Best draft picks by Round - Rounds 8 and Lower
 

Beginning in 1994, the NFL draft has had seven rounds, but prior to that year they had more rounds, varying from 8 rounds to 34 rounds at various points in Chiefs history.

Today we'll cover those players drafted by the Chiefs in Round 8 or lower. Here's my take on the best picks.

1. Dave Hill - 24th round, 1963. He never made a pro bowl, but he was with the team for 12 sold years at right tackle. At one point he went nine years without missing a start. That's a good return on a 24th round pick.

2. Jerrell Wilson - 11th round, 1963. Initially a running back, he could also punt a little. He played for 15 seasons as a Chiefs, notching three NFL pro bowls and being named to the all-time AFL team.

3. Curtis McClinton - 14th round, 1961. A running back for 8 seasons, he made three AFL pro bowls and was a threat both running and passing. He averaged 4.1 ypc over his career and caught an average of nearly 20 passes per season.

4. Todd McNair - 8th round, 1989. He played six seasons with the Chiefs and never sniffed a pro bowl, but he was one of the best third down backs in Chiefs history. He averaged 30 receptions per season as a pure third-down back, and he was a near lock to get the first. Rushing, he got few carries at about 20 per year, but averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Atop that, he was a dominant special teams cover guy.

5. Mike Garrett - 20th round, 1966. Okay, he's a ringer. He went late because this was the height of the AFL/NFL bidding wars. But he was a 20th round pick. He was only with the Chiefs for 4.5 seasons, but he made two pro bowls, one all-pro (AFL) team, scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl, and averaged 4.4 ypc.

6. Bobby Hunt - 11th round, 1962. He played with the team for six seasons, getting one pro bowl and one AFL all-pro nod. He recorded an impressive 37 interceptions in those six years.

7. Tom Condon - 10th round, 1974. He spent 11 seasons with the worst Chiefs teams this side of Herm Edwards. No pro bowls, but he helped make a pocket for (sigh) Blackledge.

8. Frank Jackson - 19th round, 1961. He played five seasons with the Chiefs, notching one pro bowl. He had two seasons of 50+ catches, which is very impressive for his era.

9. Irv Eatman - 8th round, 1983. Originally drafted by the Chiefs, he went to the USFL, where I guess he was Carl Peterson's first Chief. He then was picked up by the Chiefs when the USFL folded (thanks, Trump) and started at offensive tackle for five seasons.

10. Robert Holmes - 14th round, 1968. He only played 3.5 seasons as a Chief, but made one pro bowl and was a high-motor guy. I remember him best for one of the Chiefs' more unusual touchdowns. Otis Taylor caught a long pass and the defensive back caught him, but couldn't bring him down. Holmes was hustling downfield as the only guy chasing the play, and Otis tossed him the ball for a lateral touchdown.


Others receiving consideration include Mike Sensibaugh and Whitney Paul.

I'm torn about Dave Hill or Jerrell Wilson being the #1 spot. Jerrell was more dominating at his position and played longer, but ... punter. I also wish I could vote for Todd McNair, who was a delight to watch. He loved the game and was very good at it.

Good old Irv Eatman.

I didn't know that the Chiefs originally drafted him. I wonder if it was a coincidence that they got him, or if the NFL assigned USFL guys to the NFL team that drafted them. If so, that was a rare savvy move by the 1980s Chiefs.

On a side note, Eatman was playing during the first Chiefs game I ever attended. My gosh, that guy was a behemoth. I had seats down low near the Chiefs sidelines, and he dwarfed every other player standing around.

I see a comparison of apples and oranges. Prior to the merger. The Nfl drafted a lot of these guys high and then the AFL would throw a feeler at them to see if they were interested in a contract. The only modern day round 8 that I noticed was Todd McNair and he wasn't all that great.

Bobby Hunt

Yeah, that bidding war kind of corrupts the comparisons in some cases. I am helpless to intervene.

The Chiefs drafted Irv in the 8th but he chose to play in the USFL for Carl instead.

The sad thing about Irv is that he had the "potential" to be an All Pro but he was too lazy.

Mike Garrett

Todd McNair won so many Marty Ball games with his ability to convert on third down at the end of the game. He had a knack for getting it done.

I've always liked Todd McNair he did his job.

I picked Mike Garrett. I was tempted by Jerrell Wilson because Garrett didn't spend that much time as a Chief.

A lot of these guys were before my time.

Yeah, I think that's probably true of most of the people here. I'm barely aware of any of the guys drafted in the 60s with the exceptions of Mike Garrett and Jerrell Wilson. I recognize McClinton's name, but don't really remember him at all. I was born in 1963.

Yeah, the 8th round+ guys are by definition older players since the draft hasn't had 8 rounds in 20+ years. But even then, they skew much older because the early drafts had 20+ rounds, so you had many more chances to find guys. I'm the same age as patteeu and have the same vague awareness of most of these guys. We'll get more modern guys once we get to the seventh round.