Chiefs hope for another Fujita

K.C. picks four linemen, defensive back in Day 2

? The Kansas City Chiefs took two offensive and two defensive linemen and a defensive back in the final rounds of the draft Sunday– and hoped they were lucky enough to find another Scott Fujita.

Fujita was the unheralded linebacker from California taken in the fifth round last year who quickly cracked the starting lineup and showed signs of star potential.

“One of the things that impressed me about Scott Fujita was the minute he walked in the door, he was in that weight room, the video room,” Chiefs president Carl Peterson said Sunday. “This guy has a commitment you could recognize above some other people.

“Hopefully, we found one or two of those guys in the second day, as well as the first day.”

In the fourth and fifth rounds Sunday, the Chiefs took tackles Brett Williams, 6-foot-5, 321 pounds, of Florida State, and Jordan Black, 6-5, 314, of Notre Dame.

Jimmy Wilkerson, an All-Big 12 Conference defensive end from Oklahoma who started football as a high school quarterback, went to the Chiefs in round No. 6.

With two picks in the seventh (final) round, the Chiefs took defensive tackle Montique Sharpe, 6-2, 296, from Wake Forest, and Willie Pile, a safety who had 14 career interceptions at Virginia Tech.

With the all-important pick in the first round Saturday, the Chiefs took Penn State running back Larry Johnson, a 2,000-yard rusher who provides insurance if Priest Holmes fails to recover fully from his knee injury or holds out for more money.

Also Saturday, the Chiefs took linebacker Kawika Mitchell of South Florida in the second round and defensive back Julian Battle of Tennessee in the third.

“There’s going to be somebody come in and really surprise us,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “And there’s going to be somebody come in and really disappoint us. That’s the way drafts normally are.”

Despite the Chiefs’ 8-8 record last year, Mitchell may be the only one with even a decent chance of winning a starting job as a rookie.

“We’re basically drafting backup players right now,” Peterson said. “Certainly, we have to have some of these guys in one or two or three years take over as starters for guys who will be plateauing and moving on or whatever. But they’ve got to establish themselves and find a way to make the 53-man roster at the conclusion of training camp.”

Neither Williams nor Black will be expected to make an immediate impact on an offensive line that sailed through last season with hardly a bruise and paved the way for the most prolific offense in team history.

“Obviously, we addressed an area where we think we have some need in a backup capacity,” Peterson said. “From a quality-depth position on our offensive line, they have legitimate chances to upgrade it.”

Some scouting services had projected Williams as a possible second-round pick.

“There were some concerns about some injuries, so that made me drop down lower,” Williams said. “I played 14 games this year with no problems, and I see no problems in the future.”

He described the injuries as “just minor stuff,” but he likes the idea of joining a team with three Pro Bowl offensive linemen.

“Just coming to a team that has the tradition for having a good offensive line raises the bar and the expectations for me. I have to live up to that,” he said.

Wilkerson, 6-2, 271, had 46 tackles and six sacks for the Sooners last year as a junior.