The 1989 NFL Draft featured arguably the greatest collection of talent ever found at the top of the event. Dallas picked Troy Aikman No. 1 from UCLA, Detroit picked Barry Sanders No. 3 from Oklahoma State, Atlanta picked Deion Sanders No. 5 from Florida State and, of course, Kansas City picked Derrick Thomas with the No. 4 overall selection.

The 1988 winner of the Butkus Award, Thomas remains to this day one of the greatest defenders to ever come out of Alabama. During his Hall of Fame career, the former Crimson Tide linebacker racked up 126.5 sacks, forced 41 fumbles, scored four defensive touchdowns, three safeties and registered 601 tackles for the Chiefs franchise from 1989-1999.

With the 2017 NFL Draft just days away, Kansas City tweeted out this video featuring former general manager Carl Peterson recollecting his selection of Thomas in the 1989 draft. With his franchise struggling and facing the reality of potentially being fired if the team failed to improve, Peterson claims there was only one player on his mind to fix the team’s woes.

Thomas tragically died from a blood clot following an automobile accident during the offseason after the 1999 NFL season. Thomas is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame, as well as the NFL Hall of Fame.

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