John Dorsey, should he leave, will be honored by his legacy in Kansas City. What does that legacy look like?
Let’s start with where teams are really built: The NFL Draft. Compared to his predecessor, John Dorsey has hauled in an impressive list of draft scores. He has his fair share of misses and flops, but nobody can get a good pick at every turn.
Year by year, I’ll look at his draft classes and who is still on the roster to this day. For those who are on the roster still, I will also look at their impact since being drafted. Next week, I will look at the choices in trades and free agency. Let’s begin!
2013
Eric Fisher: Still on the roster
Travis Kelce: Still on the roster (All-Pro; 2x Pro Bowler)
Knile Davis: Still on the roster
Nico Johnson: No longer a Chief
Sanders Commings: No longer a Chief
Eric Kush: No longer a Chief
Braden Wilson: No longer a Chief
Mike Catapano: No longer a Chief
What has their impact been? If you ask me, this draft class splits the “largest impact” title with this most recent one John Dorsey has. Fisher started slowly but has turned into a solid, cornerstone left tackle. Travis Kelce had an injury scare that unsettled many fans, including this one. Upon his return, Kelce put all those fears to rest and turned into one of the best tight ends to be playing the game right now.
Knile Davis, even after getting booted from the roster due to an overstacking at running back, is still a Chief. He was a nice fill-in until we found West and Ware, but of this draft class, Davis has had the weakest impact.
2014
Dee Ford: Still on the roster
Phillip Gaines: Still on the roster
De’Anthony Thomas: Still on the roster
Aaron Murray: No longer a Chief
Zach Fulton: Still on the roster
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif: Still on the roster
Look at that. A smaller draft haul but only one of those selections is off the roster. WIthout a doubt, Dee Ford was the biggest pick here. Upon his selection, I initially said “Dee Ford who?” I laughed when he goofed on that run play by Frank Gore.
When it came to my attention that this year, Ford was leading the NFL in sacks, I almost choked on my coffee. Gaines has proven to be a liability at this point. De’Anthony Thomas is an interesting case. We cannot find a good place for this man to fit. His raw speed is incredible. For all the speed he has, Tyreek Hill has been much more prolific to this point.
Fulton has been a stalwart rotational lineman, holding down the fort where we needed someone to step in. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has been a similar story. Is he a full-time starter yet? Is he still a rotational guy? What do you think, Chiefs Kingdom.