This is what happens when you draft good football players...
 

Did anyone else see this stat on the Monday night game? I saw it, pondered it in amazement, and then became severely depressed by the Chiefs' draft-picking ineptitude. Here is the Pittsburgh Steelers 1st round draft history over the past few years:

2009: Ziggy Hood
2008: Rashard Mendenhall
2007: Lawrence Timmons
2006: Santonio Holmes
2005: Heath Miller
2004: Ben Roethlisberger
2003: Troy Polamalu

How can a team have this many great players drafted in consecutive years? Is it superior talent evaluation? Is it superior coaching? Is it luck?

I think it's safe to say they typically don't reach; and draft BPA and playmakers.

something the Chiefs never do.

my vote is Berry in 2010 for the Chiefs if he's available.

Agreed.

In hindsight I think we can all agree that none of those picks were reaches. But how do you know in advance? What exactly makes a player a reach?

If he plays a position of low impact on the field and his salary will not be commensurate with his production.

See: Jackson, Tyson.

And, this is how you build a dominant team like the Steelers have. Now if someone could find our draft picks for the same years. I would like to see how many of them are even left on the team.

Jackson had more tackles last week than Juan Morgan at safety. How low of an impact do you expect him to have when he gets going?

I also don't think things are as crazy in the 1st round as people make them out to be for KC. Lower rounds are a bigger issue overall.

DJ - Not a reach at all just a bust

Dorsey - Not a reach considered best defensive player in the draft at the time regardless of what other will try to say after the fact

Albert - Not a reach where we got him

Bowe - Not a reach where we got him

Hali - A reach

LJ - not a reach at 22 and with Priest health issues he actually paid off on his first contract. The guy was 75 yards from being the all time KC rusher. Never should have gotten the second contract.

Ryan Simms - Reach

A ham sammie on a pile of shit
is shit

Part of it is solid coaching as well, when you come into a system like the Pittsburgh Steelers who have Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, as well as Dick LaBeau on Defense it's just ultimate win.

The other thing that cannot be overstated is that if you already have a really good team and are drafting to supplement it, you don't have any need to take risks. You take the best player all the time because they are part of the future, not the now.

When you are trying to rebuild an entire defense or offense or both, you are going to take more chances.

By taking players at important positions, not mid-first rounders at complimentary ones.

First it's stability in the organization.

2nd, they absolutely do not **** up when hiring a HC. They seem to always get the best guy for the job.

3rd, they establish an IDENTITY and stick to it. Yes, the Steelers pass more now than they do most years but they're still all about defense and running the football...

Wow. Holy shit. The Pittsburgh Steelers are better than the Chiefs. And the Steelers draft better. I think there just may be a connection. Does anybody else know about this?
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The Eagles don't seem to do too bad either...

You left out the Colts. You know something? I just bet if you go through all the Patriots moves through the years they were better too. Amazing stuff.
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