KC Chiefs: Ten Worst Starters In Past Ten Years
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jon Baldwin (89) – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
While I’m sure that Jonathan Baldwin isn’t reading this list, he should be thankful that this is in alphabetical order because he’d for sure be a candidate for the worst starter the Kansas City Chiefs have had in the past ten years.
Baldwin was selected 26th overall by the Chiefs in the 2011 NFL Draft and was the last wide receiver the Chiefs have taken in the first round. Red flags were flying everywhere when Baldwin was getting into trouble before the season even started. He got in a fist fight with teammate Thomas Jones, injured his wrist, and wasn’t able to take the field for several weeks as a result.
The thing that sucks the most about Baldwin is that the guy showed flashes of potential at times, but wound up being one of the biggest draft busts the KC Chiefs have ever seen. One flash of potential I distinctly remember is in a game against the Broncos where Baldwin was able to grab a pass behind a defender’s back. The play didn’t end up counting due to a penalty, but man was it a bad ass play.
That would be it for good memories concerning Jonathan Baldwin. He ended his two-year career with the Chiefs with only 569 receiving yards and two touchdowns in ten starts and 26 games total. For all of the potential that was surrounding Baldwin, he did not deliver in the least bit.
After three disappointing seasons in the league, Baldwin deserves a spot on this list, and will likely go down as one of the biggest draft busts in Kansas City Chiefs history.
After two disappointing seasons, the Chiefs traded Baldwin to San Francisco for their own version of Jonathan Baldwin in A.J. Jenkins. It’s no surprise that Jenkins didn’t pan out either, as he was just released this off season.
Every year when draft season rolls around, I find myself wanting Kansas City to draft a receiver, but I’m also scared. Baldwin has scarred a lot of KC Chiefs fans when it comes to taking a chance on a first round receiver, and it should come as no shock that the Chiefs haven’t taken a receiver in the first round of the draft since they selected Baldwin four years ago, even when the need was strongly there the past two years.
A lot of first round wide receivers go on to have long careers with the team who drafted them, but not Baldwin. He only lasted in Kansas City for two disappointing seasons, played in San Francisco for a year before being waived, and was on Detroit’s roster for less than a week. He did not play in the NFL in 2014.
After three disappointing seasons in the league, Baldwin deserves a spot on this list, and will likely go down as one of the biggest draft busts in Kansas City Chiefs history.
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