After taking nearly the full time allotment, Chiefs general manager John Dorsey selected Eric Fisher with the first overall pick in this year's draft. Fisher, an offensive tackle out of Central Michigan, is the first draft selection in Dorsey's tenure in Kansas City. He was hired by the Chiefs after the team fired Scott Pioli, the team's GM for the previous four years. Prior to coming to Kansas City, Dorsey was the director of college scouting for the Green Bay Packers.
Dorsey first joined the Packers as a fourth round pick in 1984. After a brief playing career, Dorsey became a college scout for the team. He remained with the team until 1999 when he accompanied Mike Holmgren to Seattle. Dorsey served as the team's director of player personnel. He returned to the Packers a year later, and played a major role in the team's college scouting and drafts until his hiring with the Chiefs.
While drafting number one overall is a big moment for any general manager, it's perhaps not even Dorsey's boldest stroke in Kansas City. Earlier in the offseason, he acquired quarterback Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers for two second round picks. Dorsey has also been in discussions with the Miami Dolphins regarding a potential swap of Brandon Albert for draft picks. With a franchise left tackle and an established quarterback now in place, Dorsey has positioned the Chiefs to make an impressive turnaround in 2013.
Dorsey wasn't the only former Green Bay assistant to make waves in the first round. Reggie McKenzie, general manager for the Oakland Raiders, sent the third pick in the draft to the Dolphins in exchange for 12th and 42nd overall selections. With the first of those picks, McKenzie chose D.J Hayden, a cornerback out of Houston. The Raiders are still marred by the cap debt accrued during the final years of Al Davis and Hugh Jackson. By trading back, McKenzie has accelerated the recovery process by getting more talented, young, and cheap players for his regime to build upon.
Both McKenzie and Dorsey have been part of a brain draft the Packers have endured the past few season. Green Bay also lost John Schneider to the Seattle Seahawks in 2010. How well the Packers replace these executives will largely dictate the team's performance in the years to come.
Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JBHirschhorn.
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