The 2014 NFL Draft is just weeks away, beginning with the first round on May 8, rounds two and three on May 9th and rounds four through seven on Saturday, May 10th. As we conclude our look back at 20 years of Chiefs draft history, today's focus is on the seventh-round picks by the team, as well as stats from the players' rookie seasons.
A look at some of the Chiefs 7th round draft selections, during the last 20 years.
Danan Hughes, 1993
Nate Parks, 1997
Jeff Smith, 1996
Ernest Blackwell, 1998
Eric King, 1999
Terdell Sands, 2001
Maurice Rodriguez, 2002
2013 NFL Draft LB Mike Catapano - Seventh Round - Pick #1 (207th overall) - Princeton
Catapano saw action in 15 contests on special teams and seven games on defense, recording three tackles (two solo), including one for loss, three QB pressures and one sack. He appeared on defense and special teams in the Chiefs AFC Wild Card Playoff Game against the Colts.
2012 NFL Draft
DT Jerome Long - Seventh Round - Pick #11 (218th overall) - San Diego State
Long spent 16 weeks on the Chiefs practice squad and was later signed to Jacksonville's 53-man roster.
The Chiefs obtained a seventh-round selection (Hemingway) from New England in the 2010 S Jarrad Page trade.
WR Junior Hemingway - Seventh Round - Pick #20 (238th overall) - Michigan (Comp. pick)
In 2012, Hemingway appeared in one game on special teams; he spent 16 weeks on the Chiefs practice squad and was later activated to the club's 53-man roster on Dec. 29. He played on special teams at Denver (12/30).
2011 NFL Draft FB Shane Bannon - Seventh Round - Pick #20 (223rd overall) - Yale
Bannon split the 2011 season between the practice squad and practice squad injured list; he was later released and has not played in an NFL game.
2010 NFL Draft
The Chiefs sent their seventh-round selection (212th overall) to Miami in exchange for Miami's seventh-round pick (O'Connell) in 2009.
2009 NFL Draft
The Chiefs obtained Miami's seventh-round selection (O'Connell) in exchange for KC's seventh-round pick in 2010.
TE Jake O'Connell - Seventh Round - Pick #28 (237th overall) Miami (OH)
O'Connell played in four games (two starts) in 2009. He caught two passes for seven yards and recorded one special teams tackle. O'Connell started his first-career game at tight end when the club opened in a two-tight end set vs. Oakland (9/20). He caught his first-career pass and deflected a P Kevin Huber punt at Cincinnati (12/27).
K Ryan Succop - Seventh Round - Pick #47 (256th overall) - South Carolina - (Compensatory pick)
The final pick of the draft, known as "Mr. Irrelevant", Succop went on to handle place-kicking duties in all 16 games in 2009. He connected on 25 of 29 FGs (86.2%), as well as all 29 of his PATs for a team-high 104 points. He landed 59 of his 75 kickoffs inside the 10-yard line, with seven touchbacks and also had one special teams tackle. Succop was named the club's Mack Lee Hill Award winner, an honor bestowed on Kansas City's top rookie or first-year player. He earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly/PFWA and produced an 86.21 FG percentage, tying as the highest make percentage by a rookie since the AFL-NFL merger (min. 20 attempts). Succop was one of four kickers in Kansas City history to make all of his field goal attempts from 40 yards or less in a season (min. 15 atts.). He led all NFL rookies with 104 points, tying FB/K Jack Spikes for the second-highest total by a rookie in Chiefs history. One of Succop's highlights, during his rookie campaign, was hitting a 22-yard game-winning FG in OT vs. Pittsburgh (11/22).
2008 NFL Draft
The Chiefs acquired the N.Y. Giants seventh-round selection (Merritt) in the 2007 K Lawrence Tynes trade.
DE Brian Johnston - Seventh Round - Pick #3 (210th overall) - Gardner-Webb
Johnston played one season in the NFL (nine games) and recorded two tackles.
TE Michael Merritt - Seventh Round - Pick #32 (239th overall) - Central Florida
Merritt was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
2007 NFL Draft
TE Michael Allan - Seventh Round - Pick #21 (231st overall) - Whitworth
Allan was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
2006 NFL Draft
S Jarrad Page - Seventh Round - Pick #20 (228th overall) - UCLA
Page played in 16 games in 2006 (two starts) and recorded 26 tackles, five assists, one sack, three interceptions, eight PBUs, two QB hurries, one fumble recovery and one carry for four yards. Page also started in the Chiefs playoff game in 2006, recording four tackles, two assists, one INT and one PBU. He played four seasons for the Chiefs, before later playing for the New England Patriots in 2010.
2005 NFL Draft
QB James Kilian - Seventh Round - Pick #15 (229th overall) - Tulsa
Kilian was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
The Chiefs obtained a seventh-round pick (Parquet) from Green Bay in the 2003 CB Derek Combs trade.
T Jeremy Parquet - Seventh Round - Pick #24 (238th overall) - Southern Miss.
Parquet was not signed by the Chiefs and later continued his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008.
2004 NFL Draft
T Kevin Sampson - Seventh Round - Pick #30 (231st overall) - Syracuse
Sampson played in six games in 2004 and spent three seasons with the Chiefs (2004-06).
2003 NFL Draft
DT Montique Sharpe - Seventh Round - Pick #16 (230th overall) - Wake Forest
Sharpe played in five games in 2003 and recorded four tackles and one sack. He also added one tackle in the Chiefs playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts.
S Willie Pile - Seventh Round - Pick #38 (252nd overall) - Virginia Tech (Compensatory pick)
Pile played in 16 games, all coming in the 2004 NFL season, recording five starts, 23 tackles, five assists and two PBUs. He played his final year in 2005 for the Dallas Cowboys.
2002 NFL Draft
LB Maurice Rodriguez - Seventh Round - Pick #10 (221st overall) - Fresno State
Rodriguez was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
2001 NFL Draft
S Shaunard Harts - Seventh Round - Pick #12 (212th overall) - Boise State
Harts played in three games in 2001, before spending three more seasons with the Chiefs (2002-04).
DT Terdell Sands - Seventh Round - Pick #43 (243rd overall) - UT - Chattanooga (Comp. pick)
Sands was not retained by the Chiefs and went on to play seven seasons in the league (OAK, GB and NE). 2000 NFL Draft
WR/KR Desmond Kitchings - Seventh Round - Pick #2 (208th overall) - Furman
Kitchings was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
1999 NFL Draft
G Eric King - Seventh Round - Pick #14 (220th overall) - Richmond
King was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
1998 NFL Draft
FB Ernest Blackwell - Seventh Round - Pick #35 (224th overall) - Missouri (Compensatory pick)
Blackwell was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
1997 NFL Draft
The Chiefs traded a seventh-round pick to Pittsburgh in the '97 DT Brentson Buckner trade.
T Nate Parks - Seventh Round - Pick #13 (214th overall) - Stanford
Parks played one game in 1997 and later continued his NFL career with the Oakland Raiders (1999).
1996 NFL Draft
C Ben Lynch - Seventh Round - Pick #2 (211th overall) - California
Lynch was not retained by the team and later continued his career with the San Francisco 49ers (1999-2002).
C Jeff Smith - Seventh Round - Pick #32 (241st overall) - Tennessee
Smith played in one game in 1996, before spending three more years in KC and then concluding his career in Jacksonville (2000-01).
DB/KR Darrell Williams - Seventh Round - (245th overall) - Tennessee St. (Compensatory pick)
Williams was not retained by the team and did not play in an NFL game.
The Chiefs obtained Miami's fourth-round pick (Edwards) and a '97 seventh-round pick for the Chiefs two '96 fourth-round picks (113th overall) and (125th overall). Kansas City also obtained Pittsburgh's seventh-round pick (Lynch) in the '95 TE Tracy Greene trade.
1995 NFL Draft
The Chiefs sent their seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay in the '93 CB Darren Anderson trade.
1994 NFL Draft
QB Steve Matthews - Seventh Round - Pick #5 (199th overall) - Memphis State
Matthews was not retained by the Chiefs and later continued his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1997.
TE Tracy Greene - Seventh Round - Pick #25 (219th overall) - Grambling
Greene played in seven games in 1994 (two starts) and finished with six receptions for 69 yards and one TD. He played the next season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Chiefs obtained the L.A. Rams seventh-round pick (Matthews) in the '93 LB Chris Martin trade
1993 NFL Draft
WR Danan Hughes - Seventh Round - Pick #18 (186th overall) - Iowa
He played in six games in 1993 and returned three punts for 49 yards, as well as 14 kickoff returns for 266 yards. Hughes played in three Chiefs playoff games in '93, recording two receptions for 26 yards, seven punt returns for 84 yards and two kickoff returns for 42 yards.
ICYMI:
