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Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid and Drafting Wide Receivers

By Khaled Abdallah

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The Kansas City Chiefs made it a priority this off-season to upgrade their wide receiver corps. They cut Dwayne Bowe loose after eight productive seasons with the team. They replaced Bowe with Jeremy Maclin, the dynamic receiver from the Philadelphia Eagles. That change alone will shift the Chiefs offense as Bowe and Maclin are stylistically very different players.

Bowe is a physical force who could dominate cornerbacks off the line and had the ability to go up and catch the ball. He had decent speed while Maclin is a speedy receiver who runs excellent routes but is far more of a deep threat then Dwayne Bowe ever was.

Andy Reid did not draft Bowe but he did select Maclin out of the University of Missouri. He also drafted DeSean Jackson from the University of California and  Jason Avant from the University of Michigan. He also drafted Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, and several other players who were not nearly as successful as the first three mentioned. Reid has been hot or miss with his selection of receivers but has been spot on in recent years.

Since he began his head coaching career in 1999, Andy Reid has selected 12 wide receivers spanning all seven rounds of the NFL Draft. In his early years, Reid selected players like Troy Smith and Gari Scott who had little to no impact on the league but he also drafted players like Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell who were key pieces to the NFC Championship runs. Mitchell was a first round bust but he did make the famous 4th-and- 26 catch against the Packers.

In the years after that it was more of the same, selecting players who would not make any impact on the league or the Eagles. In 2006, something clicked. Whether it was Reid changing something in the way he evaluated talent or just dumb luck, he began to select impact players at the receiver position. First it was Jason Avant in the fourth round in 2006, then the following year it was Brent Celek in the fifth. Celek is a tight end but the same principle applies.

Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) catches the ball as Washington Redskins cornerback

Bashaud Breeland

(26) defends in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Then it was DeSean Jackson, Brandon Gibson, Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, and most recently with the Eagles, Marvin McNutt. Of those five players, only McNutt did not pan out as an NFL player but Reid can be forgiven for missing on a 6th round selection.

He may not have the best radar for the character of the players he is drafting as evidenced by Jackson and Cooper, but he has developed a great eye for talent at the position. Not to mention he also drafted a player with the potential to be top-five at his position in Travis Kelce just two years ago. Receiver is a big need for the Chiefs and there are plenty of talented ones available through the draft.

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This is one of the deeper draft classes in recent memory although it will have to do some impressive things to improve on last season’s crop. Last years draft class included Rookie of the Year Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, and Mike Evans. There were also several undrafted receivers including Philly Brown and Allen Hurns who made immediate impacts in the league.

The Chiefs missed out on some of these impact players last season but should not pass on the opportunity to select a game changing right out this year. Given Andy Reid’s track record, Chiefs fans should feel confident that if and when the Chiefs use an early pick on a receiver, or even a late pick, he will make an impact on the teams offense in 2015.

Next: Kansas City Chiefs: Trade Up to Draft Brandon Scherff?

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