Best draft picks by round - Undrafted Players

[Rain Man]

I'll start with undrafted free agents and subsequent threads will tackle the draft rounds in ascending order.

My rules are that I consider their value to the Chiefs alone, so I don't care if they go to another team and produce later.

Here's my call on undrafted free agents. My rule here is that I only count the player if the Chiefs were the FIRST team where they played in an NFL game. So some good players like Priest Holmes and Nick Lowery and Casey Wiegman and Greg Manusky aren't eligible. A few of the guys on my list were initially in training camps with other teams but didn't make their final roster, so I'm counting them since the Chiefs were their first NFL roster appearance.

1. Deron Cherry, 1981. 11 seasons with the Chiefs, 6 pro bowls and 3 all pro selections. He recorded 50 interceptions and was the definition of a ball-hawking free safety in the best defensive backfield the NFL has ever seen. He clearly should be in the Hall of Fame.

2. Emmitt Thomas, 1966. He's in the NFL Hall of Fame, so maybe he should be #1 on this list. 13 seasons with the Chiefs and 58 interceptions, including a season with 12 interceptions on a terrible 1974 team. He has 5 pro bowls and 1 all pro appearance. I only drop him to second because he played in an era where interceptions were easier to come by.

3. Jan Stenerud, 1967. Another Hall of Famer. Played with the Chiefs for 13 years, with 5 pro bowls and 1 all-pro to his credit. If you read about his early career, he freaked defenses out with his kicking range. The Vikings came into Super Bowl IV believing that they needed to keep the Chiefs completely in their own territory or Jan would score, and he proved them right with a perfect appearance.

4. Tony Richardson, 1995. Eleven seasons with the Chiefs, including two pro bowls. He was never named all-pro, but come on. We all saw him leading Priest Holmes, and he was an artist in directional blocking. When they needed him to carry the ball, he also carried the ball well. Great, great player.

5. Brian Waters, 2000. Who can forget him dominating the Ravens? 11 years with the Chiefs, including 5 pro bowls and 2 all-pro selections. Maybe he should be rated higher on this list because at his peak he was a powerhouse. Dominating rock of a player who could get outside on those power sweeps with ease.

6. Kimble Anders, 1991. 10 seasons with the Chiefs, including 3 pro bowls. His legacy gets undervalued because Tony Richardson picked up right where Kimble left off, but Kimble may have been a more versatile player. He could block, catch, and run with the best of them.

7. Sherrill Headrick, 1960. He was before my time, but his reputation speaks for itself. Eight seasons as a Chief with 4 pro bowls and 3 all-pros, albeit those awards were in the AFL and so a little easier to get before the merger. He was by all accounts a very good linebacker who only lost his job because of the arrival of a fellow named Willie Lanier.

8. Stephone Paige, 1983. Nine seasons with the Chiefs. He never made a pro bowl in those tough years, but if you watched the Chiefs, you knew that Stephone was money in the bank. He was a brilliant third down receiver who never dropped the ball, and for a while he held the record for the best receiving game in NFL history. He's one of my favorite Chiefs.

9. Dave Grayson, 1961. He may be the greatest Chief you've never heard of, but with the caveat that most of his accomplishments came later as a Raider. He was with the Chiefs for four years, with three pro bowls and one AFL all-pro, before being traded to the Raiders for Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. He recorded 19 interceptions in his four seasons as a Chief.

10. Tracy Simien. Technically, he was a Steeler for a season before joining the Chiefs but he never appeared in a game, so you can decide whether he's eligible. He was with the Chiefs for seven years and never made a pro bowl, but he was a hulking run stopper in the middle of some great defenses.

Other players you might consider: Eric Hicks, Wendell Hayes, Walt Corey, Willie Davis, J.T. Smith, Mack Lee Hill, Daniel Sorensen, and of course Benny Sapp. Edit: dang, I forgot a couple of these guys in the poll, particularly Willie Davis. Oh, well.

[CrazyPhuD]

No Brian Shay or Bobby Sippio?

[Why Not?]

This is tough. I agree that it probably should be Thomas but he was before my time and in things like this, I think the ol' eye test has to be included. So I'm gonna go with T Rich. So dominant as a blocker and could start a game at tailback and deliver there, if you needed him to.

[Nickhead]

priest holmes?

[rockymtnchief]

It's tough to pick between the top 5 choices, but I went with Deron Cherry. Best damn punter signing KC ever had.

[oldman]

As much as I thought of some of those guys (T-Rich, Cherry, and Waters), I had to go with ET. For those of you that never saw him, he was everything you want in a DB, fast, great hands, and he could hit you like a Mack truck.

[Rasputin]

I'm torn between Deron Cherry and Tony Richardson. I have an autograph jersey given to me of Tony Richardson so I have to vote for him.

[Rasputin]

I remember Deron Cherry more for laying the wood than his interceptions.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by oldman

As much as I thought of some of those guys (T-Rich, Cherry, and Waters), I had to go with ET. For those of you that never saw him, he was everything you want in a DB, fast, great hands, and he could hit you like a Mack truck.

I feel kind of guilty not voting for Emmitt. It's really a tossup to me between him and Deron, and I'll admit that I'm a huge fan of Deron, which may have swayed my vote.

[Halfcan]

I didn't vote for Deron because he once stiffed me on a Real Estate deal. Backed out after signing the contract costing me a large commission. Great player but a real dick.

[BigBeauford]

You underestimate what a great accomplishment it is to remain on a team, and not take a snap for 4 years. Thus, I think Tyler Bray deserves mention.

[DaneMcCloud]

As much as I loved Deron Cherry as a player and certainly believe that he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, my vote goes to Emmitt Thomas.

Not only was Emmitt Thomas a 5 time Pro Bowler, 2 time first team All Pro, 2 time second team All Pro, 3 time Super Bowl Champ (Chiefs as a player, twice as the DB coach of the Redskins) and to this day, leads the Chiefs in Interceptions with 58, he's a Pro Football Hall of Famer as a player.

Also, without his ties to the Chiefs organization, he may not have joined as a DB coach in 2010, where he's not only coached up one of the best secondaries in all of the NFL the previous seven seasons, he's also helped Eric Berry to become a better player each year (who also looks to have a Hall of Fame trajectory).

Emmitt Thomas and by a wide margin.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

I didn't vote for Deron because he once stiffed me on a Real Estate deal. Backed out after signing the contract costing me a large commission. Great player but a real dick.

Was this about buying the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise? Because that would have generated a large commission.

[Halfcan]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Was this about buying the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise? Because that would have generated a large commission.

No it was a private residence. It was a $260,000 custom build job in Lees Summit.

Worked with him several weeks and he never even called me in person to tell me he backed out of the contract.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

No it was a private residence. It was a $260,000 custom build job in Lees Summit.

Worked with him several weeks and he never even called me in person to tell me he backed out of the contract.

You have to look him off. If you don't look him off, he's going to jump in and take advantage of you.

Other than that, sorry about the failed deal.