Top 10 all-time draft picks by Kansas City Chiefs
4. Will Shields
The Chiefs selected offensive lineman Will Shields out of the University of Nebraska in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Shields is the second Husker on this list and had a spectacular career in college and the NFL.
In Shields’ senior season at Nebraska, he was a consensus First Team All American and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman. Currently, he is one of only 17 Huskers to have his jersey retired by the team.
For the Chiefs, Shields was the definition of durable. From his second game on as a Chief, he never missed a start logging 223 games straight, 331 if you include the playoffs. He is currently fifth all time in most consecutive starts and is third all time amongst offensive lineman.
He was a stalwart on one of the most consistently dominant offensive lines in recent memory that through the years included the likes of John Alt, Brian Waters, and Willie Roaf. From 2001 to 2006, Shields blocked for starting running backs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson who collectively had five 1,000 yard rushing seasons in six years. He was one of the most outstanding members of an elite unit.
Other than blocking for Joe Montana, one of the most iconic stretches of Shields’ career was the 2002 and 2003 seasons and the production of the starting running back Priest Holmes. Holmes was a fantastic player in his own right, but you could argue that his success was in large part due to the incredible line he ran behind. In those two seasons he had one of the greatest stretches ever for a running back, rushing for 3,035 yards and 48 touchdowns. Without the absolute dominance of players like Shields, there’s no way he would have come close to these numbers.
Shields’s list of individual accomplishments is a long one. He is currently tied for third all time in number of Pro Bowl nominations. From his third year in 1995 till his last in 2006, Shields was voted into 12 straight Pro Bowls. On top of this, he was named a First Team All Pro twice, in 2002 and 2003.
Further, Shields became member of the Walter Camp Football Foundation college football All Century team in 1999, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2012 and finally, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a part of the 2015 class.
Shields is one of the Chiefs’ top five draft picks all time for a reason. He was an incredibly consistent and dominant force on a great offensive line for over a decade. His accolades are well deserved.
ANNUAL IMPACT SCORE: 30