It’s not easy to cull together a quality haul when picking at the bottom of every round, but the early returns on the 2025 NFL Draft signal a qualtiy class for the Kansas City Chiefs. After only four games, several selections have already made an impact at their respective positions—even those taken well after the first round was over.
As the Chiefs evened their record to 2-2 following a steamrolling of the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Arrowhead, several draftees merited mention for their respective efforts. Head coach Andy Reid spoke highly of a few following the game during his press conference on Monday with reporters.
When it comes to first-round pick Josh Simmons, Reid gave him kudos as part of a greater whole with his compliments of the offensive line’s overall body of work against the Ravens. “I thought they did a good job there. Andy [Heck] had a good plan for this crew. The young left side there, I thought stayed strong and then the right side I thought worked well together,” said Reid.
Beyond that, two other players were getting noticeably more snaps in Week 4: cornerback Nohl Williams, selected in the third round of the draft, and running back Brashard Smith, who was a seventh-round pick.
The Chiefs’ head coach spoke highly of a few rookies following Sunday’s win over the Ravens.
Reid emphasized the fact that his coordinators were specifically looking to get both rookies more playing time going forward. That’s a reward for the way they’ve handled themselves to date, the trust they’re earning from coaches, and the promise they have if given more opportunity.
“So both of them have gotten a little bit more time in these last weeks,” said Reid. “I know offensively, [Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator] is just trying to increase Smith’s reps every week and putting him in positions where he can do some things. He seems to be handling it good.
“Then Williams, likewise,” he continued. “[Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator] has put him in a little bit bigger role every week, and he seems to be stepping up. I know he had a couple of nice physical plays in there. He’s played with some pretty good receivers, so I liked what I saw there.”
With Kristian Fulton sitting out with an ankle injury following a stint on the Physically Unable to Play list for the entirety of training camp, the Chiefs should look a lot thinner at cornerback than they are in the present. That’s due to Williams’ ability to step in and have an immediate impact. He played in 36 percent of all defensive snaps on Sunday.
As for Smith, the backfield has lacked dynamism through the first three weeks, so it’s not surprising to see the Chiefs trying to give Smith some opportunities to showcase his skill set. Smith had 19 snaps versus the Ravens, which is a healthy figure for a late day-three pick in a committee approach.
With Ashton Gillotte logging significant reps with Mike Danna’s injury, and flashes from Omarr Norman-Lott at defensive tackle in the first quarter season, the Chiefs are already getting more than anyone could have expected from their first-year players. Experience will only make them stronger, which bodes well for the Chiefs’ present and future.
