Lucky 63
There have clearly been signs that the NFL Draft is coming to Kansas City, such as this wrapped KC Streetcar which has branding for all 32 NFL teams. PHOTO CREDIT - disKCovery
Published April 26, 2023
For as long as I can remember, Kansas City has been a football town. Through thick and thin, this city has always been crazy about their CHIIIEEEFFFSS! This year, Chiefs Kingdom’s excitement seems to be at an all-time high. In fact, I do not think this city has stopped talking about football since the season ended.
Now, it may have something to do with the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs are, well, they’re pretty good. Our city just threw our second Super Bowl parade in the last four years! Being the reigning Super Bowl Champions, and bringing home the team’s third Lamar Hunt Trophy since 2020, is bound to get people fired up. Being the home of the reigning NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP is sure to have spirits high.
But, of course, the reason that Kansas City is so excited about the NFL right now is because thousands have been flooding into our city as we prepare to host the 2023 NFL Draft!
The NFL Draft as we know it today is wildly different from the first version held in Philadelphia’s Ritz-Carlton back in 1936. For decades, the draft existed as a true league meeting where teams would make their selections which would later be reported. In 1965, it found a “permanent” home in New York City. In 1980, the emergence of an all-sports network, ESPN, that needed content led to the NFL Draft being televised for the first time. It transformed the event forever. In 2010, eager to compete in primetime and attract more viewers, the NFL Draft became a three-day affair with the first round airing on a Thursday night and rounds two and three airing on Friday. This has been such a success that this is the format that football fans now know and love.
“Thirty-two teams, seven rounds, 224 young men who, today, are about to become players in the National Football League. A day where lives are changed. fates are decided, dynasties are born, and the clock is always ticking. Of course, I’m talking about ... DRAFT DAY!”
Even in the short time since the film Draft Day hit theaters, the NFL Draft has continued to evolve. This year’s draft will be larger than that draft, with 259 picks. No longer is it in New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Much like the NBA All-Star Game or a Presidential Convention, the NFL Draft is subject to a bidding process by potential host cities. This is how Kansas City became this year’s draft hub. With the exception of the 2020 Draft, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL has seen increased crowds for every single draft since they switched to this hosting format. Over 300,000 people are expected to attend this weekend’s festivities in Kansas City!
Starting tomorrow night, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will step on the largest draft stage ever constructed, in front of Union Station, and reveal the NFL fate of the top college football players in America. Of the 259 who will hear their name called in the coming days, 17 of the top prospects will be in attendance at Thursday night’s festivities. All are expected to be selected in the First Round.
For Kansas City Chiefs’ General Manager Brett Veach, he is trying to fill the holes in the champs’ roster that will hopefully thrust this franchise to (dare I say it?) dynasty status. Fortunately, he has a whopping ten draft picks to play with going into the weekend.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of websites, you can go to and read mock drafts that will be rendered worthless by this time tomorrow. Any Chiefs fan forum or sports media outlet can tell you what Kansas City’s biggest positional needs are.
Instead, I decided to do what no one else is doing. I looked at the picks that Veach and company have at their disposal and then at the historic trends surrounding those picks. A bona fide starter can be, and has been, found at every single draft position. Just last year, San Francisco made it all the way to the NFC Championship with Mr. Irrelevant (the last draft pick) at the helm! So in that regard, I choose to give Chiefs fan hope of what can be.
Below, I highlight the greatest NFL player ever selected at each position that Kansas City holds in this year’s draft (at time of publication). Since some of these go quite a ways back, I also made it a point to mention the best pick at each draft position of the last 10 years.
In doing so, I happened upon a trend that nobody seems to be talking about. One pick number, more than any other, contributed to the Chiefs’ most recent Super Bowl win. And the good news? Veach currently holds that pick once again!
THURSDAY NIGHT - ROUND 1
On Thursday night, the lights will be brightest, and the crowd will likely be at its largest. Teams sink time, energy, and resources into understanding the players who could be available in the first round. While there are exceptions to the rule, teams that fail to draft well in the first round, typically do not do well. Unsurprisingly, the first round of the draft has netted the most Hall of Famers, by a wide margin.
For all the talent available in any NFL Draft, there are never any guarantees. Every year, there are a few teams who manage to find a complete bust in this round. There are so many examples of universally agreed-upon first round grades just not working out. Given the time and resources put into it, and the potential of first round, getting this pick right is imperative.
Round 1, Pick 31 - 31st Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Tommy McDonald, WR - Oklahoma
Team: Philadelphia Eagles (1957, Round 3)
Being near the end of the first round is a position that Chiefs fans have become all too familiar with in recent years. However, if we are to look at the greatest player ever taken 31st overall, we have to go all the way back to 1957 where pick 31 actually came in the third round. Tommy McDonald was drafted as a halfback out of the University of Oklahoma by the Eagles. As a rookie, he transitioned to wide receiver due to a lack of depth at the position on the team. The rest, as they say, is history. A five-time All-Pro and a six-time Pro Bowler, McDonald led the league in receiving yards once and receiving touchdowns twice. He was a pivotal part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 1960 NFL Championship team. He would spend the latter years of his career bouncing around the league playing for the Cowboys, Rams, Falcons, and Browns. The final game of his career was the 1968 NFL Championship where McDonald and the Browns were shutout 34 - 0 by the Baltimore Colts. A member of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame, McDonald is also forever enshrined in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For Chiefs fans, if Veach were to draft a wide receiver at this pick anywhere near McDonald’s caliber, they would be thrilled. If not, they would be similarly happy with an offensive lineman as great as the one the Cowboys selected with this pick in 2013.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Travis Frederick, C - Wisconsin
Team: Dallas Cowboys (2013, Round 1)
Tommy McDonald was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. PHOTO CREDIT - Philadelphia Inquirer
FRIDAY NIGHT - ROUNDS 2 & 3
When the calendar turns to Day 2, there will likely be a common theme around “[INSERT PLAYER X] is still available!” Last year, that story centered around Malik Willis. In years past, players like Jonathan Taylor, Tee Higgins, and Geno Smith dominated these same headlines. For most fanbases, Friday night can be a lot of fun because fans get to see their team acquire multiple players in primetime. These rounds do not have quite the fanfare of the first round but they are every bit as important. When the majority of way-too-soon draft grades are published at the NFL Draft’s conclusion, those grades will be largely determined based on what teams accomplish on Friday. For Brett Veach, Round 2 has been pivotal to his team’s success.
Round 2, Pick 32 - 63rd Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Travis Kelce, TE - Cincinnati
Team: Kansas City Chiefs (2013, Round 3)
Due to a pair of pick forfeitures in 2013, pick 63 was actually the first overall pick of the third round. The Kansas City Chiefs were on the clock and there is no question that they nailed it! Most already consider Travis Kelce to be the greatest tight end, and overall pass catcher, in team history. Given that Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez played for Kansas City for 12 seasons, that is indeed high praise.
When it comes to Kelce, the numbers speak for themselves. He holds the record for most 1,000 yard receiving yard seasons for a tight end (7) which is also the record for most consecutive seasons of this accomplishment. His three seasons with 100 or more receptions is also an NFL tight end record. In 2020, Kelce set the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with 1,416. He has been named an All-Pro seven times and to the Pro Bowl on eight occasions. A surefire Hall of Famer, Kelce is on pace to be universally considered the greatest tight end of all time when his career is over.
Aside from a player that Chiefs fans know and love, this should be a pick they know and love. In fact, Chiefs fans should be celebrating the fact that they have “lucky 63” this year.
In general, NFL teams have had a lot of recent success with this pick, but none compare to the Chiefs. In 2020, Brett Veach selected Willie Gay with this pick. In 2019, he took Juan Thornhill. In 2015, the Seattle Seahawks actually selected Frank Clark here too. For Kansas City, an astonishing five players selected at #63 since 2013 were major contributors to their most recent Super Bowl win! For half of said picks to be on one roster, let alone starters, is just unheard of.
Understanding that Kelce is the greatest all-time pick and happened within the last ten drafts, I took this opportunity to highlight another Chiefs fan favorite taken 63rd overall much more recently.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Creed Humphrey, C - Oklahoma
Team: Kansas City Chiefs (2021, Round 2)
Round 3, Pick 32 - 95th Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Jimmy Graham, TE - Miami (FL)
Team: New Orleans Saints (2010, Round 3)
It would seem that the vast majority of great tight ends have one thing in common - they were undervalued in the NFL Draft. Almost none of the tight ends who we imagine as all-timers were taken in the first round. But then again, the value of the position has skyrocketed in recent years. The evolutions of offenses and the emergence of great, athletic, pass-catching tight ends has transformed the game. It’s easy to think of Jimmy Graham through the lens of what he is now, a veteran journeyman who occasionally has a big game. Make no mistake; Jimmy Graham was a great tight end! For his five seasons with the New Orleans Saints, he seemed unstoppable! He received two All-Pro selections and was named to the Pro Bowl in three of those years. In 2013, he led the entire NFL in receiving touchdowns. You could argue that in his prime, he was the best target that Hall of Famer Drew Brees ever had! Graham was so elite that when the Saints did trade him to Seattle, they received a Pro Bowl center and a first round pick in return. It was not entirely downhill from there as Graham did get named to the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017 with Seattle. While he has bounced around the league in recent years, it does not change the fact that Jimmy Graham was a fantastic football player.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Graham Glasgow, C / G - Michigan
Team: Detroit Lions (2016, Round 3)
Since being drafted out of the University of Cincinnati, Travis Kelce has accomplished things unmatched by any tight end in NFL history. PHOTO CREDIT - Dustin Bradford / Getty Images
SATURDAY - ROUNDS 4 - 7
For lack of a better word, Saturday is madness! The time to get pick gets shorter and the picks just fly by! This is where General Managers have a real chance to impress as they have to adjust to a constantly shifting draft board and hope that all their offseason preparation has paid off. When a great player is selected on the final day, that becomes a well-known part of their story. Every year, the best teams have contributors taken in rounds four through seven. GMs just enter this fray looking for depth. They remain hopeful however, that lightning will strike and they will find at least one mid-round and late-round gem.
From a fan’s standpoint, this day is for the diehards. It’s for the NFL fans hopeful their team will finally fill a key positional need and for the college fans hoping to finally hear their favorite player’s name called. Notably, this is the day where fans are likely to learn at least one new college, as this is the day where nearly all of the lower division players are typically taken.
Round 4, Pick 20 - 122nd Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Hardy Nickerson, LB - Notre Dame
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers (1987, Round 5)
Few Chiefs fans would question the need of the team to add defensive talent. Historically, and recently, this has proven a great pick to improve that side of the ball. While Hardy Nickerson was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is mostly fondly remembered by Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans. Nickerson came to Tampa as the first unrestricted free agent signing in team history in 1993. During his six seasons in Tampa, he was named All-Pro four times and to the Pro Bowl five times! There are many who would credit him with not only helping to turn around the Buccaneers under Dungy, but give him credit for mentoring many of the defensive players that would eventually lead the Bucs to their first Super Bowl win. He finished his career playing for the Jaguars and the Packers. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1990s.
Back in 2004, the Chiefs would select the future Hall of Fame defensive end Jared Allen four picks after this one. In 2015, the Ravens picked up a similarly great linebacker with this pick.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Za’Darius Smith, LB - Kentucky
Team: Baltimore Ravens (2015, Round 4)
Round 4, Pick 32 - 134th Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Rob Goode, RB - Texas A&M
Team: Chicago Bears (1948, Round 15)
In 1996, the Kansas City Chiefs selected wide receiver Joe Horn at pick #135. To get the best player ever selected one pick prior, we have to go WAY back. To be fair, it is a little bit misleading. Chicago drafted Rob Goode after his junior year with pick 134 but he chose to return to Texas A&M. The following year the Buffalo Bills selected him in the 16th round of the AAFC Draft while Washington selected him 8th overall in the NFL Draft. Goode would spend his career in Washington and was one of the premier running backs of that era. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1951 and 1954. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns in 1951. When he left Washington, he was the all-time franchise leader in rushing yards.
Speaking of league leaders in rushing touchdowns, another one of those has been selected with this pick a bit more recently.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Jamaal Williams, RB - BYU
Team: Green Bay Packers (2017, Round 4)
Jamaal Williams broke out with the Detroit Lions in 2022. He had 17 rushing touchdowns which led the league. PHOTO CREDIT - Nic Antaya / Getty Images
Round 5, Pick 31 - 166th Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: La’Roi Glover, DT - San Diego State
Team: Oakland Raiders (1996, Round 5)
In 1996, the Oakland Raiders drafted the undersized La’Roi Glover out of San Diego State with this pick. After appearing in only two games his rookie year, he was sent to NFL Europe to play for the Barcelona Dragons. He played a key role in the Dragons winning World Bowl V but that did not stop the Raiders for waiving him upon his return. He was claimed by the New Orleans Saints and that is where his career found legs. A solid starter in the league, he broke out in 2000 and led the entire league in sacks. That year became the first of six consecutive Pro Bowl nods for Glover. He was also First Team All-Pro that year and would make the Second Team three other times. A member of the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame and the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s, Glover had a 13 year NFL career that also included stops at the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams. Today, Glover has not strayed too far from his final team as he is the Defensive Line Coach for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks.
By this point in the draft, it can be very easy for fans to check out. Just remember, in 2016, the Chiefs selected Tyreek Hill one pick earlier than this one. There’s always stars to be found here. For a team that needs help on both sides of the trenches, a player of Glover’s or Teller’s prowess here would be quite welcome in The Kingdom.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Wyatt Teller, G - Virginia Tech
Team: Buffalo Bills (2018, Round 5)
Round 6, Pick 1 - 178th Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Larry Grantham, LB - Ole Miss
Team: Baltimore Colts (1960, Round 15)
One piece of the Tyreek Hill trade that was interesting was requiring Miami to give up their earliest sixth round pick in the trade. After the Dolphins traded Jakeem Grant to the Bears, and Chicago had the fewest wins, that pick became the first pick in the sixth round. Due to crafty maneuvering by Veach, the Chiefs ended up with a pick 19 picks higher than they otherwise may have.
This all-timer is another selection that is a bit misleading, but there just has not been a lot of great players selected here. While All-SEC linebacker Larry Grantham was selected 178th overall by the Baltimore Colts in 1960, he was also taken in the second round of the inaugural AFL Draft by the New York Titans (later the Jets). The AFL is where Grantham chose to play. In fact, Grantham is one of a relative few players who played in the AFL for that league’s entire ten year existence. As an outside linebacker, he was a nightmare for opposing offenses. A member of the New York Jets Ring of Honor, Grantham was named All-AFL ten years in a row! In his ninth year with the team, Grantham helped lead the Jets to a historic Super Bowl III upset of the NFL team that had once drafted him, the Baltimore Colts.
While, after signing Blaine Gabbert last week, the Chiefs have their QB2, finding a quarterback of the caliber the Jaguars did in 2019 would represent a phenomenal value this late in the game.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Gardner Minshew, QB - Washington State
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars (2019, Round 6)
Round 6, Pick 39 - 217th Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Dick Daugherty, G / LB - Oregon
Team: Los Angeles Rams (1951, Round 18)
First of all, the position is not a typo. Dick Daugherty played on both sides of the ball. In his rookie year, he helped anchor the offensive line for a Los Angeles Rams team that won the NFL Championship. He played guard for a few years before leaving football for a couple of seasons to serve in the United States Air Force. When he returned to the Rams, he played linebacker. All in all, the West Virginia native and former Oregon Duck played six seasons for the Rams and made the Pro Bowl as a linebacker in 1957.
Give the opportunity a certain Bears player has this season, I would not be surprised if we one day consider him the best-ever drafted at Pick 217.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Khalil Herbert, RB - Virginia Tech
Team: Chicago Bears (2021, Round 6)
Fondly remembered for his ability to get to the quarterback in New Orleans, Glover was originally drafted by the Raiders and waived way too soon. PHOTO CREDIT - SB Nation
Round 7, Pick 32 - 249th Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Dwight Clark, WR - Clemson
Team: San Francisco 49ers (1979, Round 10)
Two words - “The Catch”. There are few plays in the history of the league as iconic as this one. The game-winning pass from Joe Montana to Clark in the 1982 NFC Championship is known to nearly every football fan. Dwight Clark is so much more than that play. A 10th round selection in 1979, he was a key part of San Francisco’s first two Super Bowls. The two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro led the league in receptions in 1982. In his nine year career, all with the Niners, Clark had 500 receptions and 48 receiving touchdowns. After retiring, the 49ers retired Clark’s #87 and inducted him into the team’s Hall of Fame. He is also a part of Clemson’s Hall of Fame. And to think, when Bill Walsh initially selected Clark with this pick, most considered it to be a reach!
More recently, an excellent running back was taken at this position. Unfortunately, for such a fantastic talent, injuries plagued his way-too-short career.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Chris Carson, RB - Oklahoma State
Team: Seattle Seahawks (2017, Round 7)
Round 7, Pick 33 - 250th Overall
All Time Greatest Pick: Scott Studwell, LB - Illinois
Team: Minnesota Vikings (1977, Round 9)
Having back-to-back picks in any round is interesting but for the Chiefs to have them here, as teams are itching to get on the phone with undrafted free agents, is most intriguing. If Veach does end up making both these picks, it may seem like a longshot that Brett Veach would find a contributor at 249 or 250. But, let’s not forget that just last year he picked up a certain Rutgers running back at pick 251! I think all in The Kingdom would agree that Isiah Pacheco’s presence was felt in 2022.
This was actually a tough call. The ever-popular Ryan Fitzpatick was taken with this pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2005. And while Fitzmagic had a great career and set an NFL record by starting for nine different teams, I have to go with a guy here who played for only one. Scott Studwell was an absolute force for the Minnesota Vikings. He holds franchise records for most tackles in a single game (24) and in a single season (230). He played his entire 14 year career in Minnesota. At the time of his retirement, he was the Vikings all-time leader in tackles with 1,981. A two-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All Pro, Studwell is in the Vikings Ring of Honor. Afterwards, he transitioned to the Front Office and until 2019, was the team’s Director of College Scouting.
More recently, the best selection at this pick has been a quarterback who got a couple of starting seasons under his belt before becoming a journeyman back-up.
Greatest Pick of Last 10 Years: Trevor Siemian, QB - Northwestern
Team: Denver Broncos (2015, Round 7)
When healthy, Chris Carson was a brilliant running back. Sadly, injuries hampered his career and ultimately ended it. PHOTO CREDIT - Rod Mar / Seattle Seahawks
SATURDAY NIGHT & BEYOND - UNDRAFTED FREE AGENCY
Even when Veach has used his final draft pick, the work will be far from over. Then the work of filling out the rest of the roster begins. That may mean NFL free agents but it also means the undrafted free agents - all of those draft prospects that went unselected. While they are clearly the exception, you could likely put together a Hall of Fame roster of undrafted players. In more recent years, the likes of Justin Tucker, Adam Thielen, Austin Ekeler, Shaquil Barrett, and Jason Peters were all undrafted. In terms of the Kansas City Chiefs, Deron Cherry, Brian Waters, Priest Holmes, and Tommy Townsend were all famously not selected in the NFL Draft.
“For Kansas City, an astonishing five players selected at #63 since 2013 were major contributors to their most recent Super Bowl win! For half of said picks to be on one roster, let alone starters, is just unheard of”
In the past four years, the Kansas City Chiefs have made three Super Bowl appearances, winning two of them. What Brett Veach has done is what all great teams do. He has built through the draft and then supplemented, where necessary, with trades and free agency. It helps that what most consider his first-ever draft pick was an all-world quarterback. Regardless, he has continued to maneuver and build.
There will be turnover from last year’s roster. Some of the heroes of last year’s run are already gone. There are definitely holes to fill if the Chiefs hope to win an eighth straight AFC West crown and defend their AFC and Super Bowl titles. And yet, all of Chiefs Kingdom should be confident that given Veach’s history, and league history, this team has everything they need to reload for another run. More importantly for Kansas City fans, if recent trends hold true, Veach once again has that most important pick - LUCKY 63.
By the end of the weekend, at least ten new players will be Kansas City Chiefs. The Kingdom is hopeful that by this time next year, those same players will all be Super Bowl Champions.
Chiefs Kingdom packed into KC Live! for Super Bowl LVII. They all hope they get to do it again on February 11, 2024. PHOTO CREDIT - disKCovery
What do you consider the Chiefs’ biggest need in the draft? Who do you hope they take on Thursday night? As always, let me hear it in the comments.
