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In signing DeAndre Baker, the Kansas City Chiefs continue to take shots on former high draft picks

East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deandre Baker (27) reacts after breaking up a pass intended for Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker (11) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Chiefs signed former first-round pick DeAndre Baker to their practice squad Thursday, months after the Giants released him due to now-dropped charges stemming from an alleged robbery. Baker was highly regarded by us coming out of Georgia, and while his first season was not very good — he allowed 808 yards and eight touchdowns without intercepting a pass in 2019 — he represents a continuation of a trend by Chiefs general manager Brett Veach.

Since taking over in July of 2017, Veach has taken a chance on a number of other teams’ high draft picks that have (mostly) not panned out, taking low-cost swings on players with clear potential.

While some might view the Baker signing as a possible boom for Kansas City, their results in picking up these players are mixed, at best. The team's history of said moves is summarized below.

2017

T Cam Erving for a fifth-round pick from Cleveland Browns

After two seasons and 1125 snaps with Cleveland, the team traded Erving to the Chiefs in the summer of 2017. A backup lineman in his first season with the club, the Florida State product was the Chiefs' starting left guard for the majority of 2018, earning a paltry 44.0 overall grade. He took on a backup role in 2019 and started eight games in the place of an injured Eric Fisher, earning a 44.8 grade. He was not retained following 2019.

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