The Kansas City Chiefs have a storied NFL draft history since their beginnings in 1960. Looking back at their 10 best picks of all-time
When it comes to the NFL draft, Kansas City Chiefs fans know that they can trust their team to pick up an impact defensive player. It's been that way since Bobby Bell in 1963. This list is dominated by defensive players who made their marks on the field. There were a few great offensive powerhouses for Kansas City but the Chiefs usually got their offenses through free agency or trades. Especially at the quarterback position.
This list was compiled based on guys who spent the majority of their careers with Kansas City. They didn't have to be Hall of Fame players, but it didn't hurt either. Some of the best Chiefs went undrafted and some, as in the case of Jan Stenerud, went in the futures draft. These guys aren't included.
A handful are still playing. That is mostly because of the lack of good picks in the 70s and 80s. The Chiefs were bad then and, when you draft poorly, you play poorly.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the 10 best NFL draft picks in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Note: All stats are via Pro Football Reference
Jan 9, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Kansas City Chiefs free safety Eric Berry (29) reacts after intercepting a pass against the Houston Texans during the first quarter in a AFC Wild Card playoff football game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
10. Eric Berry (2010)
Eric Berry was drafted out of Tennessee with the fifth overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. He immediately made an impact his rookie season with four interceptions and 77 tackles. He made the pro-bowl his first year and was the first Chief to do so since Derrick Thomas. Berry has played each of his seven seasons in Kansas City racking up accolades along the way. He became a cause for inspiration in 2014 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy.
While still in treatment, Berry worked to get back to the field in 2015, often describing this time in his life as the most difficult he had faced. Despite the weakness of his body, Berry got himself back to all-pro form and returned to the Chiefs in 2015. He earned another Pro-Bowl selection and his second first team All-Pro selection. Berry was also given Comeback Player of the Year honors by the NFL for his heroic fight with cancer.
In 2017, Berry is looking to receive a long term contract from the Chiefs as he played all of 2016 under the franchise tag. Reports are that the talks are progressing but if they don't get something in place by March 1 he may be tagged again to allow more time for a deal.
9. Otis Taylor (1965)
Taylor was selected by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 1965 AFL Draft. Taylor was also selected by the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, but "escaped" from NFL scouts and was signed by the Chiefs shortly thereafter. His rookie season was fairly uneventful. However, he posted his first 1000 yard receiving season in 1966. That same season he was selected as a first team All Pro player as well as a Pro Bowler.
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The wideout would post just one more 1,000-yard season, but the Chiefs could count on his 14+ yards per reception for each year of his career. He also recorded six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl IV to seal the Chiefs upset victory over Minnesota. His next six seasons aided the Chiefs in consistently being one of the best teams in the league. Unfortunately his last chance to add another Super Bowl to his resume faded with the lights of old Municipal Stadium in 1971 as the Chiefs lost to the Miami Dolphins in the longest game in NFL history.
Taylor retired in 1975 after 10 seasons in the NFL and disappeared from the limelight. He faced financial and medical difficulty as most players of his era would. He is currently bedridden and is part of the 2012 lawsuit against the NFL for better care of former players as he suffers from Parkinson's disease and related dementia.
Nov 27, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Chiefs defeated the Broncos 30-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
8. Derrick Johnson (2005)
Derrick Johnson was drafted as a 4-3 outside linebacker in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. The Chiefs needed a high impact defender after another season of defensive ineptitude under head coach Dick Vermeil. Johnson helped the team to a 10-6 record but missed out on the playoffs due to tiebreakers. He finished his rookie season with 79 tackles and two sacks.
For the next three years, Johnson would continue to be a serviceable but not great linebacker as he shifted from outside to inside in a 3-4 system. This earned the ire of head coach Todd Haley, who benched Johnson in 2009 and used him as a sub. This situation could have torpedoed Johnson's career but he used it to fuel his capabilities. From 2010-13, Johnson would never have a tackle total less than 95.
Out of the next three seasons Johnson would only finish one. Two separate Achilles injuries would knock him out on teams with high expectations and high aspirations. Many would say he has lost a step or two but the experience and instincts that Johnson brings to the table would be very difficult to replace for the Chiefs. He has stated that he wishes to play another year for Kansas City in hopes of finally winning a championship.
Nov 27, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) forces a fumble against Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian (13) in the second quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
7. Justin Houston (2011)
Justin Houston was an extremely high value pick in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The reason teams stayed away from him was just one failed drug test. How those teams that passed on him kicked themselves after Houston racked up 48.5 sacks in four years. Houston studied under fellow pass rusher Tamba Hali and learned the art of taking down the quarterback becoming a fan favorite along the way.
2014 was Houston's best season in his short career as he nearly took the NFL's season sack record from Michael Strahan. Houston ended the season with a remarkable 22 sacks and 59 tackles. It would have been more if, in the last game of the season, Philip Rivers had not been able to get rid of the ball before Houston took him down.
He also showed tremendous faith and heart in behalf of his teammate Eric Berry who was undergoing his health crisis during the latter part of that season. Houston wore the number "29" on a t-shirt under his jersey and flashed it whenever he recorded a sack in a game.
The last two seasons have unfortunately been shortened by injury to Houston's knee as a result of a hit he took from his own teammate in 2015. He hopes that next year he can get back to that 2014 season and ultimately claim the sack record as his own. He showed against Denver this season that he has the motor but just needs a bit more time to recover.
6. Will Shields (1993)
Will Shields was the kind of offensive lineman that can change an offense. The 1993 Kansas City Chiefs have several people to thank for their deep playoff run. While many will think of Joe Montana and Marcus Allen, I can't help but wonder where they might have been without the dominance of Shields. Even as a rookie, Shields showed his value by opening up holes for the revamped Chiefs offense that would eventually reach the AFC championship.
Shields continued his ironman march through the 90s, helping the Chiefs obtain a winning record in nine of his 14 seasons. He was selected to 12 Pro Bowls and 2 All Pro teams. Frankly the lack of All Pro selections is still a sore spot among Chiefs fans. One of his greatest seasons came in 2003 when he, with Willie Roaf and Brian Waters, helped formed one of the greatest offensive lines in NFL history. They paved the way for Priest Holmes to break the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season.
Shields retired after 14 seasons with the same team, never missing a game, and entered the Hall of Fame in 2015. He is still active in the Kansas City community as well as the NFL. He owns a training facility in Overland Park where he works with athletes from all sports.
5. Jamaal Charles (2008)
Jamaal Charles was drafted by Kansas City in 2008 in the third round. He could be considered the Chiefs highest value pick since he was passed up by so many other teams in the first two rounds. He spent his rookie season spelling Larry Johnson and biding his time. Charles broke onto the scene with a record performance in Denver in Week 17 of the 2009 season. There he rushed for 259 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns. Any doubts of Charles retaining the starting position from then on were forgotten.
Charles would go on to earn four Pro Bowl selections and two First-Team All Pro selections, despite missing the majority of three seasons due to injury. The running back also leads all players in NFL history who have over 1,000 rushing attempts with 5.5 yards per rush.
Due to his injury history and his age, Charles may be heading towards the end of his Chiefs career. There is quite a bit of speculation about what the Chiefs will do as they have proven over the past two years that they can win without an active Charles on the roster. The next six months will be a difficult test for the Chiefs all-time leading rusher as he works his way back amid rumors of his ability to play again at a high level.
4. Willie Lanier (1967)
Lanier was drafted by Hank Stram after his lopsided loss in Super Bowl I. He needed some strong defense if he was to get back to and win a title. The Chiefs drafted two potential starters at inside linebacker that day, but it was Lanier who led the Chiefs back to the big game in Super Bowl IV. That season he picked off four passes, including one in the big game as pictured above.
The defensive stud earned a reputation across the NFL as an agile and hard hitting linebacker. His style paved the way for some of the more famous hitters of the 70s. He often led with his helmet and planted it right in the chest of his opponent, which we know today would earn plenty of fines and penalties. His helmet was outfitted with extra padding on the outside, not to protect him, but to protect other players.
Lanier earned Pro Bowl honors eight times and All Pro honors three times. This and his fiery leadership helped him reach the Hall of Fame years after he retired in 1986. He ended his career with 27 interceptions and who-knows-how-many tackles and sacks as those were not stats kept at the time.
3. Tony Gonzalez (1997)
Gonzalez was drafted by the Chiefs in the first round of the 1997 draft to get a big body for Elvis Grbac to throw to in the end zone. His rookie year didn't net as much playing time as it probably should have. But in the years after, he would write the book on how to body guys up and box out like a basketball player.
During his 12 years in Kansas City, Gonzalez would average 76 receptions, 911 yards, and six touchdowns per season. Gonzalez became the favorite target of quarterbacks Trent Green and Damon Huard. In 2008, he didn't like the direction the team was going and asked to be traded away to a contender. The Atlanta Falcons gave Gonzalez his chance for a ring while the Chiefs began a complete rebuild.
While with the Falcons, Gonzalez built on his reputation of durability and reliability as a pass catcher. The Falcons made the playoffs three times with Gonzalez, but much like the Chiefs, fell short of the Super Bowl each time. Gonzalez retired following the 2013 season leading all tight ends in receptions and yardage. He finished second only to Jerry Rice on the all time receptions list and fifth in receiving yards.
2. Bobby Bell (1963)
Another linebacker from a time when sack and tackle totals were not officially kept, Bell dominated the 60s and early 70s at his position. He was drafted by the Chiefs in the seventh round of the 1963 AFL Draft despite being selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round in the NFL. He was so versatile as a player that he finished third in the Heisman voting in 1962 despite being an interior defensive lineman when the award usually goes to quarterbacks and running backs.. Bell was so dominant that he earned nine-straight Pro Bowl selections as well as six-straight All Pro selections.
During his and the Chiefs' prime, Bell was a master at taking the ball from the offense. He ended his career with 26 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. Of those turnovers, Bell took eight back for scores. It was said of Bell by his head coach Hank Stram that, "He could play all 22 positions on the field and play them well. The real question was not where he could play…The real question was where we needed him most."
Bell became a figure of progressing race relations as a prominent black athlete. While New Orleans was trying to get an AFL franchise in their city they agreed to host the AFL All-Star Game. Bell and some of his fellow All-Stars felt discriminated against while in New Orleans and refused to play. This resulted in the game being moved to Houston. It may have been a relatively small event in the grand scheme, but Bell knew that stands needed to be taken to overcome the issues the country faced.
1. Derrick Thomas (1989)
Who else was it going to be? You may be able to argue about some of the guys on this list, but every Chiefs fan knows that Derrick Thomas belongs at No. 1. Thomas was drafted out of Alabama in the first round of the 1989 draft. Marty Schottenheimer had just arrived in Kansas City and was looking for a guy he could count on to help turn the franchise around. He found him in Thomas.
Derrick was an all-world athlete that got so quickly off the line that most offensive linemen who faced him had no chance. The quarterbacks who went against him can tell you that he was priority No. 1 when assigning blocking schemes. Dave Krieg may have forgotten that as he was taken down by Thomas seven times (nearly eight) to set a single-game record.
Thomas endured heartbreak over his time in Kansas City as every team he played for fell in the playoffs. He was seen as the face of the Chiefs during that time and fans could see his frustration at the lack of success in the playoffs. Despite his play, Thomas would never get a chance to reach the Super Bowl as a car accident ended his career and ultimately his life after 11 seasons. He finished a Hall of Fame career with 126.5 sacks, good for 16th all time.
