For months, it was assumed the Chiefs would take tackle Luke Joeckel with the first pick in the draft. Last night, the reality become otherwise.
The Chiefs bypassed Joeckel for Eric Fisher, and Joeckel won’t forget it.
“I wanted that first pick but, you know, it didn’t happen. And that definitely puts a chip on my shoulder,” Joeckel told PFT on Thursday night, after he was picked. “I’m ready to go work, I’m ready to go prove myself. It kind of hurts even more that another offensive tackle was taken before me, so I’m ready to go. . . .
“I’ll probably wake up every single day thinking that and when I’m in the weight room . . . when I’m lifting, when I’m out in the field working, you know, that’s my entire goal. I grew up in a very competitive family, always wanted to be the best. And you know, going behind another guy in my same position is definitely going to push me.”
It also puts pressure on Fisher.
“Obviously the first pick gets a lot of expectations, a lot of pressure, but I think I perform very well under pressure,” Fisher told PFT on Thursday night. “I am somebody to take advantage of pressure situations and make the most of them. A lot of people will break under their pressure, I’m not that kind of person. I think any time in my life I’ve had that kind of expectation that I needed to meet, I think I’ve performed very well.”
There’s a chance both will perform well. There’s also a chance, in theory, of a Peyton Manning/Ryan Leaf dichotomy.
After spending time last night with each guy, our money’s on the former.