SportsBeat KC: How Chiefs found prime draft position, and remembering Pellom McDaniels
NFL Draft week has arrived and the Chiefs own the first-round slot every team covets: No. 32, the position that means you’re coming off a Super Bowl championship.
Chances are, one of the top dozen or so college prospects won’t be available when the Chiefs’ turn comes around on Thursday night, but selecting last in the first round means, unless a trade has been made, you’ve won the Super Bowl.
But this year already looms as a good draft for another reason: The Chiefs return with a solid roster even before the selections begin. Unlike most teams in the draft, they won’t be drafting for need. On this episode of our daily SportsBeat KC podcast, Star columnists Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian explain how the Chiefs put themselves in this position.
After a break, we remember Pellom McDaniels, who passed away this weekend. McDaniels played six of his seven NFL seasons with the Chiefs and was mostly a reserve defensive end and linebacker. His 14 career starts in the NFL all came with the Chiefs. But McDaniels, 52, lived quite a life as an academic and civic leader after football. He served as a professor at two universities, including UMKC, and has written several books. His was a life well-lived.
Story links:
This is the strangest NFL Draft and offseason ever. Why that’s good for the Chiefs
“One of the good guys.” Former Chiefs defensive lineman Pellom McDaniels dies as 52
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 3:44 PM.