The Kansas City Chiefs are wrapping up their pre-draft visits with the 2025 NFL Draft just over a week away. They’ll soon work to finalize their draft board; before you know it, they’ll call in their first-round choice.
Several players expected to be first-round draft picks are invited to attend the NFL draft every year. The NFL announced on Monday that 17 players would attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was also reported that an 18th player, Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston, accepted his invitation.
This comes after only 13 prospects participated in the 2024 draft in Detroit.
Ohio State LT Josh Simmons is the only prospect in attendance in whom the Chiefs have publicly shown interest. They recently hosted him on a pre-draft top-30 visit. ESPN’s analytical model names Simmons as the likeliest choice for Kansas City, should he be available at pick No. 31. What does being at the 2025 NFL Draft mean for the Chiefs’ chances to select him?
What does Josh Simmons’ attendance at the 2025 NFL Draft mean for the Chiefs?
Simmons is an intriguing prospect because he’s coming off a season-ending patellar tendon injury. Many believe he would’ve been in line to be the top offensive tackle in this class had he managed to stay healthy and play through Ohio State’s national title run. His health is also why many assume he could fall until the latter part of the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, there are some whispers from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler that Simmons didn’t interview well in the pre-draft process, which adds more fuel to the “falling” argument.
His attendance at the 2025 NFL Draft tells us a lot, though. The league doesn’t make it a habit of inviting players who could be sitting around in the green room for multiple days. They want players who are surefire first-round picks, and they often poll teams before sending out invitations to players. This tells you that teams still value Simmons highly despite the knee injury and rumored poor interviews. It’s probable, if not likely, that the Chiefs will need to move up in the 2025 NFL Draft to have a shot at selecting him. At the very least, it tells you that teams still expect him to be a first-round draft pick.
