Sure, there's a contingency plan. If there weren't, would Scott Pioli be living up to his advertisements as the shrewd, calculating mastermind that Clark Hunt pursued, bagged and then unveiled earlier this year?

Hunt wanted a general manager who would do things right, even if it took a long time and even if it meant overlooking the obvious decisions and digging deeper. That's why Hunt pursued Pioli and, really, no one else. That's why Hunt paid Pioli millions and thereby assigned him a world of pressure to make decisions that pay off.

It's draft season, Pioli's time to shine. It's also the season of decoy negotiations, false signals and meetings so secret that Pentagon officials make fun of them at after-hours bars. The Chiefs' top target, it would appear, is former Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. He's too good to pass up at No. 3, and unless Curry is gone, it makes all the sense in the world for Kansas City to take Curry and strengthen its linebacker situation, a particular weakness last year.

But here's the interesting part: This week, the Chiefs reportedly held in-house workouts for former Florida State DE-LB Everette Brown, and former Utah DE Paul Kruger and former Cincinnati DE-LB Connor Barwin have reportedly appeared at Chiefs headquarters, too. Oh, and also Curry. That's a lot of defenders, but then again, the Chiefs needed a lot of defensive help last year. But something smells strange here. If the Chiefs were so certain on Curry, why would they bother bringing in Brown and Barwin, two linebackers projected no higher than the late first-round?

Maybe it's an attempt to identify their man if Curry does pull a disappearing act on draft day. But it'd be a mistake to choose either of those players at No. 3 overall. Let's not forget, either, that the Chiefs no longer possess a second-round pick, after the Matt Cassel-Mike Vrabel trade.

No, more likely, it's to see how close either of those players compares to Curry. If it's a few yards instead of a few miles of difference, it becomes an interesting situation for the Chiefs. We'll hazard a theory: Pioli and Co. are seeing what kind of linebacker they'd get if they traded the No. 3 pick and slid down to the other team's first-round or early second-round spot.

Here's a scenario, with no evidence or hearsay to back this up. It's just a scenario, and you can bet Pioli and the Crew are going through a hundred of these a day:

The Eagles are in desperate need of an offensive tackle and have yet to sign a premiere blocker despite pursuing Orlando Pace and some others this offseason. They'll enter the draft with two first-round picks, Nos. 21 and 28. Who's to say Philadelphia doesn't call Pioli and offer those two picks to slide up to No. 3 so they can grab either Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe, whomever St. Louis doesn't select at No. 2 overall. On paper, the Chiefs would surely accept that deal, to add a second first-round pick as they continue to build onto last year's foundation of your players.

But here's the problem: Curry would be gone, probably no later than the No. 4 or 5 overall pick, long before the Chiefs' first pick. They'd miss their man and have to draft intelligently to uncover two great players to compensate for missing on one potentially elite one.

So as the Chiefs move closer to D(raft)-Day, they're doing their homework. They're seeing if there's an ant hill or a chasm between Curry and, say, Brown. There's no doubt that Curry is a unique talent, but Kansas City likely would pass on him if it could get two first-rounders -- and select Brown or Barwin if either showed that they possess talent not terribly dissimilar to Curry's.

With that second pick, they could add a pass rusher or an offensive lineman -- heck, whatever they wanted. As it stands, the Chiefs' next pick doesn't come until the third round, and that's a numbers game the Chiefs probably don't consider ideal, now that the thrill of acquiring Cassel and Vrabel has subsided.

It'd be a difficult scenario to pass up. It's clear the Chiefs are at least sifting through their options, and that's the smart play. That's what Hunt's dollars paid for, after all. And at least in the preparation department, Pioli is living up to expectations.

In about a month, we'll see how good the guy really is.