Dec 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) warms up prior the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl against the Syracuse Orange at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback Alex Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs so that the Chiefs could position for a run in a competitive division.  They have six Pro Bowlers on their roster, they retained a number of quality starters, they positioned themselves well in free agency, and the Smith trade gave them a leg up in the quarterback mess that lower-end teams seem to get lost in.

So why are they all of a sudden interested in West Virginia QB Geno Smith?  Can he really be that good?  Well, according to Arrowhead Addict, the Chiefs are “fascinated” by Smith.  But it isn’t just editor Patrick Allen’s opinion either, Ian Rappoport gets in on the action and adds:

Chiefs scouts are deep in the process of evaluating Smith, and the word is they are fascinated by him. One scout compared the way he moves to a young Donovan McNabb, raving about how he’s thrown the ball in his workouts. Though they did trade for 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, the team wouldn’t think twice about having Geno Smith on the bench behind Alex Smith for a short amount of time if he were determined to be the top overall player.

When Dorsey was in Green Bay, the team did the same with Aaron Rodgers, who sat for three seasons behind Brett Favre.

While the analysis is sound, if speculative and a little wishful, I don’t see the Chiefs taking Smith.  I do, however, see them hyping him in order to leverage a trade.  A trade that could leave the Jacksonville Jaguars out in the cold as they look to improve what they have at the quarterback position.

The Chiefs have the ability to leverage their number one pick for Geno Smith much more than the Jags have the ability to leverage their number two pick.  If the Chiefs do manage to convince another team that they are going for Smith, then the Jaguars will likely have to fill another need – of which there are many – at number two overall.  Maybe the Chiefs simply do love Smith to go behind Alex Smith.  Alex Smith is certainly not Brett Favre, so it would put some pressure on them to get things right early.  We’ll know more as the NFL Draft gets closer.

- Luke N. Sims

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Two fundamentally different regimes. One believes that they are only a few pieces away. They have been very aggressive in free agency. I am of course speaking of the Kansas City Chiefs. Here is a list of their moves in no particular order:

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

• Traded for QB Alex Smith
• Signed WR Dwayne Bowe
• OT Branden Albert franchised
• Signed CB Dunta Robinson
• Signed TE Anthony Fasano
• Signed QB Chase Daniel
• Signed WR Donnie Avery
• Signed DE Mike DeVito
• Signed CB Sean Smith
• Signed P Dustin Colquitt

Andy Reid is building The Dream Team Part Deuce and my goodness it’s impressive. Players lost (in no particular order):

• QB Matt Cassel (released, signed with Minnesota)
• OT Eric Winston (released)
• WR Steve Breaston (released)
• DE Glenn Dorsey (signed with 49ers)
• TE Kevin Boss (released)

They were able to add pieces at premium positions. Kansas City is taking a win now approach, and who can argue about the bevy of players they have signed? The Chiefs went big, and with the number one overall pick in this year’s draft, look out!

The Jaguars are…well…doing the exact opposite. They are building for the long term, and believe that a team is better built via the draft and college free agency using FA as a supplement only. Here is a list of their moves (in no particular order)

• Signed LB Geno Hayes

That is the only free agent the Jaguars have signed so far, but it’s a possibility they sign more. They’ll almost have to, but it won’t be a big splash like the Chiefs have made.

Following is a list of players lost:

Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

• WR Laurent Robinson (waived)
• S Dawaan Landry (released)
• CB Rashean Mathis (not offered contract)
• CB Derek Cox (signed with Chargers)
• DT Terrance Knighton (signed with Broncos)
• CB Aaron Ross (released then signed with Giants)

To be fair to both teams, I’m not including all the free agents that both the Jaguars and Chiefs will let walk. The Chiefs signed a few and are letting a number hit the free market and I know Jacksonville is letting all of theirs go. I’m not including more possible cuts either (see Cassel, Matt 3/14).

Jacksonville is planning on building through the draft, and I’m sure Kansas City is as well. Kansas City, however, is built to win now. Can they sustain long term success while accomplishing short term goals? It will definitely be interesting to see.

Some teams go heavy in FA while others rely more on the draft. All teams do both, and both are important. It’s just there’s no denying that some front offices have a particular preference over the other.

The Jaguars will have to draft not just effectively, but brilliantly.

So really what I’m getting at is which is more effective? Free agency or the draft? We won’t be able to tell with either team until about 3-4 years down the road, but it will certainly be interesting to see. I know that a lot can happen in that time span. Maybe the Jaguars become active in the free agency frenzy one year. Who knows? Both teams will have to stay on their current path for this “experiment” to work. If KC remain FA big money ballers and if JAX stays on the draft and develop course, then this has all the makings of being the best tortoise and hare story ever told.

-David R. Johns

Feb 24, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith (13) participates in a passing drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

There will be a lot of speculation about the Jacksonville Jaguars going after West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith with the second overall selection in April’s draft now that the Kansas City Chiefs have announced a trade for Alex Smith.  Take this as what it is, speculation.  I think it is beyond simply speculation about what the Jags will do with their pick, and speculation about how GM Dave Caldwell sees the team’s priorities.

The Jags’ number two pick is not the most valuable commodity on the market and it is now possible that a team leapfrogs them to trade with the Chiefs if they so favor Smith.  The Jaguars need to think about what they can do with pick number two in all possibilities.  Smith is just one option in a multitude of defensive tackle, defensive end, cornerback, and offensive linemen possibilities.  The odds don’t seem to be in his favor.

The Jags have a lot of holes right now and the team may not be in favor of trying of spending their top pick on a player who is so close, in terms of skill level, to his draft counterparts.  The best value seems to be waiting until the 4-5 round for Arizona QB Matt Scott.

That said, Smith could be the trade bait the Jags have been hoping for.  If the Chiefs opt to go after left tackle Luke Joeckel, then the second overall pick becomes a whole lot more valuable.  Teams like the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills may try to out-position each other.  Unfortunately, we likely won’t know any of this until draft day.

Smith would be a big intrigue for the open quarterback competition planned this offseason.  Do the Jags think he’s so much better than someone like Scott that he’s worth using the second overall pick for?  I don’t think so.  We’ll have to wait and see.

- Luke N. Sims

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You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims