Chiefs must focus on quarterback in 2017 NFL Draft
By John McCarty
Going forward, this column will dedicate itself to potential draft picks for the Kansas City Chiefs.
As the NFL has turned the draft into a year round event, so to shall this column target it’s resources towards said event. For both the draft geeks, nerds and historians such as myself, hopefully it will be enjoyable. For those that are not, hopefully it will be informative. For those that are neither, well, thanks for reading. Onward looking towards the 2017 NFL Draft.
The 2017 NFL Draft should break a somewhat dubious streak for the Chiefs organization. I firmly believe the draft will (should) end the organizations drought on drafting quarterbacks. With what at first glance appears to be a somewhat deep position group, and a long term need at the position, this upcoming draft will be the year a quarterback hears their name called by the Chiefs.
While it’s known that Todd Blackledge of Penn State in 1983 was the last time the Chiefs drafted a quarterback in the first round, who knew that Matt Blundin of Virginia was the last time the Chiefs drafted a quarterback in the second round, in 1992. Fan favorite Brodie Croyle was last in the third round in 2006 and Pat Barnes was the last fourth round quarterback drafted by Kansas City, going all the way back to 1997.
In essence, the Chiefs have drafted one quarterback (Croyle) in the top four rounds of the draft in the past 20 years. And people wonder why this team hasn’t been to a Super Bowl in almost 50 years.