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2015 NFL Mock Draft: Kansas City Chiefs Select OT Ereck Flowers at No. 18

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

With the No. 18 pick in the DBN 2015 NFL Mock Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select...

Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami

The selection and write-up were made by JamesPowell:

Nearly every article discussing Kansas City's draft priorities mentions that in 2014, no Kansas City wide receiver caught a touchdown pass. It's a strange statistic, but it must mean something, right? More obvious is that the Chiefs only wider receiver with more than 30 catches, Dwayne Bowe, is gone.  So why go with an offensive lineman?

First, the WRs remaining on the board don't strike me as 1st round talent. Second, the Chiefs' need to upgrade the offensive line is even more crucial.  An offense depends on the health of its QB and Alex Smith was tied for 4th most sacked in 2014.  And Jamaal Charles isn't going to be making the pick, but he has weighed in with the late-in-career observation that he needs lineman to be successful.  Although Andy Reid and GM John Dorsey may not appreciate his input, it is unquestionable that without a running game, the Chiefs' offense goes nowhere. It has become the consensus that having a star running back is not as important as it once was, an effective running game remains essential. Just ask Pete Carroll.

Ereck Flowers is the OT in this draft most likely to have immediate positive impact for the Chiefs. At 6'-6" and 329 lbs, Flowers has the ideal size and the strength to go with it - He led all OLs at the Combine with 37 reps in the  bench press.  Every scouting report notes that Flowers has a mean streak. He loves to dominate and hates to lose the battles in the trenches. His combination of agility and strength makes him a good fit for the Chiefs' zone blocking system.

Every scouting report also notes that his pass-blocking "needs work" or is "a work in progress." He has also shown that he is can learn. He is only 20 years old - he has shown he can learn. His pass-blocking improved each year. He has a very good upside.

Given his limitations on pass blocking, he is not a candidate to start at LOT in his rookie year, but he will be a definite upgrade and should be a superb right tackle. If he pans out as I expect, Jamaal Charles will be happy and Alex Smith will be healthy.

The second offensive lineman goes off the board at No. 18, and I think the Chiefs are more likely to be successful on offense this year with a tough running game than a miracle resurgence in the passing game.

The Cleveland Browns are up next, led by Royce Groff.

2015 DBN Community Mock Draft Results (so far)

Pick Team Player Position School Username
1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jameis Winston QB Florida State BuenosAires_Dawg
2 Tennessee Titans Marcus Mariota
QB
Oregon
scott tizzle
3 Jacksonville Jaguars Vic Beasley
DE/OLB
Clemson
Legoman0721
4 Oakland Raiders Amari Cooper
WR
Alabama
makeaplay59
5 Washington Redskins Leonard Williams
DE
USC
michael.hamper
6 New York Jets Dante Fowler
OLB
Florida
aszabo1
7 Chicago Bears Kevin White
WR
West Virginia
Barnestorm
8 Atlanta Falcons Melvin Gordon
RB
Wisconsin
OhioCityBrownsBeliever
9 New York Giants Randy Gregory
DE
Nebraska
Bizono
10 St. Louis Rams DeVante Parker
WR
Louisville
Ted Washington's Belly
11 Minnesota Vikings Trae Waynes
CB
Michigan St.
MConley17
12 Cleveland Browns Bud Dupree
OLB
Kentucky
Adam Rice
13 New Orleans Saints Shane Ray
DE/OLB
Missouri
TuckJob
14 Miami Dolphins Arik Armstead
DT
Oregon
Brocolis154033
15 San Francisco 49ers Brandon Scherff
OL
Iowa
Manly and Loving It
16 Houston Texans Brett Hundley
QB
UCLA
troy145
17 San Diego Chargers Malcom Brown
DT
Texas
Crawford_T
18 Kansas City Chiefs Ereck Flowers
OT
Miami
JamesPowell
19 Cleveland Browns


Royce Groff
20 Philadelphia Eagles


Matt Wood
21 Cincinnati Bengals


styrofoamboots
22 Pittsburgh Steelers


Marquess of Rockingham
23 Detroit Lions


tmptplayer
24 Arizona Cardinals


a2342432a
25 Carolina Panthers


PaduaDSP
26 Baltimore Ravens


unoservix
27 Dallas Cowboys


Twilightcall06
28 Denver Broncos


Maverick Hunter X
29 Indianapolis Colts


Mudville
30 Green Bay Packers


syndrome
31 New Orleans Saints


pt_999
32 New England Patriots


stravaille