The top draft pick for the Chiefs in 2019 will be pick No. 29 in the first round.
That could change, of course, but if it doesn’t this will be only the second time in franchise history that Kansas City picks at No. 29. The two choices they had at they spot are quite different from each other. Let’s look at the Chiefs’ draft history from the No. 29 spot.
1965 WR Otis Taylor
The draft wasn’t always the way it is today. At one point before the merger there were separate AFL and NFL drafts. The AFL draft had over 30 rounds and only 14 selections in the first round. The NFL draft had 20 rounds and only 14 selections in the first round. So while Otis Taylor wasn’t a first round pick, he was the 29th overall selection in the 1965 AFL draft by the Chiefs. He was also selected in the NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 15th round.
Taylor played collegiate ball at Prairie View A&M. Taylor was one of the most dominant receivers to play the game during his time. He accumulated 410 receptions for over 7,000 yards and 57 touchdown receptions over the course of a ten years in the NFL. Taylor was also known for his prowess as a blocker, springing Mike Garrett and Curtis McClinton for some long runs.
Taylor won Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs during the 1969 season and is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame. There’s a long-standing argument that Taylor should also be in the NFL Hall of Fame.
1978 DE Sylvester Hicks
In the second round of the 1978 NFL draft, the Chiefs selected Sylvester Hicks at pick No. 29. Again, the NFL draft didn’t always have the No. 29 pick in the first round. Hicks played college football at Tennessee State University and chose to play football over basketball.
Hicks was a member of the Chiefs and played in the NFL for just four seasons. He was ultimately forced to retire due to consecutive knee injuries. He was a with the Chiefs for almost the entirety of Marv Levy’s run as head coach. In Hicks’ final season with the Chiefs in 1981, the team finally saw a winning record with nine wins and seven losses.
I think it’s safe to say that if the Chiefs can replicate either of these draft choices, taking a player like Taylor would be the ideal situation. Perhaps had Hicks’ injury troubles gone differently his time in Kansas City would be remembered differently.
