KC Chiefs: Ranking every first-round pick since 2000

16. Ryan Sims

Given some of the others on this list, it’s pretty bad for any player to be sitting here. And while Ryan Sims’ defenders—are there even any?—could point to his longevity in the league, the reality is that he is the best worst draft pick on our list due to a blend of influences.

When the Chiefs selected Sims out of the University of North Carolina at No. 6 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, they were hoping to import some of the same impact that he brought alongside Julius Peppers in the vaunted North Carolina defensive front. Unfortunately it turned out that Peppers was elevating the talent around him and the Chiefs were fooled into making Sims an impact selection.

At the time of the draft, Sims’ own head coach said Sims was the better overall player at that point than Peppers which had Chiefs Kingdom excited for the potential impact to come. It’s why the Chiefs moved up a couple spots in a trade with the Cowboys to secure his services, but it wasn’t long until the franchise would regret ever making such a move. Sims would go on to last five seasons in K.C., but issues with work ethic and weight gain would frustrate coaches along the way. In five seasons, he had five sacks to his credit (3 of those came in his second season) and he was sent packing.

Other players have flamed out earlier than this and even higher draft choices have also failed to come through, but Sims couldn’t even serve as an average starter for more than a year despite being a top six pick in the draft. Yes, he went on to play another four seasons in Tampa Bay, but in our view, Sims comes up as the biggest bust among Chiefs first-round picks since 2000.