Kansas City Chiefs Draft Day Bargains: Five Best Value Picks

John Viril

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid – Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

For my second piece in my series of NFL Draft stories, I am looking at the best value picks in Kansas City Chiefs history. These aren’t necessarily the best players ever chosen by the Chiefs. What I am looking at here are the best bang-for-the-buck choices.

[To see my story on Kansas City Chiefs Draft Day Disasters, click here.]

Every year, the NFL spends millions of dollars and countless man-hours scouting the best NFL prospects. Despite ever-improving scouting methods and increasing efforts to study not only on-field performance, but also off-the-field behavior and psychological makeup, scouting is still an inexact science. First round prospects fail about half the time.

Meanwhile, lightly regarded guys are either missed by most scouts, or develop after they are in the league. Then there are injuries. The bottom line is that what you believe on Draft Day doesn’t necessarily hold true over time.

Here are five times in Chiefs history that scouts found outstanding players deep in the draft:

Next: Number 5

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

5. RT Dave Hill, 24th round 1963 (192 overall), Auburn—Dave Hill never played in the pro-bowl, but he started for 11 seasons on what was probably the best offensive line in the AFL.

While there were only 8 AFL teams in 1963, the 24th round means that almost 200 picks went by before the Chiefs took a guy that became a solid starter for 11 professional seasons.

That’s a bargain by any measure.

Perhaps the reason Hill slid so far was because the New York Giants took him in the 5th round of the NFL draft. Those were the days of the AFL-NFL rivalry, and many prospects chose the more-established NFL over the AFL.

In an era where players made only fraction of what they do today, New York also offered far better post-football career opportunities.

The Chiefs, however, managed to sign the 6-5 260lb. right tackle. Dave Hill won a starting position his rookie season and played in 149 games for the team. At one point, he made 9 years of consecutive starts.

Dave Hill played through the glory years of the franchise: winning two AFL Championships, started in both Super Bowl I and IV, and played in the longest NFL game (the famed 1971 Christmas Day playoff game vs. the Miami Dolphins).

In Super Bowl IV, Hill was at his best. He was part of a line that dominated what many considered an all-time great defensive front four: Minnesota’s Purple People Eaters. Hill spent most of the day matched up with Carl Eller, and dominated the future Hall-of-Fame defensive end.

Dave Hill retired after the 1974 season.

Next: Number 4

Offensive lineman Dave Szott #79 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

4. G Dave Szott, 7th round 1990 (180 overall), Penn State—There’s a good reason the 6-4, 289lb. Szott fell into the seventh round: he played both defensive tackle and guard in college.

The Chiefs liked him as a guard, and were very quickly rewarded when Szott won a starting position his rookie year. Szott made 137 starts in 11 years in Kansas City. He moved on to the Washington Redskins, and later the New York Jets, after the 2000 season.

Often overlooked during his Kansas City career due to uber-athletic guard Will Shields, Szott was an outstanding player in his own right who was named to two All-pro teams (including 1st team All-pro in 1997).

More from Chiefs All-Time Lists

Scouts largely discounted Allen’s 17.5 sacks as a college senior due to the low-level of competition he faced at Idaho State. You’d have thought people might have gotten a clue when Jared Allen won the Buck Buchanon award as the best defensive lineman in FCS football.

Yet, Allen only went in the 4th round as much for his long-snapping abilities as his play at defensive end. Part of the problem might have been a mostly unimpressive combine which made scouts think Allen lacked the strength to hold up as an NFL defensive lineman due to only putting up 13 reps on the bench press.

Allen immediately proved the pundits wrong when then-coach Dick Vermeil raved about Allen’s leverage during training camp. Allen went on to win a job at defensive end and led the team with 9.0 sacks his rookie year.

Allen recorded 43.0 sacks in a four-year Kansas City career, including 15.5 in 2007 that led the entire NFL that season and earned him both a pro-bowl berth and 1st team All-pro honors.

He never did snap a ball for special teams.

The Chiefs dealt him to the Minnesota Vikings before the 2008 draft due to an acrimonious contract dispute paired with concerns about Allen’s two DUI’s.

While Allen has gone on to 4 more pro-bowls and has added 85.5 sacks in the last 6 years, the Chiefs obtained good value for him. With the 1st and two 3rd round picks the Chiefs got for Allen, they added pro-bowl LT Brandon Albert and current offensive cornerstone Jamaal Charles—who merely leads all NFL running backs in career yards-per-carry (5.6), along with 2 1st team All-pro nods and 3 pro-bowls.

With LT Brandon Albert signing a massive 5-yr $46 million free-agent contract with Miami, the team is likely to reap a 3rd round compensation pick in 2015.

Jared Allen has become the draft day gift that keeps on giving.

Next: Number 1

Bobby Bell #78 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

1. OLB Bobby Bell, 7th round (56th overall), Minnesota—Yeah, I know, 56th overall would mean a 2nd round pick today. Even so, AFL teams passed on Bell at least six times before the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in 1963. All Bell did was have an NFL Hall-of-Fame career over the next 12 seasons.

Yeah, that’s a pretty good bargain.

Many consider Bell the best overall athlete in franchise history. Hall-of-Fame coach Hank Stram said that Bell had

"“as much talent as anyone I ever coached.”"

Bell was a 6-4 228lb. linebacker that could run with wide-receivers, play with his hand on the ground as a defensive end, tackle, rush the passer, and could throw the ball the length of the field. Some said that Bell could play any position on the team. Teammate and fellow Hall-of-Famer Buck Buchanan said about Bell,

"“This guy is the best all-around football player I ever saw.” Bell was so versatile, he actually started his college career as a quarterback before winning the Outland Trophy as the nation’s outstanding collegiate interior lineman in 1962."

Bobby Bell was also drafted in the 2nd round by the Minnesota Vikings (16th overall), but shocked the football world by signing with the AFL’s Chiefs. He started his Kansas City career as a defensive end, but Hank Stram moved him to linebacker after two seasons to exploit his amazing athleticism.


Bobby Bell was Lawrence Taylor before the New York Giant great "re-invented" the linebacker position.The fact is, Bobby Bell was Lawrence Taylor before the New York Giant great “re-invented” the linebacker position. Unfortunately, the sack was not an official statistic in Bobby Bell‘s day, but Chiefs records estimate he recorded 40 of them in his career—even though he played strong-side, rather than weak side, linebacker.
He was a terrific open-field tackler, could cover well enough to record 26 interceptions, and returned 9 for touchdowns. Bell qualified for 9 pro-bowls and 7 all-pro teams. Bobby Bell retired after the 1974 season.
He might have been the greatest player in team history.
Not bad for a seventh round pick.
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Next: Chiefs Worst Draft Day Disasters

John Viril

Like a lot of people, I am still fixated on the sports teams I followed in my youth. I grew up in Kansas City and naturally became a fan of the Chiefs and Royals. Of course, that means I haven't seen a playoff win in 20 years. Here's to breaking the drought in 2014!