Kansas City Chiefs' Greatest Draft Picks in History by Round

With NFL Draft time soon approaching, I thought it would be interesting to look back at who I believe were Kansas City's best draft choices over the years

Compared to most teams, the Chief's drafts have been average at best. From the years 1970 thru 1975, they had some of the worst drafts ever recorded. Since then, things have brightened up a bit. Of the top 4 drafts in Chief history, 2 were over the last three years. One was under Carl Peterson and the other by current GM Scott Pioli.

Included in this list are two picks; top offense and top defense

Round One-Tony Gonzalez (TE) - California- 1997

Little surprise here. Tony Gonzalez, without a doubt, will go down in the NFL record books as the best TE in NFL history, already holding most career records. Interesting note. When the Chiefs went to a West Coast offense under Paul Hackett in 1996, Peterson set his sights on Ricky Dudley of Ohio State the year before. Peterson almost gave up two first round picks to get him, then decided against it. Thank god. Dudley was a bust. Gonzalez was drafted one year later. I like Javier Arenas, but in retrospect, Gonzalez should be playing and retiring as a Chief.

Round One-Derrick Thomas (LB)- Alabama-1987

As one of the greatest pass rushers of all time, one would have a hard time deciding between him and Gonzalez. His history is legendary, as well as his demise which ended in a tragic death. He was simply unstoppable. Thomas and Neil Smith may have been the Chiefs alltime 1-2 punch and spearheaded a great mid 90's defense. DT had 127 career sacks, many resulting in strips, and he had the most explosive speed of any LB who ever played. QBs didn't even have time to throw on three step drops. That's speed.

Round Two-Tim Grunhard (C)-Notre Dame- 1990

Centers don't usually get much respect by people. Joe Delaney may have been the best RB the Chiefs ever drafted but died after two years in the league. Okoye? Despite a few good years, he was no Jerome Bettis. Tim was a Pro Bowler who anchored KC's Offensive Line for 10 years.

Round Two-Willie Lanier (MLB)- Morgan State- 1967

Maybe the best ever. He would be rejected these days being only 6'0 and playing his college ball at Morgan State, hardly a hotbed of NFL Hall of Famers. Lanier made 8 Pro Bowls and was the leader of their 1970 Super Bowl defense (and gave alot to the community as well). May have been the greatest Chief ever.

Round Three-Will Shields (OG)- Nebraska- 1993

12 time Pro Bowler. A cinch for the NFL Hall Of Fame. Shields could do it all. One of the best pulling guards to ever play in the NFL, he was also among the strongest. Why round three? Scouts felt his arms were too short. Many of those scouts aren't working anymore

Round Three- Albert Lewis (CB)- Grambling- 1983

4 Time Pro Bowler, Lewis was the epitome of what we refer today as a "shutdown corner". Leave him on an island, no safety help needed, thank you. Whether it was size or speed he faced, it didn't matter. He shut down everyone. Also, he may have had more athletic ability of any Chief who ever played

Round Four-Jack Rudnay (C)- Northwestern-1969

4 Time Pro Bowler, Rudnay played twelve years with the Chiefs, eleven as a starter. How good was he? Ask almost any Defensive Tackle who he ever lined up against. They will tell you

Round Four-Jared Allen (DE)- Idaho State- 2004

Donnie Edwards also gets strong consideration here, but pass rushers are hard to come by. We all know Allen, and many of us wish we still had him. Yes, he had a DUI and a few minor issues, but he remains the best pass rusher in Pro Football.  Allen was actually a mistake pick. They didn't draft him to be a pass rusher. They didn't even draft him to play Defensive Line. He was drafted to be a long snapper. Hard to believe, but true. He gets my "smile pick" award

Round Five-Joe Horn (WR) Itawamba JC- 1996

Interesting pattern here, don't you think? Almost all these picks were from Division 1-AA. OK, maybe Horn was "no big deal" until his final year as a Chief, but he turned out to be one of the best deep threats in the game after he left Kansas City. Boy, what a big mouth. Would never play under Pioli. Carlos Carson would be most people's pick, but Horn had much better hands and ran routes Carson never could.

Round Five-Brandon Carr (CB)-Grand Valley State-2008

Are you kidding me? Actually no. Name a better Defensive player the Chiefs ever picked in round 5. There isn't any. If he plays well this year, and Hali signs long term, he could franchised in 2012. Regardless, next time I visit Kansas City, this kid owes me a steak dinner big time

Round Six- NONE. That's right zero. The Chiefs may be getting a compensatory sixth round pick this year. Too bad they can't trade it. The rules state you can't trade Compensatory picks. Any pick they chose can fight for this title. I'd mention Barry Richardson but that would be pushing it. Carr was enough.

Round Seven-Dave Szott (OG)- Penn State-1990

This was one of the real "good guys" in the league. Having a child with special needs made him truly special as well as what he gave to the Kansas City community. This Pro Bowler had to be one of the Chiefs biggest steals and he did it with grit, heart, and determination. If you needed a poster child for those qualities, you would see his picture.

Round Seven-Kevin Ross (CB)- Temple-1984

This was Kansas City's biggest steal. I didn't even think he would make the team. Scouts said he was too slow and too small. So much for scouting. It helped having Albert Lewis on the other side, but Ross, another NFL Pro Bowler, was a shutdown corner as well. He and Lewis could rival any tandem that ever played the game. He also was one of the best tacklers I've ever seen

Well, there you have it. Say what you will.

Pretty or ugly, you can't argue with history