For a three-time Super Bowl champion organization, the Kansas City Chiefs had a surprisingly long laundry list of needs to fill and positions to upgrade during the 2025 NFL Draft.
So it goes, when an offensive line allows 36 sacks during the regular season followed by a relentless barrage of pressure resulting in six sacks in a blowout loss in the Super Bowl, during which the defense surrenders 40 points.
However, general manager Brett Veach and the Chiefs have excelled in recent years when it comes to mining top talent in the NFL Draft and allowing head coach Andy Reid and his staff to develop those prospects into immediate contributors. If initial returns are any indication, Kansas City should be optimistic about the additions made during this year’s draft.
Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft Grade
In addition to emerging with one of the top offensive tackles in this year’s class, in Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, the Chiefs also added four potential impact players to coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, and two underrated weapons for Patrick Mahomes’ supporting cast.
Yahoo! Sports lists the Chiefs’ haul as one of the strongest in the league, offering up a solid “B+” Grade.
“The Chiefs have to be giddy about coming away with Josh Simmons,” Nate Tice writes for Yahoo. “He had top-10 level talent and might have been the first tackle taken off the board if healthy. His knee injury dropped his stock, but the Chiefs benefit and have Jaylon Moore on the roster to hold the fort until Simmons is 100%. The Chiefs might not have to worry about left tackle for a long time if he comes back even close to healthy.
“Kansas City seemed to want to add pass-rushing juice on Day 2, coming away with Omarr Norman-Lott and Ashton Gillotte. Both pass-rush-first type players might not be great against the run, but they can create pressure and ease the load off of Chris Jones and Steve Spagnuolo’s blitzing. Jeffrey Bassa is an off-ball linebacker who is a strong tackler (something the Chiefs have been prioritizing in recent years). He can end up starting down the road. And the Chiefs capped off their draft with the speedy Brashard Smith, a converted receiver who can (obviously) catch and adds an explosive play element to the Chiefs’ run game that they’ve desperately needed.”
For a roster that is already among the most talented in the league but entered the offseason with some major questions, the Chiefs answered some of them in a big way during the draft.
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