Top 10 all-time draft picks by Kansas City Chiefs
8. Junious “Buck” Buchanan
The Chiefs selected defensive tackle and NAIA All American Junious “Buck” Buchanan out of Grambling State with the first overall pick in the 1963 AFL Draft. This pick made history, as Buchanan was the first African-American to be chosen number one overall in a professional football draft. The New York Giants also selected Buchanan with the 265th pick in the 1963 NFL Draft. Ultimately, he would sign and play with the Chiefs and he would go on to have a storied Hall of Fame career.
Some older Chiefs’ fans may vividly remember Buchanan’s storied career, so this refresher is mostly for the younger fans. Buchanan was a physical freak, for the time. At 6’7″ and 270 pounds he ran a 4.90 second 40 yard dash and ran a blistering 10.2 second 100-meter dash while at Grambling State.
For the Chiefs, Buchanan played 13 years from 1963-1975. He was a part of one of the greatest stretches in Chiefs’ history which included winning two AFL Championships in 1966 and 1969, playing in Super Bowl I and winning Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 23-7.
Individually, Buchanan was an absolute force. In 13 years he played in 182 games, was voted to six straight AFL All Star games followed by two straight Pro Bowls, and was selected to the rough equivalents of the modern day First Team All Pro four straight times from 1966-1969.
He’s also a member of the AFL Hall of Fame Second Team All-1960s and the Pro-Football Reference First Team All-1960s teams. He’s been inducted into the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame in 1981, the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the class of 1990, the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the class of 1996, and was named to Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999.
Buchanan checks in at number eight on this list of top draft picks. He is one of the greatest Chiefs’ defenders of all time, anchoring the defensive line during arguably the greatest stretch in the team’s history.
ANNUAL IMPACT SCORE: 25.5