There are losers… and then there are LOSERS. Most of us fall in either one of those categories. Meaning, if you grew up wanting to play in the NFL but didn’t make it… we’ll then, here we are. However, the Chiefs have their own list of losers when it comes to first round talents who in the end, didn’t have much talent. With the 2017 NFL Draft now only 39 days away, let’s keep a watchful eye on those players who could end up being a Ryan Leaf… instead of a Chris Jones. So, then, here are the Chiefs top ten biggest 1st round busts.
This list won’t include players like Junior Siavii who was the Chiefs first player selected in 2004, because, although he was a bust, he was taken in the 2nd round.
10. DE Eugene “Big Gene” Trosch in 1967
Defensive End Gene Trosch was drafted with the 24th pick in the first round of the 1967 joint AFL/NFL Draft. He played 14 games in 67 and 13 in 69. Trosch was born in Steubenville Ohio on 6/7/1945 to, Ira B. and Dorothy (Bryan) Trosch. The reason he is #10 on my list is not only because of how little the Chiefs got from him, performance-wise, but also because of who the Chiefs drafted in the second round: that would be both Jim Lynch and Willie Lanier. Willie, of course, ended up in the NFL Hall of Fame. Not only that but Lem Barney, who the Detriot Lions drafted, was still on the board too. They didn’t keep track of tackles and those kinds of stats but even if they did, all you need to know is that he only lasted two seasons. At a time when the Chiefs had just appeared in the first Super Bowl (many years before it was called the Super Bowl) in January of 1967, then participated in the draft just 8 weeks later, a player of top quality would have helped the team a lot. A team that climbed the mountain again four seasons later and then beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
9. WR Anthony Hancock in 1982
By the time the 1982 season rolled around, the memory of a Super Bowl victory 12 years before, was beginning to fade for a lot of Chiefs fans. The legendary Hank Stram had retired in 1974 and the team had suffered through mostly losing seasons with head coaches Paul Wiggin… Tom Bettis as interim coach for 7 games in 1977… and five seasons with Marv Levy. John Mackovic had just been hired and his first, first round pick was none other than WR Anthony Hancock. Hancock was the first wide receiver taken in the draft but was drafted, ironically, one pick behind of RB Marcus Allen, who later joined to the Chiefs in 1993. So, why is Hancock on this list? He had a good second season when he had 584 receiving yards. However, in his 5-year career, he only averaged 170 per year during the four other seasons he had in the league, all with Kansas City. Nothing happens in a vacuum and the Kansas City sports scene was in transformation. The Royals had not yet won their first World Series, the K.C. Kings were rumored to be leaving town (they left after the 1984 season) and the Chiefs were suffering through a ten-year decline. The city needed a big shot in the arm from their new coach and newly drafted first round pick. Neither succeeded and that’s why Anthony Hancock is #9 on this list. Plus, WR Mark Duper was taken 41 picks later.
8. OG Brian Jozwiak in 1986
The 1986 draft was notable for several reasons. One was the first overall pick of Bo Jackson. Another was Charles Haley who didn’t go until #96 overall. Then there was Dino Hacket, the Chiefs linebacker who had seven good years for the team. One reason that was not notable was the 7th overall selection, offensive guard Brian Jozwiak. Jozwiak played in 28 games before suffering a career-ending hip injury. Brian Jozwiak played high school ball in the Baltimore area gaining all-metro distinction. He went on to play at West Virginia where he started out on the defensive line and after being moved to the offensive side protected the blind side of Jeff Hostetler and was named as an All-American. The Chiefs thought they were getting a good one but sometimes injuries end careers before a player can fulfill their dreams.
7. WR Sylvester Morris in 2004
If you can say “knee injury” then you have already said, “Sylvester Morris.” Morris played in 15 games in his rookie year for the Chiefs, had 48 receptions and 685 yards receiving. Not bad for a rookie, huh? Although he was on the Chiefs roster 2000-2003, those were the sum total of his numbers. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 and spent time on their practice squad, but… that was it. No more. Nada. Zip.
6. OT Victor Riley in 1998
Victor Riley actually had an 8-year career. No, he never made the Pro Bowl and was a less than average offensive tackle so, why does he end up here on my list. #1, if you are the 27th player taken in the draft, more is expected from you than, blah. #2, Riley was charged with a felony in his last year with the Chiefs in 2001. It was a felony for aggravated assault and criminal damage to property because he repeatedly rammed his SUV into a car which his wife and infant daughter were inside of at the time. Shame on you Victor.
5. OT Trezelle Jenkins in 1995
Trezelle Jenkins played his college ball at the University of Michigan. He was drafted by the Chiefs with the 31st pick. Although he was with the Kansas City Chiefs for three seasons he only played in 9 total games. After three seasons with the Chiefs, he signed with the New Orleans Saints and then with the Minnesota Vikings but didn’t play for either team. In 2000, he still had the desire to play so he entered the XFL draft and was drafted by the San Francisco Demons. However, Jenkins was so bad, he didn’t make the team. Years later, Charles Robinson who writes for Yahoo Sports, wrote a piece called, “The Worst All-Time First Round Picks” and Jenkins was his worst 31st pick since the AFL and the NFL merged in 1966. Perhaps Jenkins should be higher on my list? What do you think?
4. NT Ryan Sims in 2002
Ryan Sims was the 6th pick in the 2002 NFL draft. The team was being coached by Dick Vermeil at that time and the team was in desperate need of anyone who could play defense. Sims was hailed as the great hope on the defensive line. The reality is that Sims made 64 tackles in 59 games over five years as a Chief. That averages out to 1.08 tackles per game. He just wasn’t very effective in his time with the Chiefs and although he went on to play for the Tampa bay Buccaneers for four seasons he had 47 tackles in 48 games for them. Sims may be too high on my list but I recall having those great expectations for him and also being struck with an equal amount of great disappointment.
3. LB Percy Snow in 1990
The Chiefs had the great fortune of drafting well in the previous two drafts before 1990. In 1989 they selected the Hall of Fame linebacker and many fans favorite Chief, Derrick Thomas. In 1988, they took DE Neil Smith second overall. So, when the 1990 draft came and Percy Snow was available, they jumped on it fast and Chiefs fans all over believed that general manager Carl Peterson had performed magic again with the 13th overall pick in the draft. Snow had won the Butkus award, the Lombardi award and was the MVP of the Rose Bowl so there was good reason for fans to be excited. Snow had an average rookie season with two sack but he started 15 games. Then, while at training camp in 1991, he suffered an injury that ended his season — and for all intents and purposes, his career — when he went down while on a motor scooter. I remember being so excited about Percy Snow… and then thinking “What the “H” was he doing on a motor scooter at training camp???” What was a brilliant college career became the great Snow-job for the Chiefs. In 1996 Percy Snow tried to make a comeback with the Rhein Fire in the World League of American Football but that didn’t last long either.
2. WR Jonathan Baldwin in 2011
Jonathan Baldwin may be too high on my list, I get that, but I can’t remember having higher expectations for a player than him (expect one… and I’ll get to him later). I wrote a piece the week after the Chiefs drafted Baldwin in 2011 and I quoted him as saying,
“I’m a big play-maker. I make a lot of spectacular catches. I block down the field for the great RBs that we have. I do a lot of extra things before and after practice… great tradition and great fans. I’m excited to play for Hunt and Haley and continue the tradition.”
I learned my lesson then… you can’t trust anything that anyone says before OR AFTER the draft. The numbers? Jon Baldwin appeared in 26 games over a two-year period for the Chiefs. He was targeted 99 times, with 41 receptions. That’s right, 41 out of 99. He had 579 total receiving yards (289 yards per season). A.J Green and Julio Jones had gone high in the first round that year but the Chiefs were touting that they had gotten the steal of a deal by taking Baldwin with the 26th pick (which was supposed to be the 27th pick but the Ravens had one foot stuck in cement for some reason and couldn’t get their card turned in on time… so the Chiefs were thrilled at the turn of events but in retrospect, no one was or is happy). After two years, the Chiefs swapped problems by trading Baldwin away to the 49ers for another castaway WR, A.J Jenkins but he turned out to be a bust as well and they let him go the next year. At 6-foot-4 inches and weighing 230 lbs we were expecting a lot more out of Jon Baldwin. A whole lot more. The tale gets sadder when you find out that DE Muhammed Wilkerson was still on the board and taken 4 picks later.
1.QB Todd Blackledge 1983
In the history of the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s hard to imagine a time — even in the future — when Todd Blackledge won’t be considered their all-time biggest bust. That’s not due to one reason alone but several factors that set him apart as the Chiefs award winning biggest bust… or you could say “biggest loser.” Of course, Todd Blackledge himself is not a loser. He just wasn’t a very good quarterback and compared to the other QBs who were taken in the 1983 draft, the choice of Blackledge makes his selection the bust of all busts for the Chiefs. That’s what gives his selection such distinction.
In 1982, John Elway was taken first overall by the Baltimore Colts, who he refused to play for, so he was traded to the Denver Broncos. With the 7th pick, the Chiefs took Blackledge. However, Jim Kelly was taken with pick #14 and worse yet, Dan Marino was taken with pick #27. Those two ended up in the NFL Hall of Fame. Blackledge is a sports commentator. Of course, they’re not the only Hall of Famers taken later in the 1983 draft. There was Richard Dent and the one that really hurts is OT Bruce Matthews, who was taken at #9, two picks after Mr. Blackledge. That draft was filled with incredible players and the Chiefs missed on all of them. Also taken after Blackledge were Pro Bowlers: CB Darrell Green, CB Joey Browner, Safety Terry Kinard, RB Gary Anderson, CB Gill Byrd, Center Don Mosebar, WR Henry Ellard, DE Leonard Marshall, LB Darryl Talley, RB Roger Craig and many, many, more.
The other failing of the Chiefs selection of Todd Blackledge is the tale that has been a “Never-Ending Story,” since his selection. How many times have you heard that the Chiefs don’t pick QBs in the first round and haven’t done so since Todd Blackledge? What fans should know is that, since the organization came into being in 1960, Todd Blackledge is the ONLY first round QB they have ever taken. Many fans will make the mistake of thinking that Len Dawson was drafted by the Chiefs but he came to the Chiefs as a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1957 draft. Then, he waited his turn to start for the Steelers, but they had Milt Plum up next, so he was released.
If the Chiefs take a QB in the first round of the 2017 draft, it will only be the second QB they have ever drafted in the first round. Technically, it would be the third since the Chiefs traded up into the first round to select Steve Fuller in 1979 who went on to be a great backup QB for the Chicago Bears and was part of the “Super Bowl Shuffle” in 1985. Fuller was also named one of the top 15 best backup QBs of all-time by Sports Illustrated… just NOT with the Chiefs. The thing about the Fuller selection is that the Chiefs bypassed Joe Montana to jump up and take Fuller. He spent 4 years with the Chiefs before moving on.
Dishonorable Mention
Someone who nearly made my list is Ethan Horton. Some of you who are old enough to remember Horton might be thinking, “Ethan Horton???” Horton was drafted with the 15th pick in the 1985 draft and he once made the Pro Bowl (1991). So, why mention him here? It’s simple. The player who was drafted one pick after Horton at #16 was perhaps the all-time greatest player in the history of the National Football League: and that would be Jerry Rice. And now you know, the rest of the story.