Most personnel staff work silently behind the scenes or in front of screens, and Hatley was no different. He had been a coach in the college ranks, and with a disappointing New Orleans Saints team, but when he moved to the personnel side of football operations, he found a comfort level that appealed to him.
He had been retained as the Chiefs' pro personnel scout upon the arrival of Carl Peterson, who became the club's new president and general manager prior to the start of the 1989 season.
When evaluating players, "Hat" had the innate ability to winnow chaff from the grain, the unimportant from the essential. He was not an emotional man, and he soon recognized his keen eye for talent, and he had the ability to fulfill the needs of his GM and head coach.
Hatley could admit a mistake when he made one, but he had far more hits than misses. His body of work after years in the business later saw him build a Super Bowl team in Chicago that has been overlooked to this day.
The vicissitudes of free agency had removed key defensive backs Albert Lewis and Kevin Ross after the Chiefs successful 1993 season, but the team, through the never-failing ability of Hatley, was able to replace both with defensive backs of equal talent, or close enough.
Hatley knew that replacing Lewis, an All-Pro, would be a difficult task, but he knew that newcomer Dale Carter had many of the tools that Lewis had and was younger. He knew that Peterson was aware an older hand was needed to pair with Carter, and so he pushed for Mark Colins, who had been a second-round draft pick of the New York Giants and who became a starter in his second season after earning a Super Bowl ring when New York defeated Denver. He had been the Super Bowl Defensive MVP in the Giants victory.
At 30 years old, Collins was younger than Lewis, 34, and Hatley knew Peterson favored a player's leadership qualities and championship experience. Collins would go on to become the Chiefs' MVP.
Later, again on Hatley's evaluation, Peterson traded for William White, who had been with Detroit and was regarded as a "field general-type." He could play either free or strong safety and had called all the defensive signals during the previous five seasons with the Lions.
Examine Hatley's list of additions and one can see that players were available even though some had been rejected by other teams. Should you mix them with younger emerging players, success was possible.
Consider Kimble Anders and Tony Richardson, linebacker Anthony Davis and defensive tackles Joe Phillips and Vaughn Booker. All became contributing starters, and Anders and Richardson were Pro Bowlers.
There were other Hatley finds, some easily forgotten today but valuable at the time even when they filled backup roles or became valued starters. Early in his tenure, Hatley identified Barry Word and Dan Saleaumua, both important starters. Greg Kragen, a salary-cap casualty in Denver, eventually stepped in and played a role during a season when injuries limited Saleaumua.
Derrick Walker, a tight end, was signed by Hatley only six days before the season opener in 1994 and went on to catch a pass in every game, a valuable acquisition when starter Keith Cash, another Hatley find, suffered a knee injury. Walker would go on to offer valuable service over the following years.
Eric Martin, another salary-cap casualty, stepped in six weeks after the 1994 season started. Tracy Simien, a linebacker who had been trying to catch on after he was released by Pittsburgh, eventually became a Chiefs starter.