The 5 biggest draft steals in Kansas City Chiefs history
By Matt Conner
Brandon Carr, CB
There are a number of ways to go after a certain point with the Chiefs when it comes to their history of draft steals. Trey Smith and Isiah Pacheco are looking like significant finds in the latter rounds on the current roster. Zach Fulton and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif warrant a quick mention from the John Dorsey era as well. But for the next one on our list, we're going back to Carl Peterson's days as GM.
In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Chiefs picked up a pair of cornerbacks—the Brandons—that would remake the secondary and carry the defense through the next several years. The more heralded pick, a second-rounder, was Brandon Flowers out of Virginia Tech, but few would have projected that the team's fifth-round pick, Brandon Carr, would also lock down a starting role from day one.
Coming into the NFL, Carr was a big fish in a small school pond at Grand Valley State, but any concerns about his pro readiness or level of competition faced were immediately dispelled as Chiefs coaches got a look at him in the preseason. Carr would start all 16 games in 2008 and he would never miss a game in his four-year career with the Chiefs.
What makes him such a major draft steal is how long he was able to play at a high level at such a variable position. Carr would go on to make 192 starts—incredible for a cornerback!—although unfortunately the Chiefs were not the recipients of the majority of that production. A big contract in free agency from the Dallas Cowboys took Carr out of K.C., and he would stay there for six seasons before landing in Baltimore for another three years.
With 703 tackles and 21 interceptions in 192 starts, Carr's extensive experience and reliability make him a rare late-round gem and a brilliant find from a small school.