After looking back at the top five best draft picks Kansas City has selected during the Andy Reid era so far, I thought I’ve returned with a second-parter to call out some of the total busts the Chiefs have picked up while Big Red has been head coach.
Though one might argue that the players on this list might not exactly be quite as bad as Todd Blackledge, William Bartee, or Junior Saivii, they’re definitely worthy of being on Kansas City’s list of all-time busts and are without a doubt the worst the Chiefs have drafted; over the past eight seasons.
Once again, the same rules apply as last time: No players from Kansas City’s 2019 or 2020 draft classes will be mentioned on this list because they deserve a chance to actually build a resume before getting potentially blasted on the internet.
Also, former Chiefs GM John Dorsey is responsible for some of these draft selections, while current GM Brett Veach is the culprit for others. Nonetheless, both made these picks during Andy’s head coaching regime.
Now with all that out of the way, let’s dive into the five worst draft picks during the Andy Reid era in Kansas City.
5. Dorian O’Daniel – LB – Selected 100th Overall in 2018 out of Clemson –
In the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Kansas City picked Clemson standout Dorian O’Daniel with the 100th selection. At the time, many fans and draft analysts loved the pick with the expectation that he’d carry his big-play ability to Kansas City.
While at Clemson, O’Daniel was a sideline-to-sideline player and a Butkus Award finalist at the conclusion of his 2017 campaign for registering 88 tackles (51 solo, 11 for loss) and five sacks. The belief was the former Clemson Tiger would carry his college success to the NFL and become a nasty addition to the Chiefs defense as a linebacker or safety.
Unfortunately, he’s been anything but that.
O’Daniel didn’t perform badly during his rookie campaign. He played all 16 games, got one start, and registered 34 tackles and one QB hit. While most of his rookie snaps were on special teams, he showed promise going into the 2019 campaign.
Instead, O’Daniel’s production declined drastically with only 17 total tackles in 21 games played over the next two seasons. While the 26-year-old linebacker is still viewed as a decent special teams player, the expectation was for him to be some kind of contributor on defense, possibly even an everyday starter, which O’Daniel has failed to do so far.
4. De’Anthony Thomas – WR – Selected 124th Overall in 2014 out of Oregon –
After losing Dexter McCluster in free agency, Kansas City was in the market for a guy who could return kicks but also be integrated into Andy Reid’s offense as a slot receiver. So, in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, the Chiefs selected De’Anthony Thomas, a.k.a. ‘The Black Mamba’, at 124th overall.
Thomas played three seasons for the Ducks, from 2011 to 2013, and showed he could play just about anywhere on offense, whether it be on the ground, through the air, or returning kicks. When he left Oregon to declare for the NFL draft, Thomas ended his college career with 1,890 rush yards, 1,296 receiving yards, and 41 combined touchdowns. On special teams, Thomas accounted for 2,159 return yards and five TDs.
Although his size was a concern, 5-feet-8-inches, and 176-pounds, the Chiefs’ coaching staff were hopeful Thomas’s exceptional speed and quickness would make him a burner on offense and in the return game.
While DAT’s time in Kansas City wasn’t necessarily bad, it was rather disappointing and too inconsistent. His size prevented him from successfully taking handoffs as a rusher, and he never broke more than 160 yards in a season as a receiver.
However, Thomas did make his living as an above-average return man for Dave Toub but he wasn’t the burner the team was hoping he’d be, finding the end zone only once on 143 returns over six seasons with Kansas City. Injuries were also a major setback for Thomas prior to his release in 2019.
While DAT had plenty of talent to make it in the NFL, his size and small stature ultimately became his downfall.
3. Phillip Gaines – CB – Selected 87th Overall in 2014 out of Rice
Going into the 2014 off-season, the Chiefs were coming off a gut-wrenching postseason defeat to the Indianapolis Colts which Kansas City gave up a 38-10 lead to lose 45-44, thanks to a slow secondary.
Entering the fourth round of the 2014 draft, the Chiefs felt they could give their defensive backs room a boost by selecting Phillip Gaines at 87. A product out of Rice, Gaines had electrifying speed, with a 4.38 40-time, making him one of the fastest corners in the draft that season.
Standing at 6-feet-0-inches and weighing 193-pounds, Gaines spent five seasons with the Owls becoming a First-Team All USA Conference performer and Rice’s All-Time leader in passes defended with 38. Before entering the NFL draft, Gaines registered 175 tackles (134 solo), 4 picks, and two sacks.
Gaines spent four seasons in Kansas City but unfortunately never found his stride. Due to inconsistent play and injuries, he was unable to get significant playing time. Although he’d earn an occasional start, his poor coverage skills gave the Chiefs more than enough reason to make zero effort to bring him back after his rookie contract expired following the 2017 campaign.
Gaines has since bounced around the league as a journeyman, playing for the Bills, Browns, and Texans over the previous three seasons.
2. Dee Ford – OLB – Selected 23rd Overall in 2014 out of Auburn –
In 2014, the Chiefs attempted to draft a future starter by adding another pass rusher to their linebacking core. At 23rd overall, they selected Dee Ford out of Auburn with the expectation he’d provide excellent depth and eventually take over for an aging Tamba Hali.
Ford was an exceptional pass rusher for Auburn from 2009 to 2013, registering 60 solo tackles, 33 assists, 27.7 tackles for a loss, and 20.5 sacks for his college career. Ford’s best season was during his 2013 senior campaign, where he accounted for 29 tackles and 10.5 sacks.
After getting drafted by Kansas City, Ford paid homage to Chiefs-legend Derrick Thomas by choosing to wear Thomas’s #55 jersey number that he wore while at Alabama.
Going into training camp, Ford’s athleticism and quickness at the line of scrimmage was continuously being compared to the Hall of Fame pass rusher. Even former Chief Tamba Hali ever went on to say “If anybody reminds you of Derrick Thomas, that kid [referring to Ford] should pretty much remind you of Derrick Thomas.”
Unfortunately, Ford’s rookie campaign was an utter disappointment considering the amount of hype he had received since being drafted, finishing with only 8 tackles, and 1.5 sacks through 16 games. Two seasons later, in 2016, Ford finally showed resemblance of the pass rusher that many had hyped him up to be; by producing 38 tackles and 10 sacks in 14 starts.
The following season, Ford’s number tooka drastic decline as injuries plagued him throughout the 2017 campaign before finally being placed on Kansas City’ injured reserve list.
In 2018, Ford rebounded with a career-high 55 tackles and 13 sacks to earn a bid to the Pro Bowl. However, Ford left a bad taste in the mouths of Chiefs fans during the final seconds of the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots.
Following an interception by cornerback Charvious Ward, which would’ve sent Kansas City straight to the Super Bowl, Ford was called for lining up offsides, erasing the play, and allowing New England to tie and win the game in overtime.
Ford wouldn’t play another down for the Chiefs after that and was traded to San Francisco for a 2020 second-round draft choice. Since then, Ford has played sparingly for San Fran; but for a guy that was hyped to be the next Derrick Thomas and perennial pro-bowler for Kansas City, he’s been nothing more than an overhyped waste of draft choice.
1. Breeland Speaks – DE/OLB – Selected 46th Overall in 2018 out of Ole Miss –
The Chiefs went through a number of changes during the 2018 off-season, Brett Veach’s first year as GM, especially on defense when Veach decided to make the roster younger on that side of the football. In the second round of that year’s draft, Veach traded up from 54 to 46 to take defensive tackle Breeland Speaks out of Ole Miss.
On film, Speaks had the potential to be a solid pick, but he was considered to be a bit of a reach, at the time, by a lot of analysts and draft experts. Eventually, he’d go to prove that he was.
In three seasons with the Rebels, he registered 121 tackles and nine sacks and appeared to have the strength and power to be a ferocious pass rusher for Kansas City at 6-feet-3-inches and 185-pounds. Initially, the plan was for Speaks to lose some weight so he could play outside linebacker as a part of Kansas City’s 3-4 defensive scheme at the time.
However, Speaks’ NFL career was a disaster from the start. Not only did he struggle to lose weight, but forcing him to play out of position became a steeper learning curve than the coaching staff probably realized at the time.
During the ‘18 season, Speaks made the most of the opportunities he was given and played all 16 games with four starts and registered 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The following year, he suffered a season-ending knee injury that wiped out his entire 2019 campaign as the team went on to win the Super Bowl without him.
When he came back in 2020, Speaks had returned completely out of shape and struggled to return to football form despite being healthy, which led to his release during final cuts.
After spending the ‘20 campaign on the practice squads of the Raiders and Cowboys, Speaks signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants.
Since taking over as General Manager, Brett Veach has made many brilliant moves to assemble the Chiefs’ roster, but the Breeland Speaks pick will forever be one of the few things he got terribly wrong.
