If you find yourself watching the NBA Draft this evening, you’ll likely see the son of a former Kansas City Chiefs player get selected in the first round.
Texas power forward Jaxson Hayes is the son of former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Jonathan Hayes. The elder Hayes played for the Chiefs from 1985-1993. He finished his career in Kansas City having started 95 games for the Chiefs with 1,541 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during that time. His best season came in 1993 with Joe Montana as the quarterback of the team.
After his retirement, Hayes continued his football career by pursuing coaching. He began his career as a tight ends and special teams coach with the University of Oklahoma before taking a job with the Cincinnati Bengals as tight ends coach. Most recently, Hayes has been named the head coach of the future XFL team in St. Louis.
The younger Hayes actually played some football himself. During high school he was a wide receiver, but he chose to pursue Basketball in college. You won’t find many 6 foot 11 receivers in the NFL, so that probably had something to do with his decision. Still, his football background influences the way he plays basketball. Jaxson has exceptional hands and he’s a strong rim defender. Teams currently are intrigued by his blend of size and athleticism, but they think he has some areas he can improve in at the next level.
Jaxson was most recently mocked to the Atlanta Hawks at pick No. 10 overall by The Rookie Wire. He was previously mocked to the Washington Wizards at No. 9 overall. He appears to be a lock for the early part of the first round.
You can watch the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 20 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
