As the question of where Jimmy Clausen will end up begins to dominate the second day of the NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs are increasingly being linked with the Notre Dame quarterback.
Adam Schefter reported on ESPN Radio this morning that the Chiefs actually liked Clausen enough to take him with their first-round pick, fifth overall. It’s just that they liked the player they took, Tennessee safety Eric Berry, a little better.
So if Clausen is still available when the Chiefs’ second-round pick, No. 36 overall, comes up, could they really pass on a player they thought was worthy of a Top 5 overall selection? Schefter also said Chiefs offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, Clausen’s college coach, will lobby G.M. Scott Pioli with Kansas City’s second-round pick.
It seems unlikely that the Chiefs will draft a quarterback given the money they’ve committed to Matt Cassel. But Cassel’s contract makes it possible that they’d want to cut bait with him after the 2010 season.
It seems like a long shot that the Chiefs would select Clausen. But yesterday it seemed like a long shot that we’d even be talking about it today.