Well, they have within reason. Alabama Guard Chance Warmack would be a welcome addition anywhere, but you just don’t take a guard #1 overall. If I were their GM, I would certainly consider it with the rookie wage scale intact as I believe him to be the top player overall. Because of that very rookie wage scale, yes, I’d at least consider it. Word is he’s a once-in-a-decade guard.

But he’s still a guard.

Oklahoma LT Lane Johnson seems head and shoulders the best big-school athlete at the position and could wind up being the best professional tackle in the group, but he’s relatively inexperienced at the position.

More and more I hear Star Lotulelei’s name being talked about at the top, despite the heart issues. People are just assuming he’s fine and that will be that. We all hope that will be the case, and Andy Reid adores his defensive blankie tackle lineman Fletcher Cox like Star Lotulelei if he does check out healthy with the doctors.

Whether Reid runs a 3-4 or some wide-tackle-nine defense, Lotulelei at nose tackle would let loose a 350-pound defensive end if you put Dontari Poe there and have former top-five pick Tyson Jackson at the other end. Yet another top-five pick, “bust” Glenn Dorsey, may be released any day and take his correspondingly high pre-cap salary with him.

Jan 26, 2013; Mobile, AL, USA; Senior Bowl south squad offensive lineman Lane Johnson of Oklahoma (69) against the Senior Bowl north squad during the second half of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The South squad defeated the North squad 21-16. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Even so, drafting Lotulelei would suddenly give the Chiefs a defensive line that looks nearly as mean as when the Ravens put Haloti Ngata at end.

It’s a very tempting choice from the strategic point of view as well as the tactical. They’ve eliminated the need to overreach for West Virginia QB Geno Smith now while keeping Alex Smith’s blind side well-protected with a dangerous running back in Jamaal Charles behind him. Though the offensive line could use some help, keeping Albert was key.

Another real option is to draft another offensive tackle and that would be Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M. He was Johnny Football’s blindside bud for the QB’s Heisman campaign last year and held up well under the pressure of the defenses of the SEC last year. While he lacks Lane Johnson’s athletic ability, he’d be perfectly suited to come in and start on the right side to give them “bookend” tackles and nearly complete the offensive transformation…

…or perhaps by then, Johnson could be the guy. It appears he has the highest ceiling of the tackles and he could learn the NFL tackle position for a year on the right side and be used as contract leverage with Albert next season.

Stranger things have happened. The Miami Dolphins got Jonathan Martin – Andrew Luck’s blindside protector at Stanford – and started him at right tackle, probably ushering out LT Jake Long this year. Whether it’s Joeckel, Johnson or whomever else at the tackle position, the die for next season will have been cast.

If Andy Reid has final say, it looks like in the end the choice could be the Utah Ute star, Star Lotulelei, Major Major.

Roger, Over. Over…Dunn.

Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye

Or have they?

At first glance, you might look at the Chiefs’ slapping the “franchise” tag on Albert and say “Aha, well they don’t need a left tackle then after all.”

You would be right. They don’t now.

So what about other choices?

Certainly, any number of young men at other positions would help this K.C. team without really being much of a “reach.” There simply is no clear-cut guy or group of guys you can say are absolutely top-pick material.

If you look at the situation, a nose tackle for that 3-4 defense is being bandied about. Andy Reid, the new coach for KC after a dozen years as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, used to get a defensive lineman with his first-round pick six times. Reid’s well-known for his love of drafting defensive lineman, but which one would it be?

August 18, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Glenn Dorsey (72) sprays water on his face before a game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Where would Dontari Poe fit in? That 3-4 defense has 2 top-five overall draft picks in ends Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. Watch very closely what the team does with Dorsey. He’s a free agent and wasn’t in the headlines with Bowe and Dorsey is largely thought of as a bust. He’ll definitely be making less money than his original 5-year $51 million deal wherever he plays, KC or not.

Just be sure and pay special attention in the news for his name mentioned before March 12th. If he is re-signed for whatever amount, a top pick from any DL spot would seem unlikely. If he’s let go as a free agent, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will draft a defensive lineman, despite Andy Reid’s preference.

It just means that Star Lotuleilei’s heart status needs to be checked out and that he work out well at Utah’s pro day on March 20th. Keep an eye on that.

As for ends, I just don’t see a 3-4 end that merits a #1 overall pick, partly due to positional value (the LBs do the tackling in the 3-4, in general), and partly because I’m not sure the talent is there in this crop for a #1. The 2013 version of the NFL draft is deep in good talent on the defensive line but nobody stands out head and shoulders above another there. Then again, with Andy Reid and his “wide-tackle nine” defense, I’m not quite sure what they’ll do.

Still, maybe too risky – you can’t “J-Marc” a top pick and recover too well from it.

The safest pick is Chance Warmack of Alabama, but positional value nearly forbids it. He’s an outstanding player at offensive guard and I’ve said since day one he’s the best overall football player in this year’s draft. If he’s not an All-Pro someday, he should still make the Pro Bowl at some point – that’s the projection on him.

Oct 7, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Chris Crocker (33) celebrates with Jake Long (77) after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Interesting Dilemma for sure, but there’s another thing.

As many of you know, I had been a Miami Dolphins fan before the Carolina Panthers were born in the 90′s, and they’re still my favorite AFC team. I remember them since before the days of Dan Marino, but it was Marino who really pulled in my interest in the NFL for good.

They have a similar situation at the LT position this year as KC may be trying to set up for next year. They have a rookie RT they used when they drafted Andrew Luck’s blind side protector from Stanford last year in the second round. He had fallen to them and they had a need on a couple of levels for a good tackle so they grabbed him.

This season, they’re using him as leverage in contract talks with former #1 draft pick, LT Jake Long. Long has had some issues after a great first couple of seasons and has seen his share of injuries in the last two seasons.

Branden Albert has, too. I am now thinking that KC plans to draft an offensive lineman (sorry, coach Reid) to serve several needs.

One, they can probably go ahead and start him on the right side of the line. With more and more emphasis on the passing game these days, so-called “bookend” tackles are no longer seen so much as a luxury as they are a necessity.

Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel, then?

Ehh…probably, but not necessarily.

Joeckel’s a fine tackle but ran a 5.30-40 at the NFL Combine. No, 40-times really aren’t relevant for tackles in and of themselves, but it does show he’s not a great athlete.

The guy that intrigues me the most is Oklahoma LT Lane Johnson, but the knock on him is his inexperience. He ran the second-fastest time of any LT with an incredible 4.72 in the 40. Again, not useful…other than to demonstrate his own athletic prowess. He only had 28 bench reps, so when he gets into an NFL weight program, he’ll add some strength. I think he may have the highest ceiling over time of any of this year’s group, but it could be a few years before he blossoms.

Being unable to find a probable suitor for their top pick, we will all have K.C. under the microscope to try and dissect the details.

Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye

Yesterday, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49′ers agreed to terms that will send the Niners’ veteran QB to Andy Reid’s Chiefs. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported the Niners get in return a second-round draft pick in 2013 and a conditional draft pick in 2014.

No trades can become official until March 12th, the first day of the free agent signing period.

Smith’s talents would seem to fit Andy Reid’s west coast offense. He does not have great arm strength, but has developed into a very accurate short to intermediate range passer that makes few mistakes – something Reid will find a welcome change after coaching the mistake-prone Michael Vick in Reid’s final season in Philadelphia last year.

The Chiefs were probably one of the best-ever 2-14 teams in 2011, although that’s hardly a ringing endorsement of their team. However, they have a coach with a proven track record. Reid never did win a Super Bowl, but at one point in his career when Donovan McNabb was in his prime, they went to 4 consecutive NFC Championship games, winning one.

That lone win was in Terrell Owens’ short tenure with the team. Owens had an ankle injury for the Super Bowl but played anyway and had over 100 yards receiving during the game, but ultimately his sideline hi-jinks and motor mouth made him unwelcome in Philadelphia after a very short time.

Andy Reid is one of the better coaches for quarterbacks, but Jim Harbaugh, a 15-year NFL veteran of the position, indeed does seem to have a knack for bringing out the best in his QBs in his own short head coaching tenure on the NFL level.

He also coached Andrew Luck at Stanford, so he has developed several QBs and improved their on-field performance.

It appears KC’s current QB, Matt Cassel, will be released to the scrap heap of career backup-dom as it were.

Now, keep your ears and eyes open to see if the Niners decide to pursue disgruntled cornerback Darrelle Revis.