Kansas City Chiefs: 5th Round Has Been A Sweet Spot
By Ben Almquist
Many fans stop paying attention to the NFL Draft after the fifth round. However, that is where the Kansas City Chiefs have found some of their best talent.
I’m a fan of what the Kansas City Chiefs have done so far in the 2017 NFL Draft. John Dorsey and Andy Reid came into this draft with a very clear plan of attack, and have executed it. When a team moves up for a player, it generally means they were very high on him.
I do have an admission (though many of you knew this)…I wasn’t that high on Patrick Mahomes. I saw a guy who needed to sit a year, and didn’t think he was worth a heavy investment. However, I will concede the point to Andy Reid and John Dorsey, who clearly think much higher of him. They are better experts than I on the subject.
However, if you’re looking at the Chiefs draft history under John Dorsey, there is a reasonable chance that Pat Mahomes isn’t the best pick in this draft for KC. Now, I love Kareem Hunt as a prospect and am excited to have him…but that’s not what I’m referring to. No, I’m talking about someone who isn’t even on the roster yet…
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Not Supposed To Happen
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The Kansas City Chiefs have had an uncommon amount of success at drafting players in the fifth round. I’m not talking about just getting guys who make the team. Lot’s of NFL teams have that going on, and it’s not always a good thing. No, I’m talking about legitimate NFL stars being taken in the fifth round.
Over the past few years, the Chiefs have added a pair of Pro Bowl players in the fifth round of the draft. That is linebacker DJ Alexander, drafted in 2015, and Tyreek Hill who Kansas City selected last year. Alexander has gotten tons of praise and recognition for his Special Teams work. Meanwhile, all Hill has done is set the league on fire as a human highlight reel.
What does that mean for this year’s fifth round? Well, not much directly. The players taken this year are not the players taken in previous years. However, it does speak to the scouting job that John Dorsey and his staff have done in Kansas City. To find that kind of talent that late, it’s just not supposed to happen.
The best may be yet to come for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 NFL Draft. That will be hard for many people to believe, but history says the Chiefs do very well on Day Three. That is a testament to the scouting department that John Dorsey has assembled in Kansas City. Let’s hope this ability to find late talent holds up.