Kansas City Chiefs News: Sammy Watkins and mock drafts

Not much of the news about the Kansas City Chiefs this week has come from Arrowhead, instead, its mock drafts and outsiders bashing the Sammy Watkins deal.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Sammy Watkins to a three-year $48 million contract back on March 15. I wasn’t happy with the size of the contract and thought the money could be used elsewhere, but it’s also nice to see the offensive firepower the Chiefs have now. However, ESPN’s Mike Sando wasn’t as kind in his thoughts on the signing.

Sando ranked the Watkins deal as the worst overpay of free agency this season. He wrote,

"“The bad news is that Watkins simply has not been very productive, a leading reason he is on his third team in eight months.”"

As much as Chiefs fans may not want to hear it, he has a point.

In four seasons in the league, Watkins has not lived up to the hype surrounding his being chosen with the number four overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s only recorded one 1,000 yard season and has yet to reach double-digits in touchdowns. He averages 763 yards and six touchdowns a season; not exactly top wide receiver numbers.

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To put those numbers into perspective Dwayne Bowe averaged 894 yards and 5.5 touchdowns per game during his eight-season career in KC. Watkins contract makes him the fourth highest paid receiver in the league by average yearly salary according to SPOTRAC.

Sando is right, the Chiefs did overpay for Watkins. It became clear why the Chiefs did this when general manager Brett Veach stated he was the number one player on his wish list since last season. Combine that desire with the multiple teams interested in him, the Chiefs had to overpay for Watkins or he would have signed elsewhere.

Even Mel Kiper of ESPN seems to doubt how much Watkins can help as he has the Chiefs taking a wide receiver with their first pick in his latest mock draft. It’s unfathomable that a team with as many defensive holes as the Chiefs have would take a position of strength with their first pick.

Either Kiper doesn’t believe Watkins is worth the money or he hasn’t looked at the Chiefs roster in the last six months. Chiefs have offensive weapons all over the field from Kareem Hunt in the backfield to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill tearing up secondaries.

Here’s what’s trending in Kansas City Chiefs news from around FanSided.

Sammy Watkins named “Worst Overpay” in NFL free agency [Matt Conner, Arrowhead Addict]

"The three-year, $48 million deal was, in Sando’s opinion, a serious reach by a new GM who rewarded a player for not living up to the hype."

Kiper says Chiefs will take WR with first pick [KC Kingdom]

"That statement makes me wonder if Kiper has looked at the Chiefs roster in the last year."

Is Dee Ford the scapegoat you want him to be? [Chris Taylor, KC Kingdom]

"Ford showed glimpses of excellence, especially in 2016, but those glimpses were overshadowed by his knack for disappearing from the game film."

Check out other Kansas City Chiefs news articles from around the web.

Chiefs free agency Cheers, jeers, and tears [MNchiefsfan, Arrowhead Pride]

Chiefs sign veteran tight end who provides depth [Pete Sweeney, Arrowhead Pride]

Chiefs add ‘assistant head coach’ to Dave Toub’s job title [Terez Paylor, KC Star]

With the depth of offensive talent the Chiefs have, it is odd that Kiper would mock a receiver to them. They are over three deep at running back and four deep at wide receiver let alone one of the best tight ends in the league.

Next: 15 Best Second Record Chiefs Draft Picks

Time will tell how much the Chiefs overpaid for him. With so many weapons he won’t have the opportunities to put up the numbers expected of someone at his salary. I’m sure we’ll look back in three years and say his production wasn’t worth the money he made, but if the Chiefs go deep into the playoffs fans will say the overpay was worth it.