Kansas City Chiefs: Ranking every first round pick in franchise history

RANKING EVERY FIRST ROUND PICK IN CHIEFS HISTORY

NUMBER 44 – SID SMITH (Cullen)

Sid Smith, a native of Wichita, Kansas, played college ball at USC before being selected by the Chiefs with the 26th pick in 1970. In Kansas City, he appeared in 42 games between 1970-1972 before playing one season for the Houston Oilers in 1974. On at least one documented occasion, he was determined to play chess against Elmo Wright.

NUMBER 43 – JEFF KINNEY (Cullen)

Jeff Kinney, a running back at Nebraska, finished his final year of college with 1,136 yards rushing (fifth in the Big 8) and 17 rushing touchdowns (third in the Big 8). That was good enough for the Chiefs to take him with the 23rd pick in 1973.

In just over four years with the Chiefs, he rushed for 810 yards with four rushing touchdowns while grabbing 54 passes for 424 receiving yards and one more touchdown. In 1976, the Chiefs released him after one game. He landed with the Bills, for whom he rushed for a career-high 475 yards with one touchdown to finish the season, he final as a pro.

NUMBER 42 – PAUL PALMER (Cullen)

Taken with the 19th pick in 1987 out of Temple, Paul Palmer led the NFL in kickoff returns (38), kickoff return yards (923), kickoffs returned for touchdowns (two) his rookie season while otherwise accumulating only 182 yards from scrimmage.

The following season, he returned fewer kickoffs while playing a bigger role in the offense, rushing for 452 yards (second on the team) while catching 53 passes (second on the team) for 611 yards (third on the team) and four touchdowns (second on the team). The Chiefs, however, waived him before 1989, a season that he split between the Cowboys and Lions. He never again played in the NFL.

In 2018, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.