We don’t know for sure if there will be NFL football next season, but there will most definitely be minor league football courtesy of the UFL. The league held their annual draft Monday night and there were a couple of familiar names to Chiefs fans.
Round 2
9. Virginia – DT – Ryan Sims
Sims is a nine-year National Football League veteran who has played with the Kansas City Chiefs (2002-06) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007-10). The No. 6 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Chiefs, Sims has played in 105 NFL games with 55 starts. His NFL career numbers include 8 1/2 sacks, 143 total tackles and an interception. In 2003 with the Chiefs, Sims posted career-highs in total tackles (38) and sacks (three).
Round 8
39. Omaha – DE – Brian Johnston
Johnston was a seventh-round selection of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 NFL Draft, playing in nine games with the team in 2008 and making three total tackles. He was a Division I-AA All-American as a senior in 2007, racking up 74 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, six sacks and 22 quarterback pressures. Johnston was a two-time Division I-AA All-American.
Sims is the type of guy that has continued to hang on in the NFL despite completely underwhelming during his time in Kansas City. Now he get to go and play for former Chiefs head coach Marty Schottenheimer in Virginia. I’m sure Marty saw… well, actually I’m not sure what he saw to take him to high. Bringing in players with NFL experience is big for the struggling league, but he would have been better served taking a local product like Jonathan Lewis who played at Virginia Tech and spent some time with the Cardinals.
After being cut loose by Pioli, it was the GM’s father-in-law, Bill Parcells, that gave Johnston another chance. Johnston didn’t catch on in Miami, but should be able to get a lot of playing time in the UFL as he tries to claw his way back to the NFL.
