Dominate the Super Bowl

What, the Kansas City Chiefs?

But why? Wait, the Kansas City Chiefs, what?

The whole room, stunned.

The 2017 NFL Draft had just begun, and it was this thrilling already?

Just a second ago, the Cleveland Browns had made no unexpected moves, choosing Garrett, the year's strongest defensive player, as expected. For once, they did not chase after sensational headlines and calmly settled on a practical decision based on team needs, finally showing some strategy.

The next moment, the always steady and low-key Kansas City Chiefs unimaginably broke the deadlock, becoming the first team to make a move at this year's draft, instantly disrupting the balance. From the third pick onward, the original plans of all the teams were thrown into disarray, causing everyone to become anxious.

— Why?

No amount of pondering yielded an answer.

According to pre-draft analyses, the San Francisco 49ers were likely to strengthen their defense, probably choosing Solomon Thomas, the defensive end from Stanford University.

The Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, had been circling around wide receivers and cornerbacks. White, the cornerback from Louisiana State University, and Howard, the tight end from the University of Alabama, were likely their targets, given their position at the twenty-seventh pick—they had to play by other teams' rules.

But now?

In the Baltimore Ravens' war room, Newsome was equally astonished, exclaiming, "What?"

With surprise and confusion written all over his face, Newsome turned to Harbaugh, "John, could it be? Has Andy Reid gone mad, and Brett Veach along with him?"

"Choosing Li Wei with the second pick?"

It made no sense, incomprehensible.

Newsome knew that Li Wei was an outstanding player, no doubt about it; but looking at the big picture, somewhere around the tenth pick would have been most appropriate and fitting:

If the Carolina Panthers chose Li Wei with the eighth pick, Newsome would applaud them; if the Jacksonville Jaguars picked Li Wei with the fourth pick, Newsome would only say the buyers had more money than sense; if the Cleveland Browns chose Li Wei with the top pick, they would be beyond critique for their foolishness.

And now, the Kansas City Chiefs had traded to get the second overall pick, which made it even less worthwhile, as they had to pay an extra price to get this spot. It was equivalent to overpaying for a running back in 2016, a move nobody would endorse.

Harbaugh couldn't help but gulp, but then he calmed down, a shiver running from his feet to his scalp, "Wait, no, they're preparing to choose a quarterback."

A quarterback?

Newsome was startled, but as all the details came together, everything made sense—

If the Kansas City Chiefs had traded up for the second pick to select their future cornerstone quarterback, then it was worth it. Even though this wasn't a strong year for quarterbacks, a weak class often meant a team could sign a satisfactory player at a reasonable price.

Newsome and Harbaugh exchanged glances; indeed, old ginger is hotter than fresh. They had all been outsmarted by Reid.

So, why the second pick instead of the first?

Newsome quickly figured it out, "Chicago."

The Chicago Bears, with the third pick, the third overall.

Since Rookie Training Camp began, despite the Bears' secrecy, it was clear to any discerning eye that they were focused on evaluating quarterbacks.

Jay Cutler, the quarterback for the Chicago Bears since 2008, had stuck with the team through thick and thin. Cutler wasn't bad—in fact, he was a quarterback above league average who often dazzled with his performance. His only problem was:

Falling apart at critical moments.

Often throwing interceptions at crucial times to give opponents an advantage, this had become a recurring nightmare in Cutler's career, impeding his progress in the playoffs.

After a disappointing previous season and ongoing battles with injuries, the Chicago Bears and Cutler mutually agreed to end their contract in March.

Rumors were, Cutler was contemplating retirement.

Therefore, the starting quarterback position was vacant and up for grabs. The Bears' intentions couldn't be clearer—they were ready to select a rookie quarterback to become the new cornerstone for the Chicago Bears.

Resulting, in the Chiefs cutting them off.

Surprise, absolute surprise; this was a scene the entire league could not have anticipated.

So, who were the Kansas City Chiefs preparing to choose, Trubisky or Watson?

In fact, inside the Kansas City Chiefs' war room, they were discussing just that—

"Trubisky!"

"Watson!"

"Watson."

"Trubisky!"

"Trubisky." Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire

One after another, each person was voicing their opinions and views, while Veach seemed both excited and nervous, his brain operating at high speed—

He had not expected the San Francisco 49ers to actually agree to the trade; they had used their 2017 first and second-round picks, their 2018 first-round pick, and their 2019 first-round pick to secure this year's second overall pick from San Francisco.

It was a blockbuster trade.

Quarterback, the Kansas City Chiefs were finally going to have their own rookie quarterback; how many years had it been since they last selected a quarterback in the first round of the draft?

Even though the decision was made, adrenaline couldn't be controlled from surging wildly; but he needed to calm down because they were on the clock. They had to submit their list within ten minutes, or they would become the next day's headline news for all the wrong reasons due to being overly excited and seeing the draft pick they traded dearly for getting wasted.

Taking a deep breath, Veach turned to Reed, "Coach, what's your opinion?"

Reed was sitting with his arms folded across his chest, chewing gum, calmly sitting still with a contemplative expression showing that his brain was also engaged in a tug of war—

Sense and Sensibility.

In the end, emotion prevailed, "Li Wei."

Huh!

The entire war room went silent instantly, all discussions stopped, and everyone looked towards Reed as if they had seen a ghost, their heads filled with question marks that nearly filled the entire space to the brink of explosion.

What had they just heard?

Reed knew he was taking a risk; using a first-round pick on a running back was already considered a gamble, let alone a top-three pick. But he trusted his judgment, upending all previous plans completely.

He wanted to take a gamble.

The others were surprised because there had been no such plan for the team—sure, they scouted running backs, but their focus was always on quarterbacks. Then Reed threw them a curveball.

Veach wasn't surprised. Still, his heart ached. To trade away three consecutive first-round picks and this year's second-rounder just to pick a running back—it was imaginable that they would become the laughingstock of the entire league.

Even if they really wanted to trade up for Li Wei, they didn't need to deal with the San Francisco 49ers. A trade with the Chicago Bears to get ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the draft pick would have sufficed.

So, they were wasting a bunch of draft picks and nearly twenty million US dollars in salary cap space—what exactly was this all about?

Taking a deep breath, Veach remained calm, "Coach, we must pick a quarterback, Trubisky or Watson?"

Reed didn't answer immediately, as if he was asleep, deep in thought.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, the countdown clock kept ticking.

"Brett..."

"What!"

"Chicago is on line four."

"Hmm?"

"Chicago Bears' general manager Ryan Pace is on line four."