Top 10 all-time draft picks by Kansas City Chiefs
5. Bobby Bell
Bobby Bell is the lowest drafted player to make this list, which makes his career that much more amazing. The Chiefs selected Bell out of the University of Minnesota in the seventh round of the 1963 AFL Draft.
After coming to Minnesota as a quarterback, which he played in high school to the tune of All State honors in North Carolina, Bell switched to his most notable position of defensive line where he was named a two-time All-American in 1961 and 1962. He was eventually awarded the Outland Trophy in 1962 as the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman and finished third overall in that year’s Heisman voting.
Ironically, the Chiefs would presumably have selected Bell much higher than they did except for the fact that the Minnesota Vikings also selected Bell in the second round of the 1963 NFL Draft. The Chiefs strongly believed Bell would stay in Minnesota, and thus didn’t bother drafting him until the seventh round. To everyone’s amazement, Bell ultimately chose to sign and play in Kansas City.
In Kansas City, Bell was nothing short of spectacular, playing most of his career at outside linebacker. Beginning in his second season in 1964, Bell played in the final six AFL All Star games followed by three straight Pro Bowls. He was the equivalent of the modern day First Team All Pro six straight years from 1965 to 1970, and had numerous other awards throughout his career.
Similarly to Lanier, Bell was a ballhawk himself finishing his career with 26 interceptions and grabbing as many as five in 1968. He was eventually inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1980 and and in 1983 was the first Chiefs’ player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Likely the signature moment of Bell’s career was also during the aforementioned 1969 goal line stand against the Jets. On third down, the Jets ran a play-action with a rollout designed to draw the linebacker away from the intended receiver. Luckily, Bell didn’t take the bait and stayed with the intended receiver in Jets fullback Matt Snell. With nowhere to throw, Namath was eventually tackled and the Jets settled for a field goal. Had Bell not read that play the way he did, the Chiefs’ probably don’t have a single Super Bowl to the franchise’s name.
Honestly, Bobby Bell was an incredible player and, as you’ll see with several players in the top five, has an argument to be ranked higher than he is. Still, the two-time AFL Champion and one-time Super Bowl Champion checks in at number five on the list of Chiefs’ top draft picks all time and is one of the greatest and most pivotal defenders to ever play for the franchise.
ANNUAL IMPACT SCORE: 29