List of Kansas City Chiefs first-round draft picks


The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. Center E. J. Holub was the initial first round selection by made by the franchise. From 1960 to 1962, the Chiefs were known as the Dallas Texans until their relocation to Kansas City, Missouri. The team participated in the American Football League's annual player draft from 1960 to 1966 until the beginning of the common draft in 1967 and the AFL's subsequent merger with the National Football League in 1970. Since 1970, the team has participated in the National Football League's annual player draft.
The Chiefs have only had the first overall selection in the draft twice in franchise history, once in 2013, the other in 1963 when the team traded quarterback Cotton Davidson to the Oakland Raiders for the selection. The franchise has selected two players in the first round in the same year on five occasions, coming in 1963, 1968, 1979, 1984, and 2008. The team has also traded away their first pick eight times, in 1973, 1975, 1993, 2001, 2004, 2016, 2018, 2019.
Only two of the Chiefs first round picks are still on their roster, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tackle Eric Fisher.

Player selections

By position

Like most teams in the NFL, the Chiefs have never drafted a fullback, placekicker, or punter in the first round of the NFL Draft. Running backs are the most commonly selected by the Chiefs in the first round, with 11 coming since 1960. Before selecting Patrick Mahomes in 2017, the Chiefs had gone 34 years in between selecting quarterbacks in the first round. Eight times the Chiefs have not had a first round draft pick due to trades.

By college

Five players have been chosen by the Chiefs from LSU in the first round of the NFL Draft, with three consecutive from 2007–2009, the most from any school. USC, Iowa, Tennessee and Penn State have all contributed three players to the Chiefs in the first round of the draft, all tied for second-most from one school.