KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Predictably, new Chiefs general manager John Dorsey wasn't about to reveal his plan for the Chiefs' No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft.
But those Chiefs fans clamoring for Dorsey to pick a quarterback with either that first pick or with subsequent picks should know that Dorsey's former team, the Green Bay Packers, weren't shy about selecting quarterbacks.
Dorsey, the former director of college scouting and of football operations for the Packers, was introduced Monday to the Kansas City media at the team's training facility outside of Arrowhead Stadium.
Dorsey insisted he and coach Andy Reid will take “the best player available” with the team's No. 1 overall pick, a philosophy that the Packers rigidly employed during his nearly 20 years in Green Bay.
“We won't just draft out of need,” Dorsey said. “I'll give you an example. When we drafted Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, we already had a pretty good quarterback named Brett Favre. Maybe some other teams would have passed over (Rodgers) given the situation. But he was the best player on our board.”
But while scouting for the Packers, Dorsey was instrumental in the team drafting numerous quarterbacks. Even the acquisition of Favre in 1992 in a trade with Atlanta came about because of favorable scouting reports from the previous draft when the Falcons took him ahead of the Packers.
In subsequent years, the Packers also drafted Ty Detmer, Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck, Aaron Brooks, Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Brian Brohm, and, last year, B.J. Coleman.
“The quarterback is a very important position on any team,” Dorsey said.
And it is has been the weakest link on the Chiefs for many years, though Dorsey would not answer questions about the Chiefs' present quarterback situation, which consists of benched starter Matt Cassel, unrestricted free-agent Brady Quinn and Ricky Stanzi.
“Let me assess the situation and I will get back to you,” Dorsey said. “In the next few days, I will sit down with the coaching staff and Coach Reid and our personnel people and we will look at everything.”
It seems probable, though, that Reid and Dorsey will draft one, possibly two, quarterbacks to stockpile a thin position.
Dorsey did caution, though, that this year's draft won't be anything like last year's when several quarterbacks not only were drafted, but became highly-productive starters, such as Robert Griffin, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson.
“Last year's quarterback class was a one-in-30-year class,” Dorsey said. “You just don't see that many guys come out and make the transition that quickly.”
A watered-down quarterback class could lead Dorsey to finding a quarterback through free-agency or trade. And already rumors have started that Dorsey may be interested in Flynn, a former Packer.
Flynn was signed by the Seahawks prior to last season, and Seattle general manager John Schneider is another former Packers scout who is close friends with Dorsey.
Obviously, though, Dorsey wasn't about to tip his hand.
“We haven't even remotely begun to draw out any scenarios,” Dorsey said.
But Dorsey, who scouted Flynn before he was drafted by the Packers, is a fan of Flynn's.
“He's a good quarterback,” Dorsey said. “He has a winning attitude. I admire him.”
Dorsey said he would quickly get up to speed on the Chiefs' roster and on the team's needs with Reid.
But it became evident at Monday's press conference that Dorsey would be in charge of all roster decisions and draft choices. That was contrary to widespread reports two weeks ago that Reid wanted, and would get, almost complete control of roster decisions in Kansas City.
“It's paramount that a general manager and the coach be on the same page,” Dorsey said. “But that means discussions, not debate.”
Asked who would have final say on draft day on whom the Chiefs will select, Dorsey didn't hesitate.
“Who has final say in the draft room? I do,” Dorsey said. “Now, I will say that once your draft selection comes up, your facts will make the pick. You have already had the discussions leading up to that.”
