The Kansas City Chiefs bolstered their offensive line on Thursday night by selecting offensive tackle Josh Simmons with the No. 32 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Here are five things to know about the newest member of the offense.

1. Simmons was likely going to be a top-15 selection had it not been for a knee injury he suffered in mid-October.

Widely regarded as one of the top offensive tackles in all of college football heading into the 2024 season, Simmons was considered a contender to be the first tackle selected in the 2025 NFL Draft before a knee injury ended his season early.

The injury caused Simmons to slide to the end of the first round, and when provided with the opportunity to select him, the Chiefs didn’t hesitate.

“I think everyone knows that when he’s healthy and with the tape he had early on last year before the injury, it puts him in the upper echelon of what he could be as a future starter and difference-maker at left tackle,” said General Manager Brett Veach. “Had it not been for that injury, he’s probably not there.”

The decision to select Simmons took place after months of careful research and checkups into his rehab progress. Head Coach Andy Reid spoke about Simmons’ status on Thursday night, adding that he expects Simmons to be ready for training camp.

“[Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance] Rick Burkholder has done a bunch of work on him. He’s in a good place…It’s healed well,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “He’s gone through all the re-checks, and we’ll just see where it goes from there.”

2. He was off to a great start in 2024 prior to suffering the injury.

Simmons surrendered just one hurry, with no quarterback hits or sacks allowed, on 158 pass-blocking snaps in 2024 before getting hurt in the Buckeyes’ sixth game of the season.

He was also only penalized one time in 2024 prior to suffering the injury (a false start).

3. Simmons allowed just one sack during the 2023 season.

The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Simmons was excellent throughout the 2023 campaign as well, yielding just 10 hurries, four quarterback hits and one sack on 443 pass-blocking snaps.

He didn’t allow more than three pressures to a single opponent all year.

4. Prior to transferring to Ohio State, Simmons logged significant experience at right tackle.

Simmons has practical experience at both tackle positions courtesy of his time at San Diego State, where he spent the first two years of his career and started 13 games at right tackle.

He logged 799 snaps at that spot for the Aztecs in 2022, and while he made the switch over to left tackle upon joining the Buckeyes, that experience could prove valuable at some point down the road in Kansas City.

5. He earned high praise from numerous analysts during the pre-draft process.

The various experts from around the web had plenty of positive things to say about Simmons during the pre-draft process.

Here’s a segment from Dane Brugler’s breakdown for The Athletic:

“Overall, Simmons is a nimble, coordinated pass protector with tremendous athletic poise and the body control to be a long-term starting left tackle in the NFL.”

Daniel Jeremiah from NFL.com, who projected Simmons to be a 10-year starter in the NFL on a conference call earlier this week, had a similar assessment in his pre-draft breakdown:

“What he put on tape this fall should generate plenty of optimism about his chances of becoming a quality starting left tackle in the NFL.”

Lastly, Matt Miller from ESPN, who compared Simmons to Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead, wrote the following in his pre-draft breakdown:

“Simmons is one of my favorite tackle prospects and would have been in play for OT1 before the injury.”

Additionally, Simmons was the No. 20 overall player on Brugler’s board and the No. 18 overall player according to Pro Football Focus, which further hammers home the point that selecting Simmons at No. 32 overall was a tremendous value for Kansas City.

The next step for Simmons will be completing his rehab and earning his role on the team, but in both the near-future and the long-term, the Chiefs’ offensive line got better on Thursday night.