KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- One of the most significant discussions in the Kansas City Chiefs' history occurred almost 10 years ago in their draft room -- and Ryne Nutt can recount every detail.
"There was a big argument," said Nutt, an area scout at the time and the Chiefs' current vice president of player personnel.
The source of the debate was a defensive tackle out of Mississippi State named Chris Jones.
"[Some] people had reservations about Chris," Nutt said.
Inside the large room that night, just before the start of the 2016 NFL draft, was team owner Clark Hunt, future Hall of Fame coach Andy Reid and John Dorsey, the grizzled, old-school general manager.
Surrounding the trio was a deep roster in the Chiefs' front office, some of whom are now leading other franchises -- Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts general manager), Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears general manager) and Mike Borgonzi (Tennessee Titans general manager). Brandt Tilis, the Carolina Panthers' vice president of football operations was there, too, along with Nutt and Brett Veach, who soon replaced Dorsey as the Chiefs' general manager.
"All right, guys, look at the [draft] board," Dorsey said that night. "Who do you like?"
Chris Jones had to wait until Day 2 to get drafted, but it worked out for both sides as he emerged as a cornerstone of the Chiefs' dynasty. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast The Chiefs held the 28th pick. The group's conversation led it to agree that the club needed more depth along the defensive line. Two players were next to each other on the Chiefs' draft board.
"It really came down to Chris and Robert Nkemdiche," Nutt said. "I don't want to go through who said what, but it was a pretty heavy consensus of [people wanting] Robert Nkemdiche."
Later that night, based on the group's debate, Dorsey executed a shrewd trade to move the Chiefs out of the first round to collect more picks. For Dorsey, the centerpiece of the deal with the San Francisco 49ers was the 37th pick. The next day, the Chiefs needed to make that pick a valuable one, one that would help the team continue to rise as a Super Bowl contender.
Looking back, the Chiefs made the correct decisions.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Nkemdiche, the defensive tackle from Ole Miss, with the 29th pick. In his five-year career, Nkemdiche played in just 38 games, recording 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one touchdown.