KANSAS CITY - The Kansas City Chiefs attempted to shore up their porous offensive line by selecting Mitch Morse from nearby Missouri with their second-round pick in Friday night's NFL draft.
The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Morse played center and guard for the Tigers before shifting to right tackle in 2013 and left tackle last year. He could play any of those positions for the Chiefs, but he is likely to shift to center, where Rodney Hudson signed with Oakland in free agency.
"If I have to move back to that position, I'll be just fine," Morse said. "I had a lot of game-time experience at center, if that's where the Kansas City Chiefs need me to play."
The Chiefs also had needs at wide receiver and inside linebacker, but runs at both positions early in the second round left the Chiefs with taking the best player on their board.
It wound up being a local player, too. Morse has family in Kansas City.
The selection caught even Morse by surprise. He admitted he didn't think he would be picked as high as No. 49 overall, and certainly not by the Chiefs. They interviewed him at the scouting combine but hadn't been in contact in the lead-up to the draft.
Asked whether he remembered his conversations with the Chiefs, Morse replied: "Man, I was so star-struck at the combine I was just trying to make a good impression."