Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
The Chiefs have one choice in the wake of their trade of Jared Allen to Minnesota on Tuesday night -- they have to make the right moves in this weekend's draft.
Let's get it out of the way: Trading Allen wasn't the best move for the organization. Kansas City should have found a way to make Allen want to stay there and sign him to a long-term deal. He is 26, he is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in sacks and he is a team leader. Even though the Chiefs are rebuilding, Allen is the perfect building block.
But with it feeling like it had to make a deal, Kansas City has to make it pay off. The Chiefs can make it work by doing the right thing in the first round and that's getting help on both sides of the ball.
Assuming Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is off the board when the Chiefs pick fifth, they should address their new hole on the defensive line and take the best defensive lineman available. One player of this threesome -- Virginia defensive end Chris Long, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston or LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey -- should be available. The Chiefs need to take whoever of this group is there.
With its second pick, the No. 17 acquired from the Vikings, the Chiefs need to fill their gaping hole at offensive tackle. It won't be a surprise if the run of offensive linemen is delayed some, so the Chiefs should be able to find a decent play at No. 17, perhaps Boise State's Ryan Clady, Vanderbilt's Chris Williams or Pitt's Jeff Otah. The Chiefs may have to trade up from No. 17 to get one of their favorite offensive linemen -- Virginia's Branden Albert, perhaps -- but they now have the ammunition.
If the Chiefs can snare a top defensive lineman and a top offensive lineman in the first round, it will be the first step toward rectifying the mistake of letting go of Allen.
