Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft Busts: No. 4 Justin Medlock And No. 3 Ryan Sims

by Chris Thorman on Apr 28, 2011 7:17 AM CDT in 2011 NFL Draft

Arrowhead Pride has teamed up with Bud Light (Give 'em a like on Facebook here) to bring you the top ten biggest draft busts in Kansas City Chiefs history. We continue with No. 4 and No. 3...

As we get closer to the 2011 NFL Draft start time this evening, we're going to be finishing up our Bud Light Draft Bust series with two more posts. This morning, I present to you the No. 4 and No. 3 biggest draft busts in Kansas City Chiefs history: K Justin Medlock and DT Ryan Sims.

Now, I already know what you're thinking: Justin Medlock is No. 4 on this list? Yes, and here's why. Medlock was the first player taken at his position (kicker) in the 2007 NFL draft, in the fifth round, and he didn't last past Week 1 of the regular season.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't get a poor season or poor half of a season out of their fifth round pick. They got a dismal preseason and one regular season game out of the guy. After going 3/6 in the 2007 preseason, and going 1-2 in Week 1 of the regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs cut Justin Medlock.

What makes this draft pick sting even more is that 18 picks later, early in the sixth round, the ~~Cleveland Browns~~ Dallas Cowboys drafted eventual Pro Bowl kicker Nick Folk. Justin Medlock was a complete bust in every sense of the word for the Chiefs.

After the jump, your favorite draft bust of the early 2000s makes an appearance....

In hindsight, it all made sense why Ryan Sims wouldn't pan out for the Kansas City Chiefs after being select No. 6 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. Sims teammate on the defensive line at UNC was the No. 2 overall pick that year - Julius Peppers. Once Sims was separated from Peppers, it became clear whose talent was supporting the other on that Tar Heel defensive line.

Sims held out during training camp, a camp that shortened even further by injury. He never got off to a good start in Kansas City.

Sims would go on to be a Chief for four NFL seasons. He would play in 59 games for KC, starting 36 of them. He only recorded 5 sacks in his time in Kansas City.

Ryan Sims was the highest profile defensive draft bust of the Dick Vermeil era. Another one of Vermeil's defensive draft picks, Junior Siavii, made the list at No. 10.

More Chiefs' draft busts:

No. 10 - Junior Siavii

No. 9 - Sylvester Morris

No. 8 - Victor Riley

No. 7 - Paul Palmer

No. 6 - Harvey Williams

No. 5 - Percy Snow

No. 4 - Justin Medlock

No. 3 - Ryan Sims

Are You Smarter Than The Experts?
Correctly predict the first 32 picks of the 2011 NFL Draft and you’ll win $10,000,000!
BEST ROUND EVER IN PRIMETIME
Enter at facebook.com/BudLight
Here We Go

Enjoy Responsibly ©2011 Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO. ©2011 NFL Properties LLC. All NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. No Purchase Necessary. Contest open to U.S. residents (except CA) 21+. Contest begins 12AM CDT on 4/1 and ends 5:59:59PM CDT on 4/28. See Official Rules for complete details. Void where prohibited.

Tweet Comment 12 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Nick Folk

He was actually drafted by the Cowboys. And though he did make the Pro Bowl, he was cut less than two years after the draft. Now he’s with the Jets.

The big complaint would be the Packers’ Mason Crosby, who was taken about 10 picks after Folk.

by SlipperyPete on Apr 28, 2011 7:36 AM CDT reply actions

Fixed, thanks

Founded Arrowhead Pride 7/26/2006

@christhorman

by Chris Thorman on Apr 28, 2011 7:51 AM CDT up reply actions

And to further the Medlock debacle, you have GB's Mason Crosby

From wiki

Crosby was chosen by the Green Bay Packers with the 19th pick of the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft, the last of three consecutive picks for the Packers, and the third kicker overall. Crosby entered training camp in a battle with incumbent placekicker Dave Rayner. During Green Bay’s first pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Crosby kicked a 52-yard field goal, the longest field goal in the history of Heinz Field. Crosby won the starting job during the final roster cut.

In his first regular season game, Crosby converted all three field goals he attempted, including a 53-yarder and a 42-yard kick with two seconds left on the clock to help the Packers defeat the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. The kick was the first game-winner by a rookie on opening weekend since 1979 (when Matt Bahr achieved the same feat). Crosby was the first player in NFL history to kick a 50-yard field goal and a game-winning field goal with under a minute remaining in his NFL debut.6 Crosby was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (the first rookie kicker to receive this honor on opening weekend).7

Crosby was awarded the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November 2007. He led all NFL kickers with 54 points and tied for the lead with 12 field goals as the Packers posted a 4-1 mark. Crosby converted 12 of 15 field goals during November and was a perfect 18-for-18 on PATs. He had at least one field goal in every game, including four in the Week 9 win at Kansas City. His longest field goal of the month was a 52-yarder in the Week 13 contest at Dallas.8 For the 2007 season, Crosby led the NFL with 130 points scored and his 24 field goals ranked first in the NFC. Crosby finished second for most points scored in a season by a rookie (Kevin Butler had 144 points for Chicago in 1985). Crosby finished 2007 with the highest-scoring season by a kicker in franchise history and third-highest season point total by any Packers player.9

In the first game of the 2010 regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles, Crosby kicked a field goal from 56 yards in the last seconds of the first half, his career long and a franchise record.

TOUCHDOWN! KAN-SAH-CITY!!!

by TheScootness on Apr 28, 2011 8:05 AM CDT reply actions

Hey Chris...

Do you have a final version of your player of your chiefs player intrest chart you could post today befor the draft starts. Its a good tool to follow the draft and get an idea of who we could be looking to get at our spots when we hit the clock.

Football Then Hockey 7 days a week...

by Akr_Baby on Apr 28, 2011 8:07 AM CDT reply actions

Please...

Football Then Hockey 7 days a week...

by Akr_Baby on Apr 28, 2011 8:08 AM CDT up reply actions

And to think we passed on big john Henderson...

To take the much more talented Ryan Sims

Football Then Hockey 7 days a week...

by Akr_Baby on Apr 28, 2011 8:12 AM CDT reply actions

and we traded up for him which makes it sting even more

KC Draft prediction: No OT taken in first round

by trentchiefsfan on Apr 28, 2011 8:20 AM CDT up reply actions

I still disagree with the Justin Medlock being even on this list...

Yea he was a bust but he was a FIFTH round pick and everything is a reach at that point.

How is he any different from the other 5th round players that didn’t play a game for the chiefs (or at least record a stat)?
- Colin Brown
- Marcus Maxey
- etc…

Just because he was a kicker and the first pick in his position doesn’t change anything in my IMO. If anything, he is less of a bust because his salary was low and the kicker position can be filled by a FA without huge time investment .

I could care less about him wasting our 5th round pick. I care about busts that waste our 1-3 round picks, hold out from camp, and cost us cap room when released!

by davidv on Apr 28, 2011 8:15 AM CDT reply actions

Positional value kind gets into this

That aside, the only thing that makes Justin Medlock a bust is that Mason Crosby was chosen an entire round later. Crosby was far and away the better prospect on everyone’s board, and Medlock was a HUGE reach in the 5th where we could have gotten him in the 7th. That’s why everyone was shocked when we took Medlock in the fifth, they didn’t just all decide they were going to bash the Chiefs pick with no purpose. If not for Mason Crosby, who should have been the obvious choice, we would have forgotten that Medlock ever existed.

BOOM!

by 808NaNz808 on Apr 28, 2011 8:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Sims only #3?

I am guessing Todd Blackledge and Steve Fuller 1 and 2 then as HOF qbs were drafted after them and they did not pan out. Anyone who had seen Marino play at all would have known he had superior talent. Speaking of talent, if this labor issue labors on into the season which teams do you think will wish to junk their season to claim the Luck lottery prize?

by paulredfish on Apr 28, 2011 8:57 AM CDT via mobile reply actions

us...wooohooo!

or Barkley haha

Team Berry
Team Twisniewski

by MasterBlaster7 on Apr 28, 2011 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions

It always burns me to think about "what might have been" had Sims and Siavi turned out to be studs. Or Peterson had gone defense with the pick that became 2.7.

The defense during the Vermiel era was historically bad. It only needed to be average with that offense. They couldn’t even muster being average.

Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate, so he's really not a part of our family. Also, he's divorced, so he's really not a part of his family.

by Rev. Slappy on Apr 28, 2011 11:39 AM CDT reply actions