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Chiefs turn undrafted rookies into key players

Sports

September 4th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — They play quarterback and wide receiver, tight end and offensive line. They can be found on the both sides of the ball, first on the depth chart and last. There are 16 of them on the Kansas City Chiefs this season, and what they all have in common in this: They starred in college, went through the entire draft without anybody willing to take a shot on them, and then managed to scratch and claw their way into the NFL anyway.

They’re undrafted free agents. The unwanted who managed to become indispensable. The Chiefs have four who will be starting on Sunday against Tennessee, not including kicker Cairo Santos and long-snapper Thomas Gafford. They’ve had at least one newcomer make the roster each of the last 12 seasons.