Kansas City Chiefs: Notable Draft Picks In Recent Years, Part Two
Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley- USA TODAY Sports
The 2011 draft brought Jonathan Baldwin to Kansas City with the 26th overall pick. Oh boy, this ought to be a fun one to review. Baldwin missed the first half of his rookie season because of a thumb injury sustained from teammate drama. That should have been a red flag for Chiefs fans right there.
While Baldwin made some unbelievable catches his rookie year, he never quite lived up to the hype. Kansas City didn’t think so either because at the start of the 2013 season, Baldwin was traded to San Francisco. The fact that the Chiefs were willing to trade him so soon shows that the team didn’t believe in him to be a dependable wide receiver along side Bowe.
On the flip side though, 2011 was the year the Chiefs drafted Justin Houston in the third round (70th overall). In 2013, Houston recorded 11 sacks and was on fire until an injury in week 12 kept him on the sidelines for five weeks. The Chiefs defense suffered without Houston on the field.
Houston has more than exceeded fans’ expectations and will be going into his fourth season in the NFL (and as a Chief). Hopefully he’s just getting warmed up.