What would two first round picks for Jalen Ramsey really look like?

I actually did this exercise. Using a complex mathematical formula, a bunsen burner, and a 12-year-old cat, I perfectly simulated two NFL draft selections out of the 35 draftees listed above. I won’t name names, but let’s just say, based on who I “picked,” that we would all prefer to keep the known commodity in Ramsey.

The two names I selected, simply put, would not be starting for this Kansas City Chiefs team. Admittedly, this process of selecting a player has its flaws, but it at least gives us a reminder that, while they are valuable, these first-round picks do not come with any semblance of a guarantee.

We know exactly what Jalen Ramsey is as a football player.

Yes, the contract is a factor. Ramsey will almost assuredly come with a monster contract extension that may hamper some future decisions for general manager Brett Veach.

Yes, the locker room chemistry is a factor. Ramsey will come into a group of young, impressionable defenders and will almost immediately take on his role as an alpha.

Yes, the compensation to acquire the player is great. Two first-round picks can invigorate a roster, and, if (and as we’ve determined here, that is a very big “if”) you hit on those picks, they can give you great play at a very low cost for several years.

But when you are on the cusp of a championship, as almost everyone agrees the Chiefs are, sometimes you mortgage part of the future for the chance at something great. We need look no further than right across the parking lot to the 2015 Kansas City Royals. The hometown team acquired Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist in pursuit of a World Series title. The Royals gave up five prospects in those two trades, and by the way, those five players have accomplished much less than we even thought they would. Even so, the reward was worth the risk.

No one in this city looks back at the Royals’ World Series Championship year with remorse over the compensation to acquire Cueto and Zobrist. The bottom line: You gotta give to get. Seeing Andy Reid and Clark Hunt hoist the Lombardi Trophy will be worth the price to be paid.