Chiefs Land Defensive Stud in 2012 Redraft

The Kansas City Chiefs in recent years have been one of the best franchises in the National Football League at drafting talent. However, it wasn't always a sure hit when it came to the Chiefs and their draft selections, especially before general manager Brett Veach took over.

Back in 2012, the Chiefs drafted defensive tackle Dontari Poe with the 11th overall pick. Poe stayed with the Chiefs franchise from 2012 to 2016, playing in 78 regular season games and starting 76 of them.

In those games with Kansas City, Poe totaled 200 combined tackles, 155 solo tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, and 13 quarterback sacks. He was also a two-time Pro Bowler with the Chiefs in back-to-back seasons, but following 2014, the overall production took a step back.

In the final two seasons for Poe in Kansas City, he collected 2.5 quarterback sacks, had 66 combined tackles, and had four tackles for loss. As can be seen, the first three seasons of his career were much better than his final two in Kansas City. Which begs some to wonder, what if the franchise went a different direction?

In a recent PFF 2012 Redraft created by Max Chadwick, Dalton Wasserman, and Trevor Sikkema, the Chiefs would utilize their 11th overall pick, linebacker Demario Davis. Davis was originally drafted in the third round by the New York Jets, but he would have done wonders for the Chiefs had they taken him in round one.

"Davis took some time and a few stops, including two in New York, to find his rhythm. When he did, he became one of the NFL’s best linebackers," PFF contributors wrote.

"Since he arrived in New Orleans in 2018, Davis has earned an elite 91.4 PFF overall grade. There has been little variance in his play, as he has placed among the top 20 linebackers in PFF overall grade in each of the past eight seasons."

In 13 years in the NFL, Davis has collected 1,393 total tackles, 887 solo tackles, 110 tackles for loss, 102 quarterback hits and 44.5 quarterback sacks. While it was tough to know what Davis and Poe would turn into, when looking back, it allows fans to wonder what could have been.

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