Dominate the Super Bowl

Harbaugh appreciated Li Wei, and genuinely believed Li Wei could make a place for himself in the League; the Baltimore Ravens could use such a player. However, the issue was what they could afford to give up for a running back—that was the stark reality they had to consider.

Although reluctant to admit, Harbaugh had to show the determination of a head coach—

Instead of spending a lot on a running back, it would be better to pick several defensive players and continue to refine the Baltimore Ravens' defensive lineup.

Of course, if it were Baltimore's turn and Li Wei was still not selected, Harbaugh would not hesitate to use the first-round pick to choose Li Wei.

At least, Li Wei deserved a first-round show.

About this, Harbaugh and team manager Newsome had already reached a consensus, but reason was one thing and emotions were another. Harbaugh still couldn't resist wanting to watch Li Wei's game footage, as a final lingering thought.

Then, "knock knock," after the knocking, the office door was pushed open directly.

"...Coach, Andy Reid is on line three."

Harbaugh and Newsome exchanged looks, Newsome's first reaction was, "Could he be preparing a trade?"

"It should be Brett who contacts you," Harbaugh had a different thought.

Brett Veach, Kansas City Chief's team manager—negotiating trade picks should be a manager's job, not something a head coach should handle, after all, their professional fields are different.

Harbaugh didn't say much else, picked up the receiver, and directly pressed the number three button, "Hey, coach, a beautiful morning."

"Hehe, John, a busy morning," came Reid's hearty laugh.

Harbaugh made a casual remark, "What made you suddenly decide to call me, coach?"

Reid did not beat around the bush, "John, what do you think of Li Wei?"

"What?" Harbaugh was surprised.

Reid just laughed out loud, "I've heard it. I'm not asking about any scouting reports or physical data, I know your scouts have followed the Crimson Tide Storm all season, what is Li Wei like privately?"

Harbaugh's thoughts raced—

At the end of February, Kansas City Chiefs' premier running back, Jamaal Charles, had officially terminated his contract, the last one on the free market, and then signed with the Denver Broncos.

Obviously, the Kansas City Chiefs' starting running back position was suddenly vacant, which necessitated some recalculations.

Harbaugh gently tapped the desktop, sighed softly, "How can you be so sure I wouldn't choose him?"

Reid chuckled softly twice, "So you mean if there's a chance, you would like to pick him?"

Harbaugh laughed wryly, "Coach, if I give you information, what do I get in return?"

Reid, "Information for information, I know you are looking at a Cornerback and a lineman. My advice is, you should look into Conley further, think twice before you act."

This year, Ohio State University stood out impressively; their cornerback duo, Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley, won countless attentions, generally regarded as the strongest two cornerbacks of the year.

However, the undertone of Reed's recent words conveyed a negative message.

Harbaugh furrowed his brows tightly; he knew Reid wasn't one to talk without substance, and without hesitation, "Li Wei is very good. We've seen his talents and capabilities, and in fact, he has always insisted on rigorous training privately, and he is also the core of the entire team, having a harmonious relationship with everyone from freshmen to juniors."

"Right, on Li Wei's twenty-first birthday, the entire Bryant Denny Stadium celebrated together."

That is to say, Li Wei was a team leader.

Point taken—

As for whether the other party believed it or how it would affect the drafting strategy, that was another matter.

After hanging up the phone, Harbaugh looked at Newsome, "Conley might have a problem."

Newsome was startled, "Damn."

If they gave up on Li Wei, Newsome would be their first draft choice.

Meanwhile, in Missouri, Kansas City.

Reed hung up the phone, deep in thought.

Actually, the draft strategy of the Kansas City Chiefs had always been a secret, with no leaks whatsoever—

Quarterback.

The Kansas City Chiefs were preparing to select a quarterback.

The current starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs was Alex Smith, drafted first overall in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers and transferred to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.

Smith was a solid quarterback with a score of eighty. Although he was not among the elite, he was far from a liability, consistently performing in the upper echelon of the league.

As a coach skilled in training top-tier quarterbacks, Reed's management of Smith was successful, garnering three playoff appearances in the past five seasons.

However, Smith's potential was clearly capped, and he was already thirty-two years old this year, with limited room for future improvement. Reed needed to start considering the future.

Reed knew this was an off year for quarterbacks, but waiting till next year along with other teams would inflate the value of quarterbacks to an unnecessarily high level. It made more sense to pick a suitable rookie this year and train him gradually.

To mislead others, the Kansas City Chiefs didn't interview any quarterbacks at the Rookie Training Camp, but they had been quietly observing all the backups.

However.

In the process of observing Watson, Reed had noticed Li Wei.

A running back.

And not just any running back, but a disciplined, capable one with leadership qualities, a game-changer.

Originally, when watching the nationwide championship final game video, Reed should have been observing Watson, but Li Wei repeatedly captured all his attention.

As a veteran coach, Reed was very aware of the current value of running backs in the league; due to the trio of top running backs and the league's background promotion, their value was slightly overpriced this year, making it unworthy to choose a quarterback next year.

Honestly speaking, the logical choice would be to avoid the muddle this year, and even if opting for a running back, it was unnecessary to vie for the top three in the first round.

But understanding all this, Reed still couldn't get Li Wei out of his mind.

After hanging up the phone, Reed opened the game video again to watch repeatedly, so engrossed that even when team manager Veach knocked and entered, it did not interrupt him. Discover hidden tales at empire

"Coach, the war room is ready," Veach said.

With one glance, Veach saw the game video on the screen and couldn't help but sigh lightly—

In the Kansas City Chiefs, Veach controlled the final say in drafting and trading, but he respected Reed's opinions and truly believed that the team manager and head coach needed to work together to build an excellent team.

Veach thought their draft strategy was set, but he hadn't expected Reed to still be hesitating. Reluctantly, he felt compelled to remind him, "Coach, we're not Cleveland, nor Jacksonville, we can't afford to be wasteful, running backs aren't worth the risk."

"We need a quarterback, we need to find a successor for Alex. We can't afford to take the risk next year like Denver did, caught off guard. We must prepare now."

Reed did not respond, hands crossed in front of his chest, watching the same clip over and over again.

Veach said, "Coach..."

Reed interrupted Veach, "What if we're discussing a once-in-a-decade superstar?"

Veach couldn't believe his ears, "What?"

Reed repeated, "Once in a decade."

Veach took a deep breath, "Even Adrian Peterson wouldn't be worth it."

Reed gently shook his head, "I'm talking about a player even better than Peterson, like Barry Sanders, a leader, a key player who can change the game."

Veach was in disbelief, staring blankly at Reed: ???

Reed was completely serious, "I mean it, see for yourself."

As he spoke, he pointed to the screen and replayed the game video.