Okay, time for the 4th round. Remember, your voting is for the best guy from the Chiefs' perspective, so we don't care what they did later if they happened to switch teams.
Check out the weird pattern with fourth-round picks. Several of our top ten left the team for a while and then came back.
Here's my top 10:
1. Otis Taylor, 1964 - 11 seasons with the Chiefs, three pro bowls, two all pros. Two pro bowls and one all-pro were after the merger, so they're harder to get. Had a 1,297 yard season in a 14-game year, averaged 17.8 yards per catch over his entire career, and made the biggest single play in franchise history.
2. Jack Rudnay, 1969 - 13 years with the Chiefs, 4 pro bowls in the NFL. He was the last of the championship Chiefs on the roster, even though he didn't play in 1969. One could make a very strong argument for him getting the #1 ranking on this list.
3. Donnie Edwards, 1996 - Two stints with the Chiefs with a five-year absence in between, which may be a record for wandering in the wilderness. He never made a pro bowl for the Chiefs, but he was a fast defender in the middle of Marty's later defenses.
4. Jared Allen, 2004 - He was only with the Chiefs for four seasons, earning a pro bowl and all-pro selection in his final year as he burst forth into stardom. Perhaps his biggest contribution was bringing the Peterson era to an end with his heavy drinking, but setting that aside, it was clear to Chiefs fans that he was a disruptive force. Who can forget him chasing down that running back 40 yards downfield? Great defensive end.
5. Matt Herkenhoff, 1976. He didn't make any pro bowls, but he was a fixture for ten years at offensive tackle. I'm not sure that the 1970s were his fault at all.
6. Ed Lothamer, 1964. Played with the Chiefs for 8 years at defensive tackle alternating between starting and backup roles. He retired after the Super Bowl and sat out a year, then came back for another two years. According to the Chiefs.com web site, he was drafted as a tight end but gained 80 pounds in a single offseason to make the move to defensive tackle. 80 pounds? Before the era of steroids? I'm really curious about this.
7. Eric Harris, 1977. He was drafted in 1977, but went to the Canadian Football League. He returned in 1980 and played for three years, recording 17 interceptions and being well regarded before being traded to the Rams.
8. Frank Pitts, 1965. You may remember him as the guy on the other side of the field when Otis Taylor was catching passes. Three-year starter and three years as a backup from what I can ascertain.
9. Bracy Walker, 1994. He was a backup for the Chiefs in 1994, went to the Bengals and Dolphins for a while, then returned to the Chiefs in 1998. He was an active backup for four years before moving on to the Lions.
10. Frank Manumaleauga, 1979. Two year starter at ILB for the Chiefs, and backed up one more year. Made one of the best plays of the early 1980s when he forced an amazing game-winning fumble against the Steelers on opening day.
Others you might consider: Greg Favors, Samie Parker, Monty Beisel, Ramik Wilson, and of course Craphonso Thorpe and Omar Easy. [Reply]
Ed Lothamer is a big mystery to me. I know little about him, but he was a huge guy for his era. I'm skeptical about the story of him gaining 80 pounds in one offseason, though, unless he was a 190-lb. tight end. But who knows? Times were different back then.
While the Chiefs traded him away (which became Brandon Albert and Jamaal Charles), Allen is a bonafide Hall of Famer with 136 sacks, 9.5 more sacks than Derrick Thomas. [Reply]
I overlooked the 'we don't care what happens after they switched teams..."
That said, what about what we were able to do with the draft capital accumulated via trade? Otis Taylor's 11 seasons are worth a ton, but without Jared Allen, we don't have Jamaal Charles or Brandon Albert. Steven Nelson came from Brandon Albert's comp pick.
So 4 years of Jared Allen, Jamaal Charles, Brandon Albert and Steven Nelson. That's pretty damn good for a 4th round pick, no? Or is it too speculative to play that game? [Reply]
While the Chiefs traded him away (which became Brandon Albert and Jamaal Charles), Allen is a bonafide Hall of Famer with 136 sacks, 9.5 more sacks than Derrick Thomas.
DAMMIT! Had I not spent the time to figure out who we got with that damn comp pick, I'd have posted first! [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
I overlooked the 'we don't care what happens after they switched teams..."
That said, what about what we were able to do with the draft capital accumulated via trade? Otis Taylor's 11 seasons are worth a ton, but without Jared Allen, we don't have Jamaal Charles or Brandon Albert. Steven Nelson came from Brandon Albert's comp pick.
So 4 years of Jared Allen, Jamaal Charles, Brandon Albert and Steven Nelson. That's pretty damn good for a 4th round pick, no? Or is it too speculative to play that game?
I've generally said to ignore contributions outside the team, because otherwise I'd have to do things like list Roger Staubach as a late-round Chiefs pick and Gale Sayers as a first-round pick, which pollutes the process. But in the case of someone like Jared Allen, he played for four years and then spawned several more picks when he left, so now that you mention it, that additional value should count. Good call. [Reply]
