturday at Family Fun Night. He will miss the first preseason game, but he's not alone in the KC rookie injury wagon:

" ... the Chiefs still think Dorsey's timetable is ahead of that of their other first-round draft pick, offensive tackle Branden Albert. Albert, who has a sprained foot, might not play at all in the preseason."

Ouch. You get two quality first round picks and they're going to miss time in their first training camp. It's not like the prospects for the Chiefs to make a playoff run were good (or even feasible), but things are already going poorly for Herm Edwards and company.

The best course of action is to be realistic and not take any chances whatsoever with either of these guys. They need to get reps on the field as the Chiefs look to build for the future, sure, but the reps need to be healthy ones.

KC will still play to win the game, I'm sure ... they just won't succeed much.

It's sorta surprising that three of the top four picks from April's NFL Draft are all under contract. More surprising: the Raiders' No. 4 pick, Darren McFadden, is included in this group, which means their won't be a holdout. That's different.

In addition to McFadden, the Falcons have signed Matt Ryan, the third-overall selection, and the Dolphins had Jake Long under contract days before the draft. Despite all the happy negotiating going on, the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher writes that it doesn't necessarily suggest the Chiefs and their first first-rounder, Glenn Dorsey (taken fifth overall), are close to working out a deal.

President/general manager Carl Peterson said the Chiefs have been in contact with Dorsey's agent, Joel Segal. "We've had conversations, and that's all I can say," Peterson said. ...

Segal declined comment. But given the particulars of McFadden's contract, Segal might not be content with a marginal raise over the fifth pick of last year's draft, offensive tackle Levi Brown.

Teicher points out that the Chiefs have a spotty record when it comes to signing their first-round picks -- 11 of their 16 selections under Peterson have been late to camp, including 2007's Dwayne Bowe. Compounding matters: Kansas City had two first-rounders this April; in addition to Dorsey, they team also drafted offensive lineman Branden Albert.

So according to the laws of probability, based on Peterson's track record, there's roughly a nine percent chance both players are signed before training camp. Hey, it could happen.