The worst 1st round picks in KC Chiefs history

#5 – Ryan Sims, Defensive Tackle

With the sixth overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected University of North Carolina defensive tackle Ryan Sims. Sims was the second UNC defensive lineman taken in the top six that year, after his Tarheel teammate Julius Peppers was taken second overall by the Carolina Panthers.

Prior to the draft, UNC head coach John Bunting told Sports Illustrated, “People ask me all the time who I would draft if I could pick between Julius and Ryan…I tell them that plays leading to negative yardage are big, and a pass rusher like Julius can create a lot of them. But at this moment, there’s no question that Ryan is a more complete player than Julius.”

Eighteen years later, it is easy to criticize bunting for such a claim and the Panthers are certainly happy they ignored his advice. Peppers, of course, is on his way to the Hall of Fame. Ryan Sims on the other hand, well, he’s not.

Sims did manage to stay in the league for nine seasons, but only five in Kansas City, and he only recorded five sacks in that time. He was wholly ineffective for the Chiefs. He started only two seasons, played in 16 games just twice in his nine year career; and missed a staggering 21 games in five seasons with Kansas City.

What makes the Sims selection worse is not just his high draft status, but also that the Chiefs gave up a 3rd and a 6th round selection to the Dallas Cowboys to move up two spots (from number eight) to take the former ACC standout.

No draft analysis is complete without looking at who the Chiefs could have taken with the selection. Among those missed include Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed, and fringe Hall of Famers Albert Haynesworth and Dwight Freeney.