Chiefs add small-school cornerback

Prior to the draft, Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards indicated he wanted to grab athletes from major college schools, and Kansas City stuck to that philosophy throughout most of the draft. LSU, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas, Tennessee, N.C. State, and Missouri are all BCS conference schools with good history.

“If you look at all our players, the one thing that never changes is they come from good programs,” said Edwards. “They played in big games, and they know what it takes to win. I think that’s important. Those are the kinds of guys you want in your locker room.”

But what about Grand Valley State?

With their only fifth-round pick, the Chiefs selected cornerback Brandon Carr from the tiny school. Not only is GVSU not in a BCS conference, it’s not even in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision).

The schools of the first seven picks combined for three national championships this decade. Grand Valley State has won four Division II national championships in the last six years, and Carr helped the Lakers win two of them - one in 2005, and another in 2006.

At GVSU, Carr was a two-time All-American and a three-time all-conference performer. He started 42 of 48 games in his Lakers career, intercepting 11 passes and deflecting 39 more, never yielding a touchdown. His 50 passes defensed ranks sixth all-time in Division II history, and his 11 interceptions rank fifth in school history.

The Chiefs added Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers in round two on Saturday and with other talented corners on the board in the third and fourth round, Kansas City hoped that Carr would be available. He’s an athletic corner who will need an adjustment period to make the jump from the Division II level to the NFL.

But you can’t ignore the fact he came from a winning program. He was of a winning tradition and one of the reasons they hoisted championship trophies at Grand Valley State.