Top 10 all-time draft picks by Kansas City Chiefs
2. Tony Gonzalez
Tony Gonzalez is arguably the most consistently great player in Chiefs’ history. He wasn’t the first athletic tight end who became more than just a blocker, but he took that mold and made it that much more dynamic. He was “Mr. Reliable” for quarterbacks like Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon, and Trent Green who can thank him, at least in part, for their success.
The Chiefs selected Gonzalez out of California in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He was an All American football player his final season and for his career had 89 catches for 1,302 yards and eight touchdowns. By now, most fans know he was also a solid contributor for the Golden Bears on the hardwood, averaging nearly 7 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Gonzalez progressed quickly when he entered the NFL. He had a great rookie year and was named to the 1997 NFL All Rookie Team, followed by a solid outing his second year. From his third year on, he was a dominant force. He played for the Chiefs for 10 more years, and in that time made it to 10 straight Pro Bowls and was named First Team All Pro five times. In his 12-year career with the Chiefs, he played in 190 games, caught 916 passes, amassed 10,940 passing yards and caught 76 touchdowns.
Gonzalez is currently number one in franchise history in receptions and number two in league history, number one in franchise history in receiving yards and number one in league history for tight ends, and he’s first in franchise history in touchdown receptions and second in league history for tight ends. He’s currently set to be inducted as a first ballot Hall of Famer as part of the 2019 class.
To this point, Gonzalez has had the most consistent statistically dominant career of any tight end and he was one of the most unique offensive weapons for most of his career. He primarily checks in at number two on the list of Chiefs’ top draft picks because of the season and promise of the player at number one. Otherwise, he would be number one on this list.
ANNUAL IMPACT SCORE: 34
*A fun fact about Gonzalez: as a two sport star at Huntington Beach High School, he shared Orange County Athlete of the Year honors with Tiger Woods.