Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt met with local Kansas City media members before the NFL Draft on Thursday night at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex.
Q: How do you want the rookies who come in to be connected to Kansas City?
"One of the first things I tell the rookies, I tell them when we have them in next week, we have a rookie night when I get a chance to speak to them, is I emphasize the history of the organization and how important it is for all of our players to give back to the community. It's a principle that my dad established when the team came here in 1963, and something he carried for four or so decades, and I made sure that I've done that ever since. We are so proud of our players and everything that they do to give back to the community."
Q: How much do you enjoy draft night?
"Well, in a lot of ways, it really is the unofficial kickoff to the 2016 season. Having the fans here dressed in red reminds you a lot of being up at Arrowhead for a game, and it's a lot of fun for them. It's obviously a very fun and important night for the organization."
Q: You always said you leave all of the work to the experts - Andy Reid and John Dorsey - but do you secretly have a wish list of who you'd like to see drafted?
"There is always a player or two who I may have seen playing in a bowl game that I'm excited about, and I always make sure that I don't mention their names because I don't want the guys who are making the decision to listen to me. They've put a year and a half of work into what happens tonight—60,000 hours. They really are the experts and they've done a great job. They've shown it the last three years and I'm happy to let John and Andy make the decision."
Q: Do you expect it to be a long night?
"I absolutely do. One of the things with drafting towards the end of the first round is it's going to be a while before we make a selection. It's great in some ways that we're drafting there. It means we did well last year. On the other hand, we're going to have to be a little bit patient."
Q: What about the tandem of Dorsey and Reid?
"Well, when Andy came, and John shortly afterwards, I knew I had two guys who could work together, and it's something I feel is key to having a successful football team—to have a head coach and a general manager who are on the same page, and the two of them really are. They've worked so well together over the last three years. There's really never been an instant where I've had to step in and serve as the tiebreaker because they have differences, and they work it out. The two of them have obviously made a lot of really good decisions about our football team."
Q: When that third-round pick comes around, will you be cringing?
"I won't be cringing, but we're disappointed not to have that pick. We believe that draft picks are critical to building your football team particularly for down the road, so we're not happy, but it is the hand that we've been dealt, and we'll just move on to the fourth round and hopefully get a good player there."
Q: What do you do for an encore of Marcus Peters at No. 28 overall?
"It is a very high bar and we're not going to draft or have a chance to draft a Marcus Peters every year. It just doesn't work out that way. The important thing though is to draft a player in the first round who can become a starter for the Kansas City Chiefs. It doesn't necessarily need to be a starter this year. We have a very good football team, but he needs to develop into somebody who can be a contributor to the team for the next nine to 10 years."
