KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For those with ESPN Insider access, Mel Kiper Jr. has re-graded the 2014 NFL draft for all 32 teams. Predictably, he dropped his grade for the Kansas City Chiefs' draft from a B. Kiper notes the Chiefs had to make do without a second-round pick, having traded it to the San Francisco 49ers as part of the deal that brought quarterback Alex Smith. Starting quarterbacks come at a cost and, as Kiper points out, Smith is an upgrade over what the Chiefs had at quarterback prior to his arrival. The Chiefs were left with six players and there's still hope for all of them. First-round linebacker Dee Ford showed some pass rush potential but needs to improve his overall game. Third-round cornerback Phillip Gaines could eventually be a starter as soon as next season. Fourth-rounder De'Anthony Thomas is already one of the league's better punt returners, though he may never deliver much help on offense. Fifth-round quarterback Aaron Murray and sixth-round offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif didn't play last season but could still develop into at least reliable backups. Another sixth-round pick, Zach Fulton, started 16 games at guard as a rookie. So their draft could go either way. Realistically, some of these players will make it as productive players, others won't. But this draft also has to be evaluated for what the Chiefs didn't get done. They had a large need, as Kiper notes, for a wide receiver but didn't draft one. That, indeed, was a big failure.
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