Kansas City Chiefs: Every First Round Draft Pick Since 2000

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EVERY CHIEFS FIRST ROUND PICK – 2005 NFL DRAFT: DERRICK JOHNSON

After not having a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, the Chiefs made up for it the next year with their selection of Derrick Johnson15th overall. Johnson is the first legendary player to appear on this list and he had 13 years in Kansas City to back up his elite Chiefs status.

Johnson turned heads as a rookie in 2005, starting every game and winning the Mack Lee Hill Award. He continued to be a sensation until Todd Haley came to town in 2009 and benched Johnson. That season saw him start just three games as a result.

Johnson got right back to prominence the next season and continued to rack up the stats for the Chiefs. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro linebacker in 2011 after a 104 tackle campaign.

The 2014 season was when we started to see Johnson aging. He tore his Achilles in the season opener that year and missed the entire season as a result. He then returned in 2015 and played incredibly well, but went on to tear his Achilles again the following season and that led to his demise in 2017.

Even with Johnson not playing as well in 2017, he still had those hard hits that made fans go “OOH!” There was a hit he had on Marshawn Lynch of the Raiders late in the 2017 season that fans in the nosebleeds could probably hear. Johnson also had an insanely hard hit on Marcus Mariota during the playoff game against the Titans.

Those type of hits mixed in with his love for the game and his love for Kansas City made Johnson one of a kind, but we all know what happened. The final year of his contract was voided and he went on to hit free agency.

Before then, he and Dustin Colquitt had been the two oldest members of the team. Johnson had a tremendous run and will most definitely be in the Ring of Honor someday. He ended his Chiefs tenure with a franchise leading 938 tackles.