The Kansas City Chiefs have sustained their recent dynasty success with the play of a few future Hall of Famers and continually identifying offensive and defensive contributors in the NFL draft. They made seven selections in 2025, trading back once and up three times to acquire valued players that they saw falling down the board.
While there’s some inherent risk at the top of their draft, the vision for Kansas City is quite clear. Here’s their draft.
Round 1 (No. 32): Josh Simmons, OT Ohio State
Josh Simmons comes with a partially torn patellar tendon injury that the Chiefs have done extensive work on, with multiple late-stage phone calls and a 30 visit on Apr. 11 to get a clear picture of Simmons, his injury, and how he was recovering. They were one of the only teams in the draft that could take a tackle with the possibility that he doesn’t play in 2025, and bank on his impact in 2026 with the addition of Jaylon Moore before the draft. Simmons would have gone in the top 10 had he played a healthy 2025 season. Even with the risk, it’s an excellent opportunity for a team that doesn’t often have a chance at this type of tackle talent in the draft.
Round 2 (No. 63): Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee
Omarr Norman-Lott was a part-time player for Tennessee who consistently flashed for the Volunteers, but there was a lack of consistency in his game due to his limited usage. A guy with his explosive ability and power is an intriguing option for a defensive front that lacks it, outside of Chris Jones. They are betting on Jones and Norman-Lott’s quick-win ability in pass-rush situations to complement their defensive ends. We’ll see if it pays off.
Round 3 (No. 66): Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Louisville
This is the one I’m lower on in general; Ashton Gillotte is a high-floor defensive end who fits the exact mold Steve Spagnuolo is looking for. He’s smart, versatile, and his motor runs hot. While he’s got pretty good hand usage and athletic ability, he gets swallowed up by tackles at times due to his arm length and inability to extend consistently as a speed-to-power player with shorter arms. He’s a Spagsy defender and fits the ecosystem of defensive ends they want in the room.
Round 4 (No. 85): Nohl Williams, CB, California
Corner was always a sneaky, big need for Kansas City in this draft, even after adding Kristian Fulton to the room this offseason. Nohl Williams is another identified Spags fit, and they traded up with the New England Patriots to get him. He’s versatile coverage-wise to play man and zone, but is going to be a great press-man fit in that defense. He’s physical at the line of scrimmage, has good short-area burst to close the gap, and ball skills to make plays at the catch point and disrupt the receiver’s process. He’s a willing and effective run support player and a sure tackler, a bar that many Chiefs corners just clear to play in this system.
Round 4 (No. 133): Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
My favorite pick for the Chiefs was Jalen Royals in the fourth round. Andy Reid is known for wanting his receivers to be able to play anywhere and do anything asked of them. Royals was one of the best value picks in this draft and can play anywhere on the offense. He’s excellent after the catch, which we’ve seen the Chiefs look to maximize in recent years, while adding value as a downfield threat with his speed and ball skills. He was a top-50 player on my board and he finds a home with the Chiefs, just like Jaden Hicks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Round 5 (No. 156): Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon
The Chiefs needed to add more coverage ability to their linebacker room, and traded up again to attack a falling value player in Jeffrey Bassa. He played inside linebacker for the Ducks, but will be a perfect WILL linebacker for the Chiefs, as they already have Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, and Leo Chenal. His athletic ability and coverage skills will help the Chiefs better guard running backs and tight ends early in his career, with the potential to develop into a true three-down player. Even if he is a coverage linebacker, this is an excellent get for the Chiefs.
Round 7 (No. 228): Brashard Smith, RB, SMU
Kansas City was one of the slowest running back rooms at the line of scrimmage in 2024, and they needed that to change if their running game was going to have any teeth. While Elijiah Mitchell could help in that area, if he stays healthy, trading up for Brashard Smith brings a lot of juice to the running back room. As a former wide receiver, he’s already an excellent third-down option out of the backfield and showed more running back feel than you’d expect for a guy with one year of experience. The Chiefs need to be able to run the ball outside more, and Smith can help them there, while adding tons of value in the return game.
The Chiefs' draft comes with some risk at the top, but they did a nice job identifying players who not only fit the style they were looking for but also have upside in their offensive or defensive systems. Adding to the floor and ceiling of the roster is a tricky thing to do, but the value the Chiefs got in this draft was among the best out of the 32 teams.
