Kansas City Chiefs: 2011 NFL Draft Revisited

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Ahhhh, 2011. The year that the Chiefs infamously selected Jonathan Baldwin with their first round pick. The Chiefs had had a decent year in 2010, winning the AFC West and hosting a playoff game. They ended up with the 21st overall pick, but traded back to the 27th pick.

Long story short, Baltimore’s time expired so the Chiefs selected Baldwin with the 26th overall pick.

Baldwin is undoubtedly one of the biggest busts in Kansas City’s drafting history. Before the season even started, he got in a fight with veteran running back Thomas Jones and broke his hand. Not only did that make Baldwin look stupid, but it also cost him a lot of playing time in 2011.

When Baldwin actually got on the field, he really wasn’t that impressive. He made a few unbelievable catches, one in particular was when his arms were completely wrapped around a defender and he still managed to come down with the ball. The play didn’t end up counting, but it was probably the most impressive thing Baldwin did while in Kansas City.

Baldwin spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons not doing much and was traded before the 2013 regular season began. He now plays for the San Francisco 49ers, and the Chiefs ended up with San Francisco’s version of Jon Baldwin in A.J. Jenkins.

I know it’s unfair, but Baldwin is the reason I’m scared about the Chiefs drafting a wide receiver in the first round again. He had the potential to be an outstanding receiver, but he amounted to nothing in Kansas City. Maybe he will be able to revive his career going into his fourth NFL season (and second in San Francisco), but if not, he may go down as the biggest Chiefs draft bust ever.