Kansas City Chiefs: 5 best draft picks of all-time
2. Derrick Thomas
Football lost a true legend on 8th February 2000. That was the sad day the late, great Derrick Thomas passed away. He will forever be remembered as one of the great Kansas City Chiefs and one of the great draft picks. Whenever an organization has a high draft pick, there is intense pressure on the front office. The very many busts in the NFL have forced such pressure on general managers to make sure they do not pick the next infamous failure.
Thomas was picked with the fourth pick of the 1989 draft. The pick suffered great scrutiny, as every high pick does, but Carl Peterson was vindicated throughout Thomas’ career. The outside linebacker became one of the greatest pass rushers of all time with a truly lightning first step. His hands were electric, his technique textbook, the master of the strip sack, Thomas was a nightmare for any offensive tackle in the league.
The premier outside linebacker went on to record 126.5 sacks, 41 forced fumbles and one interception. He is the Chiefs’ franchise record holder in sacks and was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. He has also set the single sack record with seven in one game against the Seattle Seahawks and is considered one of the greatest Chiefs of all time. There’s a reason Arrowhead is known as “Sack City”.
Next: 1. Willie Lanier