Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs wouldn’t be here without his incredible success rate in the draft

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes He is in Year 2 of a 10-year, $450 million contract Kansas City Chiefs. By the 2022 season, he alone absorbed 17.2% of the team’s salary cap, according to spotrac.com.

Mahomes is the most talented player in the league, so if the Chiefs or any other team gave him the opportunity, he wouldn’t hesitate to commit that much to a single player. It is an exception to the rule.

However, what belongs to one player cannot go to all the others, namely the other 52 needed to win games.

That’s why the winning formula for teams remains that of having a great quarterback on a relatively cheap rookie contract — as Kansas City’s Super Bowl opponent, Philadelphia.It hurts to eat$1.6 million cap) or AFC championship rival Cincinnati (Joe Burrow, $9.8 million) enjoy. Then you spend that extra money on multiple important pieces.

And that’s probably true.

Well, unless you’re a boss and find an old-school way around this conundrum; namely, absolutely crushing the draft over the last three years and stocking the roster with top contributors that come cheap, even if it’s not the quarterback.

Kansas City has made 22 picks in the past three NFL drafts. Because of their success during that time, the Chiefs never had a pick higher than the 21st overall pick (2022). They didn’t have a first rounder in 2021 and they picked 32nd in 2020.

However, CEO Brett Veach and his staff have been in a hot spot. as much as Muhammad, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Head Coach Andy Reid they are getting well-deserved accolades, this was truly an organizational journey Super Bowl.

Seventeen of those 22 teams played in the AFC title game, and 10 of them played at least half the snaps. And they came from every draft, from the first to the last round. There was also rookie free agent Jake Cochrane, who made 18 special teams appearances.

Plus two more draft picks: running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and defensive end Joshua Kindoh – they are on injured reserve. One option – Cornerback Thakarius “Bopete” Keyes, a seventh-round pick in 2020, was traded after one season.

The story continues

Wide receiver Cornell Powell, a fifth-round pick in 2021, is on the practice squad but has seen action in three games this season. Rookie Darian Kinnard has seen limited action this season, but the team sees a future in him as an interior offensive lineman.

It’s fair to say Kansas City has gotten 20 of its last 22 draft picks.

Consider some of Sunday’s highlights Won the AFC title game Cincinnati Bengals From the Class of 2022 only:

• Tight end Isiah Pacheco, who finished 251st at Rutgers, had a combined 85 yards rushing and receiving in what was a difficult game.

• Defensive end George Karlaftis, Purdue’s No. 30 pick, had a big sack and added depth to a dominant defensive front.

• Cornerback Jaylen Watson, 243rd overall out of Washington State, had a sack for the second straight game.

• Cornerback Joshua Williams, the No. 135 pick out of Fayetteville State, had his pick on first-year defensive back Bryan Cook, a second-round pick from Cincinnati, getting a great punt.

• Washington’s first-round cornerback Trent McDuffie had two pass deflections and six tackles while taking 98 percent of the snaps.

• And finally, there was receiver, and more importantly, returner Skyy Moore, a sophomore from Western Michigan who only caught three passes for 13 yards, but had a huge last-minute 29-yard return to set up KC’s game. winning album

The performance of the rookies is surprising and critical. From 2021, linebacker Nick Bolton (four tackles), and Creed Humphries and offensive linemen Trey Smith were on the field for every defensive or offensive snap, respectively.

The Chiefs are arguably the top team. There’s Mahomes, the game’s biggest star. And tight end Travis Kelce, a future Hall of Famer. Chris Jones’ partner and Frank Clark combined for seven tackles and 3.5 sacks. Offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Orlando Brown Jr. were the high prices the team brought to protect Mahomes.

Those six alone make up 53.58% of the managers’ salary cap. Conversely, in the wealth sharing Eagles, the top 25 players combine for 53.13% of the salary cap.

Next season will be tougher for Kansas City. Brown can leave via free agency, but the other five must eat a staggering 63.71% alone.

However, it may not matter. At least Veach and company can continue their hot streak and use the dozen picks in the 2023 draft to find players to come in and contribute, even in the biggest games.

Kansas City might have star power, but it wouldn’t be in the Super Bowl, much less win it, because of the Chiefs’ relatively low-paid young guys stepping up time and time again.