Kansas City Chiefs draft picks unlikely to start in 2017
By Ben Almquist
Kansas City Chiefs fans have gotten used to the idea of rookie starters over the past few seasons. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case in 2017.
Ever since Andy Reid came to town, he has shown that he isn’t afraid to put a rookie on the field. In fact, the Kansas City Chiefs have had some of the best rookie performances over the past couple of seasons. However, looking at the Chiefs roster for 2017, it doesn’t seem likely that a rookie will get a starting spot this year.
In the past, Chiefs fans have seen Eric Fisher, Zach Fulton, Marcus Peters, Mitch Morse, Tyreek Hill, and Chris Jones all get significant starting time in their first year. That is quite a trend (and a pretty successful one too). However, there just doesn’t seem to be anyone in this year’s draft class with that opportunity.
That’s not to say it can’t be done. There are ways for our rookie draft picks to find their way into significant playing and starting roles. It just seems unlikely is all. The Chiefs were clearly emphasizing the future in the 2017 NFL Draft. So it really shouldn’t be that surprising.
Patrick Mahomes has an arm nobody else on the Chiefs can dream of. Good luck with the red-shirt project. Best wishes.
— Marc Sessler (@MarcSessler) August 12, 2017
There Will Be Noise
Of course, there will be plenty of fans who are calling for certain rookies to start. That will be something that changes on a weekly, or even daily, basis during the season. The first time someone misses a tackle, drops a pass, or doesn’t throw down the field *cough*, you’ll see twitter light up with talk of a rookie “getting a chance”.
Ultimately, we have to trust in the judgment of the coaching staff. Truth be told, we’ve seen this Chiefs staff lead us through some of the best seasons in recent Chiefs history. So it’s probably a safer bet to go with the experts on this one.