The 5 biggest draft steals in Kansas City Chiefs history

Patrick Mahomes, QB

Are we cheating here? Yes. Are we okay with that? Absolutely.

Yes, Patrick Mahomes was a first-round pick. On top of that, he was even a top 10 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Chiefs traded up to get him from the Buffalo Bills and had to package multiple first-round picks to get it done as they attempted to move up the draft board to claim their franchise quarterback.

How does that remotely qualify as a "draft steal"? Because when the player is the best in the game and anyone passed over him, that makes him a steal for the team that got him.

In this instance, the Chiefs not only slotted themselves perfectly before other interested parties could take him with subsequent picks (e.g. the New Orleans Saints among others), but they also forced the Buffalo Bills to ask the "what if?" question for the next few decades after they decided to go along John Dorsey's trade request.

Given the premiere packages put together by teams to grab a potential franchise quarterback (although it's typically at a higher draft slot than where Mahomes went), it's amazing the Chiefs got things done for the No. 27 overall selection, a third round choice, and a future first. That's it. It didn't take 5 or 6 picks, nor did it require mortgaging the team's future.

At the time, maybe that sounded like a savvy deal or even trade, but at the rate that Mahomes is rewriting the history books, that makes him the biggest draft steal of all—1st rounder or not.