With the 3rd pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected DE Tyson Jackson out of LSU.
Jackson (6’4″, 295) was considered by most experts as the best 3-4 defensive end in this year’s draft. Though the pick was a bit of a surprise, Jackson gives the team a stout player on the edge capable of occupying multiple blockers at the point of attack.
A three-year starter at left defensive end for the Tigers, Jackson proved to be a capable, yet unspectacular pass rusher, managing just eight quarterback sacks over his last two seasons — compared to 8.5 as a sophomore. His forte was flushing the quarterback out of the pocket, as he boasts 30 pressures for his career, along with his run-containment skills, ranking 11th in school history with 27 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Huge surprise!!!
Comment by H20 — April 25, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
Damnit. I just read the article where they tried to move out of the 3rd pick and it didn’t work. Go figure who the hell wants the 3rd OVR pick!
I hope this dude pans out because we picked him over about 5 other guys who could have been taken that will probably have better careers than him.
WE MISSED CRABTREE AND CURRY FOR F*CKS SAKE!!!!!!!!
Comment by RedNGold4LIFE — April 25, 2009 @ 6:31 pm
Whats so freaking great about the LSU tigers? Does everybody realize for the past three years we’ve drafted our first overall pick from there (d.bowe, g.dorsey, and now t.jackson) and the real question is why this guy ? ? ? I know we need to find a replacement for j.allen, and how bad we need sacks, but this guy? i am really puzzled, hopefully this works out for our team in the long run.
I know we are suppose to be buying into Pioli and all but some of these moves lately have left me scratching my head. Maybe he knows something we dont about some of the top tier players from this years draft.
Comment by KC111110 — April 25, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
It still hard to believe we let Curry go THE BEST IN THE FREAKIN DRAFT!!!!!.Maybe theres more to it than I know but from a business stand point we’re going to have to pay this guy as much as we would have Curry or Crabtree. Doesn’t make sense yet.
Comment by Dave S — April 25, 2009 @ 7:05 pm
The best 3-4 player and we said Nope…WHAT THE F**K
Comment by Kcchiefs19692003 — April 25, 2009 @ 7:15 pm
Look at what the patriots have done so far 4 picks in 2nd round. Its bill bilacheet who made all the calls in new england not pioli. Pioli is a joke he is no beter than petterson
Comment by KP in AZ — April 25, 2009 @ 7:37 pm
Pioli the draft magician? I don’t think so. We have now flushed our only offensive threat down the toilet, I’ve got to tell you that saying “well Pioli knows what he is doing” is getting as old as saying “I’m just happy to have a job” when will the world stop telling me that a crap sandwich tastes good?
Comment by NCCHIEFSFAN — April 25, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
What do you know, you’re from North Carolina. I saw the statistics on most literate states in America and North Carolina was number 49 out of 50, barely beating out Minnesota.
Comment by Chief Tom — April 25, 2009 @ 8:01 pm
I like this pick, he will once again be teaming with Dorsey to stop the run and push the O line back which causes the pocket to collapse.
I do believe though that this pick puts a lot of pressure on our linebackers and our secondary.
Not be bringing up any Gumperisms but when it comes to the draft, it’s kind of like a box of chocolates…..you never know what you’re gonna get.
Would Curry have been a better pick? Maybe, maybe not…..and I am sure that some of those picks that Bill has up in New England was because of Pioli.
Comment by Kansas City Krusher — April 25, 2009 @ 8:14 pm
Lets see curry was a “A” grade for St Louis and Tyson (Jerkoff) jackson was a “C” for us. We blew it and people can’t see that
Comment by Kcchiefs19692003 — April 25, 2009 @ 8:22 pm
i find it funny, that alot of chiefs “fans” praise haley and pioli as saviors when they are brought in and when pioli pulled off the cassel/vrabel for the lone 2nd rounder, and when they brought in engram… and now that the draft doesn’t go the way everyone thinks it should have they throw them under the bus. for the love of ray j, be patient everyone. who knows what is going to come out of all of this, not to mention the fact that the season doesn’t even start until september, that’s a long way away. lot’s of time to shore up the teams needs.
Comment by Bryan — April 25, 2009 @ 8:41 pm
Nevcer threw them under the bus, I just believe that Curry was a better player than Jackson
Comment by Kcchiefs19692003 — April 25, 2009 @ 8:46 pm
Maybe Curry is the better player, but maybe Jackson is the better pick for this system.
Comment by Kansas City Krusher — April 25, 2009 @ 9:10 pm
You know I still remember the Eagles booing McNabb on draft day. Anyone have an idea what player was drafted in front of him? Try Tim Couch. Thats who the so called experts had ranked higher in that draft. The hype was on Reggie Bush but Super Mario was picked first. Advantage Houston. You can name plenty of players who were projected highbut didnt pan out. Come on people. We picked Ryan “freaking” Sims over Big John Henderson because Ryan Sims was ranked higher in the draft. All Im saying is give TJ and Pioli a chance before you judge him. If he pan out, then everyone will be saying he was a great pick. Just in case you all dont know, its the guys in the trenches that make the LBs better by keeping the OLinemen off of them. Ask Ray Lewis.
Comment by JRock in Texas — April 25, 2009 @ 9:13 pm
Hey at least we still got that 2nd rounder in 2010. Isn’t everyone all hyped up about that. Who needs Tony Gonzalez in 2009, when you got a second rounder in 2010. I predict that the Falcons second round pick in 2010 will win rookie of the year, because hey, Pioli knows what he is doing.
Comment by 2010 — April 25, 2009 @ 9:13 pm
Chief Tom……
Are you having a super bowl party right now because of how well the first day of the draft went? Honestly we drafted someone WAY to early for thier actual worth, didn’t aquire any additional picks, and the damn donkeys looked better than we did. It might be to early to say this but Pioli is doing nothing other than following the patriots blueprint…….one problem, WE AREN’T THE PATRIOTS AND WE HAVE DIFFERENT HOLES TO FILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!Today is one of the few days in my life where I actually think I would be better as the man in charge, Pioli was just Belichek’s puppett.
Comment by NCCHIEFSFAN — April 25, 2009 @ 9:32 pm
At first I was disappointed in the draft pick but the more i think about it the more im ok with it. Curry would have probably played on the outside but his one knock is that hes no sack artist which is one of our bigger needs. With Jackson we have a guy who can play 3-4 de (which we didnt have any of) and is talented enough to play DT when we line up in the 4-3 next to dorsey with whom hes already played with. Given that our hyrid def is going to involve both sets and Pioli loves smart versitile guys, it makes a lot of sense to get a guy who can play our entire scheme.
Yes curry probably could have done some of that for us also, but Zach Thomas is our MLB and we didnt sign him to bench him in the 4-3 sets for a rookie. Once again I would have been very satisfied with curry, but we did already sign several in the offseason and needed help on the d-line for our new style.
Comment by Bashman — April 25, 2009 @ 9:34 pm
The way I see it is, if you know you are going to spend big time money, why not spend it on a skill player. DE, CB, or QB.
Comment by JRock in Texas — April 25, 2009 @ 9:40 pm
Oh and by the way I’m not from North Carolina , I’m from Virginia and I had a 1340 on my SAT’s I am also an ASE certified Master Automobile Technician and more than likely have a nicer house, prettier wife, more money, and don’t need to bully people on the internet to make myself feel better about my essentially worthless existence………always a pleasure Chief Tom
Comment by NCCHIEFSFAN — April 25, 2009 @ 9:42 pm
Rebuilding mode and all we got for the whole first day was TJ? Hmmmm? I hope this guy doesn’t give Ryan Leaf a run for his money as the worst draft pick of all time.TJ does have some potential but he isnt even a pass rushing DE! WTH Pioli
!
Comment by Chris — April 25, 2009 @ 9:48 pm
Chris,
What is your opinio of a Pass Rushing DE? Im not trying to be funny.
Comment by JRock in Texas — April 25, 2009 @ 9:51 pm
JRock.
I just meat he hasn’t had very much success at LSU doing such. He has not been a sack hound like others that were available.
Comment by Chris — April 25, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
There are those DE’s that just have that motor to get to the QB all the time. He just hasn’t shown me any of that.
Comment by Chris — April 25, 2009 @ 9:56 pm
I see.
Comment by JRock in Texas — April 25, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
Let’s all calm down and let the preseason play out. I think we have one hell of a front 7 being built right now. Still need an offensive tool to fill Gonzo’s shoes. Did anybody else notice the Browns took 2 WRs in the 2nd round and Mangini is in Cleveland who obviously knows Pioli….might be something in the cards tomorrow for Edwards????
Comment by Josh — April 25, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
I was not thrilled when they announced this pick, but I wasn’t excited when we drafted D-Bowe either. (I was hoping we would get Quinn). So I am willing to give the new regime the benefit of the doubt. The thing that concerns me the most is his fast rise right before the draft. Here’s hoping that we are all ignorant fans who are too passionate to think clearly.
Comment by chiefsfan88 — April 25, 2009 @ 10:31 pm
Every one keeps saying that pioli has something up his sleeve. The only thing up his sleeve is a tatoo of the patriots logo.
Comment by KP in AZ — April 25, 2009 @ 10:55 pm
“I had a 1340 on my SAT’s I am also an ASE certified Master Automobile Technician and more than likely have a nicer house, prettier wife, more money, and don’t need to bully people on the internet to make myself feel better about my essentially worthless existence”
Clearly….
Comment by nathanKent — April 26, 2009 @ 12:50 am
Does everyone now realize that we have a deffensive front that will feature 3, count them 3 first rounders?
t.hali #20 in 2006
g.dorsey #5 in 2008
And now t.jackson #3 in 2009
This should make for a dominate force in our division, possibly the entire NFL, but it has clearly NOT packed the punch in the past years as it should have. Lets just hope this t.jackson guy can bring them all together and our deffensive front can begin to produce like they should.
Comment by KC111110 — April 26, 2009 @ 1:18 am
What do we do with Tank Tyler? He actually fits better in the NT position based on size. Dorsey is said to fit better on a DE spot along with TJ in the 3-4. Also, speculation is that Hali will be a stand up OLB in the 3-4 and a down DE in the 4-3.
Whats everyones take on that?
Comment by Josh — April 26, 2009 @ 2:07 am
KANSAS CITY — There was no mistaking what Scott Pioli wanted to do with his first pick as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.
He wasn’t looking for a player who would be a sexy pick. He also claims he wasn’t looking to enhance his reputation as a master trader on draft day. Instead, Pioli only cared about finding a player who fit the image he has for this team. On Saturday afternoon, Pioli tried convincing everybody that LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson was that guy.
Of course, time will tell whether Jackson was worthy of being the third overall selection in the 2009 NFL draft. His stock clearly rose over the past few weeks, as he went from a mid- to late-first-round prospect to one with top-five potential. Pioli and new head coach Todd Haley obviously saw him as the most established defensive end in this year’s cop. And given the recent history of highly drafted defensive linemen who became busts in Kansas City, they had better be right with this guy.
Chiefs fans know all about disappointments like Ryan Sims, Junior Siavii and Eddie Freeman. They also are trying to be patient with defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who was taken fifth overall in the 2008 draft and produced a lackluster rookie campaign. Now they’ll put their faith in Jackson, a former college teammate of both Dorsey and Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe at LSU.
“This was difficult only in the sense that there were a number of great players there [at the third pick],” Pioli said. “We spent the past several days evaluating all these guys, but after all that, we felt [Jackson] was the one player we wanted most.”
Pioli said need really was the deciding factor in the Chiefs’ decision to select Jackson instead of a player like Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, who many analysts called the safest pick in this draft. The Chiefs want to transition to a 3-4 defense this season after years of playing a 4-3 scheme. They’ve already started amassing linebackers through free agency. The next step was fortifying a defensive line that didn’t have many prototypical 3-4 players in the fold when Pioli succeeded former general manager Carl Peterson.
The obvious benefit of the 6-foot-4, 295-pound Jackson is his versatility. He played defensive end in a 4-3 system at LSU, but the Chiefs think he’ll be equally comfortable playing over an offensive tackle in their 3-4 look. They also like Jackson’s ability to contribute on all three downs, especially since he can move to defensive tackle on passing downs.
“He’s a big, long, strong player who plays sideline to sideline,” Haley said. “Those guys don’t grow on trees.”
That comment ultimately sums up the key to the first draft pick of the Pioli era in Kansas City: The Chiefs selected a player who offers them rare opportunities on the field. The important thing at this stage is tempering the expectations that surely will be foisted upon Jackson once he hits town. After all, a player selected that high is supposed to make an immediate impact on the field. You’re talking about a player who likely will receive $30 million in guaranteed money once he signs.
Jackson obviously is anticipating big things, primarily because he’s being reunited with Dorsey.
“We won a national championship together and now our goal will be to win a Super Bowl together,” he said. But the fact remains that defensive linemen also need some time to adjust to life in the NFL. Most can dominate in college because they’re facing inferior athletes. Many learn that such advantages do not exist in the league.
In fact, Pioli pointed out that his former team, the New England Patriots, watched all three of their current star defensive linemen go through their own growing pains as rookies.
It happened to Pro Bowl end Richard Seymour. The same was true for fellow end Ty Warren and nose tackle Vince Wilfork. Those players didn’t really blossom in New England’s defense until their second and third years, and Pioli anticipates a similar career trajectory for Jackson.
Pioli also mentioned a recent conversation he had with former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, who traded up to select defensive tackle Russell Maryland first overall in the 1991 draft. Johnson explained how essential Maryland was to the Cowboys’ defensive dominance during their dynasty years in the 1990s. Pioli obviously hopes Jackson can have the same effect on the Chiefs’ defensive play in years to come.
“Getting the right guy to play our scheme is what we’re after,” Pioli said.
Still, the fact is that Jackson might never live up to the price tag that he’ll carry into the NFL. People will see all that guaranteed money and expect plenty of bang for that buck. They’ll want to see double-digit sack numbers, a bevy of tackles for losses. This is how the league works these days. What fans can see often matters far more than what players actually do.
At his best, Jackson will be a player who makes life easier for everybody around him. He’ll occupy blockers, control his gaps and do all the little things that rarely get noticed by the average fans.
“He has some pass rush skills, too,” Haley said. “He’ll be able to take advantage of some mismatches.”
So it should be interesting to see how Jackson develops in Kansas City. It also will be intriguing to learn how fans view this choice three years from now. At first glance, Pioli’s first draft pick in Kansas City couldn’t have inspired less buzz. What he has to hope now is that fans have the patience to see just where Jackson fits into the Chiefs’ master plan.
Senior writer Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
Comment by fromESPN Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for ESPN.com. — April 26, 2009 @ 2:20 am
Happy Day 2 My Friends…
Come on now….we got a big, tough, big, (did I say big) Hoss of an S.O.B.’ing DE yesterday! He’s a good ole country boy who plays every down, and if he’s not rushing the QB, he’s flustering him. Most of us wanted a DE instead of a LB, and that was before we scored Vrabel and Thomas! When asked what to do the minute after the last game last season and after the performance of our D we all said go D in the draft and we pretty much all said DE over LB.
It’s all good my friends, it’s all good:-) Maybe some of our expectations were too high…wanted a little more flash or something yesterday…I don’t know. But at least we got one pick in, the Cowboys and the Bears got nada.
We were the darlings of last year’s draft, and that’s just not the way it rolled this year. And that’s okay! We had more needs last year. I still want that Flowers jersey, and now I’m going to treat myself to it since I’m hanging up 88. (until the day he comes back with his head down and his tail between his legs)
I’m looking forward to today’s selections as well as our left over babybacks from yesterday:-)
Comment by Tammy H — April 26, 2009 @ 8:05 am
Tammy H – well said. It made me eat my words. I had high expectations and really wanted Curry. I hope everyone else against this pick see’s it also now.
Comment by Kcchiefs19692003 — April 26, 2009 @ 10:21 am
You could say whatever about C.P and H.E, but last year’s draft was way more exciting! and we got some good players! Albert, Dorsey, Charles, Flowers, and so on… All that crap we heard about working the draft???? meanwhile the Pats have like 6-7 extra picks and 2 extra picks in next year’s 2nd round?????? and we’re still just standing around…
I hope Pioli is the real thing… I was waiting for this weekend with huge anticipation…. Oh well…
Comment by Draftwoes!!! — April 26, 2009 @ 10:56 am
we no who ran things in new england
Comment by dirt — April 26, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
Draftwoes,
Get off the bandwagon then. Are you really kidding me…Remember Pioli got Vrabel and Cassel with this draft as well. Also, Pioli was handcuffed because of the sh*tty job CP and HE did the last two years. Nobody wants the first 4-5 picks. He obviously tried like hell to get out of it but when you don’t have a partner, you have to make a pick. Give the guy 3-4 years before you start judging him….by then I am sure you will be celebrating a couple division championships with me….
Comment by Josh — April 26, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
Well said Tammy and Draftwoes. Jackson was obviously the man they wanted and they tried to get him later in the draft, but it didn’t work. They still got the man they wanted. Jackson is considered the best DE for a 3-4 in the draft. He was also cosidered a top 5 pick by some. I don’t have a problem with this pick.
Hopefully, we’ll be picking last next year!
Comment by Jeff in VA — April 26, 2009 @ 6:12 pm
right on josh…….everyone is forgetting about our 2nd round pick, Cassel AND Vrabel. And I don’t think that Pioli’s “horse trading” is over yet. Let just see what he brings to camp.
Comment by dennis — April 26, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
Really we didnt have good spot in round one jackson might be a good player i think he will be but this draft i think is poor Edwards draft last year was great. outside the 1st pick that we reached for but we couldnt trade out so we had to this draft is poor but on the bright side this was a weak draft and the draft next year is stronger and we have a extra pick in round 2 next year
Comment by dirt — April 26, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
LOL
Out with pioli and haley. WE neeeeed an new general manager and head coach after one draft.
I remember last year we got an A on our draft from the “experts”. That gave us a 2 and 14 record.
WE all got what we wanted. A new staff and a new GM. A new direction.
After one off season and one draft everyone is already doing the same stuff they always do, cry and say how bad everything is.
Message boards are pointless. It dosent matter what its about or where it is its always the same.
You all want what you dont have, then if you get it you dont want it anymore.
Im just going to watch an cheer for my chiefs. Thats all i can do. All this doom and gloom is retarted.
Comment by GoogleyMoogley — April 26, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
realize that we drafted for need, not for the best player available. I was surprised we couldn’t get out of the pick, but I do think that he will work the best for us. Why pick someone that will not even fit into our system??? Even if he is a great player.
Comment by bill — April 27, 2009 @ 7:14 am
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PICK HES HUGE PERFECT FOR THE 3-4 PIOLI KNOWS HOW TO DRAFT,I LOVE IT THE ONLY REASON PEOPLE ARE MAD IS BECAUSE HE DOESN’T HAVE THE NAME OF AARON CURRY,BUT HONESTLY EVERYONE KNOWS WE NEEDED HELP ON OUR D-LINE.
Comment by king Chris — April 27, 2009 @ 10:47 am
These draft grades trip me out. I have a question. Why dont all the ones who are grading these drafts have a GM job? Belichick had a lot to work with. We started the draft with limited options. What Belichick has as far as the draft picks did not happen in one season. Im not saying this is a bad draft but Belichick had bad drafts too. Its not like every draft he had was gold. Take a look at his 2002 draft picks. Daniel Graham (round 1), Deion Branch (round 2), Rohan Davey (round 4), Jarvis Green (round 4), Antwoine Womack (round 7), David Givens (round 7). All but Graham is no longer with the team. And here is where the fun begin. He developed Deion Branch into a good receiver and got draft picks for him. Thats is where Belichick makes his money. Just like he did Cassel. Personnel for picks and then a pick for a combination of picks. What middle age player on the Chiefs roster is worth a pick. And please save the LJ stuff. Teams will not give enough for him. I think we will build his draft stock this year and trade him in the off season for a second or third. Right now he is worth a 6th or 7th to teams.
Comment by JRock in Texas — April 27, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
A lot of you have good points about TJ and about how he “fits” for us. I am in agreeance that he does “fit” for us, but I am still concerned that we need more LB help. We can’t get Curry and TJ, so we took the one that plugs in better for us. Fine. Now… who is going to rush off of the edge where TJ is at? Seems like it would either be Vrable or DJ (if he gets his ass in gear).
We still need LB help people and hopefully we get another playmaker there. It was unfortunate that all of those guys that kept falling (Mauluga, Barwin, Lauranitis) didn’t fall far enough to our 3rd round pick, but maybe this Alex Magee dude will be better in the long run as apparently he has some DE and FB experience too so he is versatile.
Honestly, we need more firepower for next year’s draft and our 2nd second round pick will help. I just hope we aren’t all crying for Tony if our passing game is terrible.
Comment by RedNGold4LIFE — April 27, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
i think hali might actually improve when hes standing up. Def not a factor in coverage but absolutely running in on standing still or occupied tackles. Hes not a bad tackler so he can stop sweeps and pitches. DJ and Zach in the middle with Vrabel on the outside with Beisel and Williams as rotation and backups i think were ok untill next year. Hopefully then we can look more toward grabbing sexy picks as opposed to desperate needs.
Comment by Bashman — April 27, 2009 @ 6:09 pm
Hali is surprisingly good in short drop coverage. It’s not his strong suit, but don’t discount his ability to shut down a short pass in the flat.
Comment by nathanKent — April 27, 2009 @ 8:38 pm
If Hali can adjust, we could really use the help. We might have a decent line if he becomes the leader we need in front. He seems like he would be quick enough to be the “extra” rusher off of one side and we could use him kinda like a Terrell Suggs for pass/rush pressure coming off the horn. This would be a scenario where Dosey, Tyler/Edwards, and TJ are starting like analysts are projecting.
This sucks.. who knows whats going to happen to Dorsey now. He is gonna have to step it up the most just to find a spot for them to play him at!!
Comment by RedNGold4LIFE — April 28, 2009 @ 8:48 am
Well I know we passed on the best linebacker in the draft but now its time to go get one and LARRY FOOTE could be available here soon Pittsburg is planning on cutting him to save money.
Comment by Justin — April 28, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
So now if we go to a 3-4 our entire starting defensive line will be 1st round picks. Sounds promising.
Comment by PJ — May 1, 2009 @ 3:21 pm