Over the Kansas City Chiefs' history, there have been numerous Hall of Fame offensive skill position players. Tight end obviously has been a bright spot over recent memory, and there's been no shortage of elite Hall of Fame-level running backs. Wide receiver is a different story, as much of the position's production is dependent on quarterback play.
And as you may have previously read, the latest piece on KC's top-four QBs, there hasn't been much to speak of save for the franchise's founding seasons and this past decade. That's not to say, however, that the Chiefs haven't held elite talent at the position at one time or another.
So let's get into the third edition of KC Kingdoms ongoing series "Chiefs All-Time Mount Rushmore," examining the best outside weapons this franchise has ever had.
Lest we forget the greatness of the Chiefs first elite offensive skill player
Big O: Otis Taylor
Otis Taylor was the first elite offensive weapon this franchise ever had, and his stats hold up today better than most receivers of his time. Taylor played all 11 of his NFL seasons with the Chiefs, from 1965-75, even picking to play for Kansas City when he got drafted, even though he could have chosen to go play in the NFL, as the AFL hadn't merged yet. His Chiefs career amounted to 130 career regular-season games, and he was a massive part, along with Hall of Fame QB Len Dawson, of the Chiefs' 1969 Super Bowl LIV run in 1969.
Taylor ranks third on the Chiefs' all-time list in yards (7,306) and TDs (57) on a ridiculous 17.8 average yards per catch for his career. He made his first Pro-Bowl and All-Pro team in 1966 when he put up 1,297 yards on just 58 catches and eight TDs. Taylor, in 1971, came second in MVP voting after he totaled over 1,100 yards and seven scores.
Taylor's statistics were gaudy and way ahead of his time. At 6'3", 215 lbs, he was an imposing figure on the field, and he used it to his advantage. Altogether, Taylor was a 3-time Pro-Bowler, 2-time first-team All-Pro, Super Bowl LIV champion, and a talent that warrants a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He will go down as one of the more memorable Chiefs of all-time and a talent that would have flourished in today's era of football.
Speedy: Carlos Carson
Like Taylor, Carlos Carson, save for six games in his final season, played his entire career with the Chiefs, which spanned 10 years and 120 games. It was a tough decision, but Carson beat Eddie Kennison for the last spot on this list simply because he put up slightly better stats as the main guy defenses were targeting with abysmal quarterback play, while Kennison played on an early 2000s Chiefs teams who defenses were just fine with him getting the ball over Priest Holmes or Tony Gonzalez.
Carson ranks top-10 in Chiefs history in receptions (352), yards (6,360), and TDs (33). He was mainly a big-play threat as he averaged for his career over 18 YPC, but was a good enough route techician to where he was able to move the chains when needed on possession catches. Carson wasn't a big guy by any means, especially for the 80s, where he was sub six-feet and weighed roughly 180 lbs.
But he did make two Pro-Bowls in 1983 and '87. The former was his best season, putting up 80-1,351-7, during what was quarterback Bill Kenney's only solid season during his nine-year tenure in KC. Carson's only downside was his catch rate, which was an atrocious 48.1%. Some of that is on the QB play, but a lot of that has to do with him either making a big play when he had the ball, or downright not being open or dropping a pass. It's why he barely made this list.
D-Bo: Dwayne Bowe
If you asked me to pick one skill player from Chiefs history to play on this upcoming 2026 team, based on what the Chiefs sorely need, my answer might very well be Dwayne Bowe. The Chiefs drafted Bowe in 2007 in the first round at 23rd overall, and he lived up to that draft stock. At 6'2", 220 lbs, Bowe was a prototypical X-receiver who could get open on a variety of routes, was a red-zone threat, and a guy defenses had to account for with multiple bodies and various defensive looks.
Before a final season in Cleveland, Bowe played eight years in Kansas City and caught a total of 532 balls for 7,155 yards and 44 TDs. He made his lone Pro-Bowl season in 2010 when he went for 72-1,162-15 and was also awarded to second-team All-Pro that year as well. During that campaign, Bowe had a three-game mid-season stretch where he put up an insane 32 catches for 465 yards and seven scores. The Chiefs averaged 34 points per game over those three matchups.
It's a shame Bowe's best years were wasted on truly horrific Chiefs teams, and I can only imagine what he could have produced with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball. He remains a beloved figure amongst all Chiefs fans and a guy who we all know certainly deserved better.
Cheetah: Tyreek Hill
It's not hyperbole to say that Tyreek Hill has a strong argument as the most explosive and dangerous offensive skill player to ever lace them up in the entirety of the NFL's history. It was evident during his rookie season in KC that he was a different athlete, and as he quickly ascended, Hill played as if he were in a video game. As a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft, Hill was mainly a returner in his first year, which earned him first-team All-Pro honors as he accumulated just under 1,000 total return yards and a trio of TDs.
It wasn't until his second year that Hill really took off as a pure receiver that the Chiefs could count on snap-to-snap. Not only was his speed otherworldly, but Hill's explosion off the line, his start-stop acceleration, and his mindfulness of angles after the catch were what made him truly special. From 2017 to 2021, save for a 2019 season in which he missed four games, Hill averaged a stat line of 90-1,294-11. It put him on a pedestal as one of the truly elite receivers of his era.
He made the Pro Bowl in each of his six years in Kansas City, along with three first-team All-Pros and a 2019 Super Bowl run. There's no doubt that he benefited from playing alongside a Hall of Fame tight end in Travis Kelce and a historic anomaly at quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, but those two guys also benefited from Hill's presence and output as well. His time on the Chiefs ultimately ran short, but Tyreek Hill proved that he is a no-doubt, Chiefs Mount Rushmore wide receiver.
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