Top 5 draft classes in Kansas City Chiefs history
By Grant Tuttle
2. 1984 DRAFT CLASS
Class in its entirety:
- R1 Bill Maas, NT, Pittsburgh
- R1 John Alt, OT, Iowa
- R2 Scott Radecic, LB, Penn State
- R3 Herman Heard, RB, Colorado State-Pueblo
- R4 Mark Robinson, DB, Penn State
- R5 Eric Holle, NT, Texas
- R5 Jeff Paine, LB, Texas A&M
- R6 Rufus Stevens, WR, Grambling State
- R7 Kevin Ross, DB, Temple
- R8 Randy Clark, DB, Florida
- R9 Scott Auer, G, Michigan State
- R9 David Hestera, TE, Colorado
- R10 Al Winglikowski, LB, Pittsburgh
- R11 Bobby Johnson, RB, San Jose State
- R12 Mark Lang, LB, Texas
Most notable players:
This is truly an incredible haul. While none of the names hit you in the face with stardom, Chiefs fans will be able to spot that two players in this draft are now in the Chiefs Ring of Honor and one that probably could be. John Alt and Kevin Ross are in and Bill Maas probably should be.
Bill Maas spent nine years with the Kansas City Chiefs and finished his time there with 40 sacks from the Nose Tackle position. Maas won defensive rookie of the year, the honor of being an All-Pro in 1986, and a was a Pro Bowler twice. Maas was a very talented player that was often overlooked as a key cog in the defensive machine.
John Alt spent all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Achieving two Pro Bowl seasons and one All-Pro season, Alt is easily one of the best tackles ever drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. Alt was a major factor in the offensive successes, especially on the ground.
Perhaps the best pick of all was Kevin Ross, who went on to have one the best careers in Chiefs history for a defensive back. Finishing 7th all-time in Chiefs history with 30 interceptions, everyone that watched Ross knows the impact that he had on defense. Ross played physically for a 5’9 cornerback and was known for being a playmaker.
The Chiefs not only had three terrific players in this class, but they also had a group of contributors for several seasons as well. Scott Radecic was a very solid linebacker and played in 182 career games. Although only 48 of those games were spent in Kansas City, he was a good role player.
Also included in this class was running back Herman Heard. While Heard was never the NFL feature back that the Chiefs had hoped for, he was a contributor to the offense for six seasons. During that time, he amassed 2694 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Impact on Chiefs history:
This draft class comes down to the fact that Kansas City solidified two levels of their defense and part of their offensive line in one draft. The Chiefs would be happy to get this kind of production from this year’s draft class. By all accounts, this draft class gave the Chiefs three of the greatest players in Chiefs history.
Although the Chiefs found themselves in the middle tier of the NFL following this draft, life could have been much worse for Kansas City if they had not made such good selections in 1984. John Alt, Bill Maas, and Kevin Ross will forever be names associated with the Kansas City Chiefs.