Winners and Washouts continued from page 11 Palmer, a Heisman Trophy runner-up out of Temple, went first. The second guy, well, he was a Nightmare on Palmer’s playing time.
Harvey Williams 1991, Round 1, Pick No. 21
If you thought Palmer was living a bad dream, think of Williams out there in a Chiefs backfield loaded with Christian Okoye and Barry Word (and, later, Marcus Allen).
Gale Sayers 1965, Round 1, Pick No. 5
The Chiefs drafted the Hall of Fame running back from the University of Kansas in the AFL Draft and made an aggressive play to sign the Kansas Comet. But Sayers was also drafted by the NFL’s Chicago Bears (Round 1, pick No. 4), and he chose Chicago’s offer, which he referred to as “$4.95 and a carton of Cokes.” If he had signed with the Chiefs, the Wichita native would easily be on the team’s all-time-best list.
— THE JURY’S OUT — Dwayne Bowe 2007, Round 1, Pick No. 23
The 2013 season looks to be a big one for the Chiefs’ No. 1 receiver. Bowe had an awful 2012, beset by injuries and poof quarterbacking. But ’13 may be Bowe’s lucky number,
now that he has inked a five-year, $56 million contract. Can he live up to being one of the highest-paid receivers in the league? There’s plenty of opportunity with a new quarterback, a new coach and a new system.
Tyson Jackson 2009, Round 1, Pick No. 3
B.J. Raji. Brian Orakpo. Brian Cushing. Clay Matthews. The Chiefs passed on these four Pro Bowl defensive players (and wide receiver Percy Harvin) to take Jackson with the third overall pick. The team guaranteed the LSU defensive end $31 million. How well did this work out? In March, Jackson accepted a pay cut of more than $10 million to stay with the Chiefs.
Eric Berry 2010, Round 1, Pick No. 5
Berry is a two-time Pro Bowler, earning honors his rookie year and last season. No bagging on a guy who missed the entire 2011 season with a torn ACL. He’s certainly a long way from being a bust.
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Jonathan Baldwin 2011, Round 1, Pick No. 26
Baldwin was supposed to be the No. 2 receiver behind Dwayne Bowe. In two seasons, however, the former Pittsburgh Panther has done little to secure that spot, despite possessing big-play ability. (He caught a 57-yard pass, the team’s longest reception for ’12.). Baldwin’s offseason story is the same: He looks good when the team plays without pads, but when they suit up, well, that’s a different story. His time may be up with the signing of Donnie Avery.
Justin Houston 2011, Round 3, Pick No. 70
In his second season with the Chiefs, Houston doubled his sack total (10). The linebacker earned a ticket to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl when an injury forced Denver’s Von Miller to cancel. He has been a bright spot in a defense that was one of the worst in the league in 2012.
Dontari Poe 2012, Round 1, No. 11
It’s really, really early to gauge what kind of player Poe may become. But after one season, this is what we know: He’s a freak athlete. (At the NFL Combine, he ran a 4.98-second 40yard dash, despite weighing 346 pounds, and captured the attention of President Obama.) As a rookie, he started every game at nose tackle, recorded 38 total tackles (28 unassisted) and proved to be a three-down player, even if he failed to get a sack. If he continues to progress, he’ll be a hit.
E-mail justin.kendall@pitch.com pitch.com
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