Kansas City Chiefs Draft Day Disasters: Five Worst Picks in Team History
By John Viril
Quarterback Todd Blackledge #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)
2. QB Todd Blackledge, Penn State, 1st round 1983—This is one of the most legendary blunders in NFL history. The Kansas City Chiefs passed up 2 Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks to take Blackledge with the 7th pick, ahead of Dan Marino and Jim Kelly.
In all, six quarterbacks were taken in the most famous draft class history. Heck, had the Chiefs been aggressive, they might have been able to swap Blackledge for John Elway, after he refused to play for the Colts who had drafted him with the 1st overall pick.
Of course, the failure that is Todd Blackledge goes far deeper than missing out on 2 Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks. After Blackledge turned into a colossal bust, the CHIEFS HAVEN’T DRAFTED A QUARTERBACK IN THE FIRST ROUND FOR 30 YEARS!
Ever since Blackledge, the Chiefs have tried to patch the most important position on the field with 2nd-hand leavings from other teams. While the team has managed a few pro-bowl years from their journeyman quarterbacks, no one has been able to truly seize the job over the long-term.
It’s hardly a surprise that the Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since 1993, when they had their one true franchise quarterback since Len Dawson retired: Joe Montana—who only played 2 seasons in KC.
Destroying a team at your position for the next thirty years is a pretty monumental achievement. At least Todd Blackledge managed to get remembered in Kansas City after all these years.
Too bad his name is usually followed by a string of four-letter words among the Kansas City faithful.
Next: Number ONE