The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1969 season, so it's been a long wait for their supporters. Their latest team features a blend of draft hits and accomplished veterans led by a coach looking to end his own Super Bowl drought. Andy Reid, who has not appeared in a Super Bowl since his time with the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles, has never won the big game. His high-powered offense is primarily comprised of talent added through the NFL Draft.
Of the 53 players currently on the roster, 30.2 percent (16) were drafted by Kansas City. An additional 7.5 percent (4) were added as undrafted free agents. Cornerback Alex Brown joined the team as an undrafted free agent but was with the San Francisco 49ers first, ironically. The remaining 62.3-percent were acquired in other manners, such as trades or free agency.
The pillars of the franchise were added through the draft. On offense, the team has drafted the likes of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. Starting left tackle Eric Fisher and right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif were also drafted by the team.
Mahomes is an MVP winner considered to be one of the best young quarterbacks in football. In his first full season as the starting quarterback, he threw for 5,079 yards and 50 touchdowns. The Chiefs were wise enough to trade up for him. Drafted players accounted for 65.9 percent of the team's receptions during the regular season.
On the defensive side of the ball, the conversation largely starts and ends with defensive tackle Chris Jones. Jones has been one of the most dominant defenders in the game over the past two years. The 25-year-old accumulated 24.5 sacks during that time period. Some of the other young talents include defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi. Safety Juan Thornhill is the most promising young player drafted in the back seven but his season ended prematurely with a torn ACL in December.
Most impressively, the picks were not all made by the same person. Former general manager John Dorsey deserves a lot of credit. He was steering the ship when Mahomes, Hill, Kelce, and Jones were drafted. However, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who worked under Dorsey at that time, and current Chiefs general manager Brett Veach also share responsibility in those franchise-altering selections.
The NFL Draft has to be a staple for any successful organization. The good picks provide continuity and a team friendly cap hit on their rookie deals. Money saved on young players can then be distributed to deficient areas of the roster. The Chiefs have added wide receiver Sammy Watkins, right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, and safety Tyrann Mathieu through free agency. Defensive end Frank Clark and inside linebacker Reggie Ragland were added by trade.
Most rosters are built with a healthy percentage of draft choices with some free agents and trades included.
Every year, there is talk about a blueprint or a road map for any NFL team to become a Super Bowl contender. No path is designed the same. The saying "defense wins championships" has been around for a long time. The Chiefs will challenge that theory with one of the most explosive offenses the NFL has ever seen. Kansas City spent $107,899,698 on offense this season, according to OverTheCap.com.
It was the fourth most across the league behind only the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Rams; none of whom made the playoffs. Comparatively, they spent $80,159,920 on defense, which was the 13th most. The offensive line, defensive line and wide receivers are their three highest paid units.
To see their plan in action, tune into Super Bowl LIV from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida on Feb. 2!