Well, this was a pleasant surprise.  Not much had been written about Colin before the draft and while I assumed he’d get an NFL shot, I thought it’d be the free agent route.  Colin was surprised when his phone rang during the fifth round.  The Chiefs, my adopted hometown team but not a team I root for, made Colin their fourth pick in the draft and their only drafted offensive lineman.  This on a team that needs help on the line.

My adeptitude at analyzing the strengths and weaknesses  of offensive line play is, to put it nicely, lacking.  I see big guys running in to each other.  Over and over.  I only think of the guys in the offensive trenches when they get called for holding.  So, while I’m glad Colin will be on TV in my local market, I am fairly certain I’ll only notice when he screws up. 

As opposed to the first four Tigers taken who I can all but guarantee will make the NFL roster, Colin is on the bubble.  It helps that the Chiefs need help and that Colin was the only lineman drafted.   Probably puts his chances of sticking at greater than 60%, but fifth round picks get cut all the time.   Also, I feel pretty good about his chances if only because Scott Pioli has a reputation of finding gems in later rounds (I don’t know if this reputation is really deserved, but I’m going with it). 

Colin played RT at Mizzou and played it well.  I think.  His name didn’t get mentioned a whole lot, so I can only assume he was pretty good.  He’s goddam big enough to play in the NFL.  Listed at 6-7, 335 by the NFL, he’s got the tackle size the NFL pursues.   Here he is playing Skipper to Maclin’s Gilligan.

Big fellow.  Here are Colin’s new teammates that will not be as excited as I am about him being a Chief.

• Branden Albert, LT, second year player out of Virginia.  Albert was the Chiefs’ second first round pick in ‘08 and has a strangle hold on starting LT. 
• Herb Taylor, LT, third year guy out of TCU.  He was taken in the sixth round in 2007 and is currently listed as Albert’s backup.  He played in all 16 games in ‘08.
• Damion McIntosh, RT, ten year player out of K-State.  This first stringer is tiny at 6-4, 300.   He’s also 32 years old and from Jamaica.  He was a starting LT for 8 years in the NFL until he switched to RT last year.   He’s had himself a decent if unspectacular Pro Bowl-free career. 
• Barry Richardson, RT, second year player out of Clemson who has barely seen the field.  Listed second on the depth chart, he was an undrafted free agent last year.
• The Chiefs signed Mike Goff from the Chargers, who is now listed as the starter at RG.  He’s started for many years, but he’s no Pro-Bowler.  
• The other starting guard, Brian Waters, is a Pro-Bowler. 

Colin Brown certainly has a chance to wedge his way onto the roster as a RT and to, hopefully, work his way into the rotation.   The Chiefs will know soon if Colin is their man as the knock on him was that he wouldn’t be able to get his enormous frame out the three-point stance fast enough.  Rememeber, Tiger offensive linemen aren’t asked to do such things.  I am guessing Pioli and his boys saw enough of Colin in the all-star game and pro days to believe this is not a problem.  I hope so.

The kid works hard.  He came to Mizzou as a walk-on and ended as a two-year starter.  He has a chance to make some noise with the Chiefs this year.  It’s good that he’s Pioli’s guy – the rest of the dreck are holdovers from a tired regime.  Guys like Pioli like their guys. 

Once the Chiefs cut Will Franklin I thought I’d tune them out for another year.  But with Colin Brown on the team…. well, I will look for him and I’ll root for him, but I won’t really know what I’m seeing.