Kansas City Royals and the NFL Hall of Fame
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals have done a tremendous job at drafting Hall of Fame players…when it comes to the NFL.
In theory, drafting three Hall of Fame players in a short window, including two in the same year, would be a boost for any team. Those players would be elite talents, capable of carrying a franchise to a sustained run of success. Except, that was not the case for the Kansas City Royals.
As it currently stands, the Royals have but a single player that they have drafted in the MLB Hall of Fame – the legendary George Brett. However, if we look at the NFL Hall of Fame, the Royals have had much better success, drafting three players enshrined in Canton in Dan Marino, John Elway, and Deion Sanders.
It is easy to look back at Bo Jackson and think that is where the Royals and the NFL intersect. Instead, Kansas City has had an eye for talent on the NFL side for quite some time. Just imagine if the Chiefs had utilized the Royals scouting staff back in the day with some of the talent they drafted.
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In particular, the Royals have had an eye for quarterbacks. Even before drafting Elway and Marino in the 1979 MLB Draft, the Royals had selected two other excellent quarterbacks. Both Archie Manning and Steve Bartkowski were selected by the Royals as well. While they may not have ended up in the NFL Hall of Fame, they both made their mark on the league.
It is also interesting to imagine what would have happened had Sanders played for the Royals. Imagine an outfield with both he and Jackson patrolling the grounds at Kauffman Stadium. Jackson’s cannon of an arm, and Sanders’ speed certainly would have been intriguing to watch together in left and center.
Perhaps, some day, the Royals will have as many players that they drafted in the MLB Hall of Fame as they do in the NFL. Carlos Beltran seems to be a lock, but that is still a couple of years away. But then, who would be next? Zack Greinke could have a case, but how strong is it? Johnny Damon had a better case than his performance in his one year on the ballot indicated. Dan Quisenberry also had just one year on the ballot, but has been considered by the Veteran’s Committee. However, he was an undrafted free agent, so he really would not count based on the draft pick qualification.
Perhaps one of the Royals recent draft picks will eventually become that third player to be inducted into Cooperstown. However, even if that ends up being the case, that will still take decades to happen. Until then, the Royals will have had far greater success in drafting NFL Hall of Fame players than those inducted into Cooperstown.
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The Kansas City Royals have had an eye for Hall of Fame talent over the years. The problem is that talent has found its way to the NFL Hall of Fame.