The Kansas City Chiefs Add Danny Shelton, Another Washington First Rounder

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed defensive tackle Danny Shelton, a former first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns.

He joins cornerback Trent McDuffie, another Washington Huskies product, as a defensive player drafted in the first round.

While the current Chiefs depth chart already lists McDuffie as a first-string player on the back end, Shelton should add girth up front.

He gives the Chiefs two first-round picks on the defensive line. Rookie defensive end George Karlaftis was selected 30th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

A first-day-of-the-draft player on the defense — like Karlaftis and now Shelton — is a bit of an outlier for the Chiefs. Many of the other noteworthy players on the defense were second-round draft picks.

That includes Chris Jones, a defensive tackle who is in the midst of a lucrative, four-year, $80 million deal and is the defense’s best player.

“I love the way he’s always played,” said first-year Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen. “He’s done a great job consistently getting better every day, and I love working with him. He’s smart, but he tries to do exactly what you’re trying to teach him to do.”

Frank Clark, Willie Gay, Nick Bolton — and even recently-acquired Carlos Dunlap — were second-round picks as well.

The Browns were hoping Shelton would make the kind of impact of those aforementioned players.

But despite being drafted 12th overall in 2015, the mammoth 6-2, 345-pound Shelton lasted just three years in Cleveland before getting traded to the New England Patriots.

He then signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Detroit Lions before getting released at the end of the 2020 season and latching on with the New York Giants, for whom he played 13 games in 2021.

According to Pro Football Talk, Shelton had offers from the Carolina Panthers and the Las Vegas Raiders, but the Chiefs promised him more money.

That was a pragmatic move not only for Shelton, but also the Chiefs.

In the best-case scenario, they have added a run stuffer who can add depth behind Jones and Derrick Nnadi.

It’s basically a flier on a former first-round pick.

Similarly, they signed Deandre Baker, a 2019 first-round pick of the Giants in 2019, two years ago. Ultimately, Baker didn’t work out. He suffered a gruesome broken femur injury in 2020 and only played eight games for the Chiefs in 2021.

The Chiefs released Baker on Monday.

He was made more expendable by McDuffie. The Chiefs traded up to select him 21st overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the coaching staff has lauded the smarts and versatility of its 5-11, 193-pound rookie.

“He’s very patient at the line of scrimmage and has done a great job,” defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said. “Now we have a guy who can actually do dual roles for us.”

McDuffie can play inside or outside corner, and special teams coordinator Dave Toub even praised his hands and abilities as a punt returner.

The Chiefs are hoping that McDuffie is not the only Washington first-round pick to make an impact on his new pro team.