While the Kansas City Chiefs have, for the most part, done a phenomenal job of identifying young talent in the NFL Draft and even the undrafted rookie pool in recent years, there have been some clear failures in their player acquisition program.
From Skyy Moore to Kadarius Toney to potentially Kingsley Suamataia, not every selection from general manager Brett Veach has been an effective one. That said, nothing compares to the dramatic failures we've seen from the Chiefs' AFC West rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, in recent years.
Until star tight end Brock Bowers, virtually nothing worked out. Now, one disastrous first-round pick who spent a cup of coffee with Kansas City is now targeting an NFL comeback after he torpedoed his career.
Former Chiefs and Raiders CB Damon Arnette Attempting NFL Comeback After UFL Stint
The Raiders made one of the worst draft picks in recent memory by taking Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette, who lasted just two years before being ushered out of the league due to serious off-field issues.
Arnette, who was originally taken at No. 19 in 2020, has become known as a cautionary tale. He's now attempting an NFL comeback after shining with the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL, and "several NFL teams" have reached out to make inquiries about the CB, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.
"He’s an unbelievably talented athlete. He’s doing all the right things to put himself in position to get back to the He belongs there," Roughnecks secondary coach Brett Maxie said. "Not very many people get a second chance. And he’s doing it at the right age where he’s still athletically gifted and plays the position at a very, very high level"
He lasted just nine days with Kansas City before head coach Andy Reid was ready to move on. That doesn't bode well, though perhaps things have changed since then.
Regardless, it'll be interesting to see if Arnette can catch on with a team for training camp and prove himself after all these years. The Chiefs, in all likelihood, won't take that risk again, yet it's probably that someone else will sooner rather than later.