The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books, with the Kansas City Chiefs officially selecting seven new players.
Brett Veach addressed current and future needs throughout the draft, looking for value and emphasizing the trenches early. The team will continue to add undrafted free agents and make moves with their upcoming rookie minicamp.
While draft classes can’t be measured immediately, everyone loves a good letter grade. Here’s a look at my pick-by-pick grades for the newest members of the Chiefs:
Round 1, Pick 32: Ohio State LT Josh Simmons
Grade: A-
The potential with this pick—that Simmons could be perhaps the best left tackle prospect to come out of this class—is enough to get this into the A-range. It was the most significant problem position and position of need for Kansas City after the Super Bowl LIX loss. The primary concern with Simmons—why he was available at pick No. 32—is the knee injury. Patellar tendon injuries can be tough for offensive linemen to come back from. The process here for the Chiefs was solid, though. They liked what they saw from medical checks and rechecks at the combine, and they brought him in on a top-30 visit to get even more medical redundancy. Rick Burkholder believes he’ll be ready to get on the field in full by training camp, but the team doesn’t need to rush this. No pressure, but this entire draft class hinges on the success of this pick.
Round 2, Pick 63: Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott
Grade: B+
This pick was fueled by need after Chiefs GM Brett Veach spoke on how light the interior defensive line class was regarding pass-rushing three-techniques. The value (in my eyes) increases, knowing that they believed there was a significant drop-off in talent after Norman-Lott. The pass-rushing productivity is there, but don’t underestimate his ability as a run-stopper.
Only DTs at 10% career run stop and pass rush win rates since the 2018 draft (PFF) pic.twitter.com/nX3talLHGZ
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) April 17, 2025
Fans are concerned about his low snap count in Knoxville. That’s a Tennessee Volunteers problem and not a Norman-Lott problem (as evidenced by the snap counts of other D-linemen on their team). Ultimately, Norman-Lott can get his feet wet as a sub-package player and develop into a three-down defensive lineman.
Round 3, Pick 66: Louisville DE Ashton Gillotte
Grade: B
The concerns here center around positional need (the edge-rushing room is rather crowded), and other players with more notoriety were on the board. However, after hearing from Gillotte and Chiefs’ Sr. Director of Player Personnel Mike Bradway, it’s apparent why Gillotte was the pick. The Chiefs don’t just value his skills on the football field as a highly productive pressure-preducing edge rusher, but his character, which they believe touches rarified air. The icing on the cake was that he already has a working relationship with Chiefs DE George Karlaftis, which should help him get up to speed quickly.
Round 3, Pick 85: California CB Nohl Williams
Grade: B+
The only downside of this pick is that the Chiefs had to cough up the pick they acquired from the Bears in the Joe Thuney trade to get it. Rest assured, they wouldn’t be able to find a cornerback as good as Williams with that pick in 2026. He’s a long, physical cornerback who excels in press-man coverage with the ability to mirror defenders and compete at the catch point for the football. He was available later on Day 2 because of some questions about his long speed (ran a 4.5 40-yard dash), but I think those are slightly overblown.
Round 4, Pick 133: Utah State WR Jalen Royals
Grade: A+
This might be the most immediately impactful pick of the 2025 NFL Draft class for Kansas City. Not only did the Chiefs get extreme value here (projected to go 58 picks earlier), but they added an elite yard-after-catch and deep threat to an already talented wide receiver room. This raises the floor on the room in Kansas City in a big way and will create competition that could potentially push some veteran players off the roster.
Round 5, Pick 156: Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa
Grade: B-
Linebacker probably wasn’t on many Chiefs fans’ radar here, but this pick was again all about value. Kansas City got him 36 slots after he was expected to go by our NFL Draft team here at A to Z Sports. Some NFL Draft experts, like The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, ranked him inside their top 100 picks ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s a converted safety who has sideline-to-sideline range and can play MIKE and WILL linebacker spots. He’ll push the linebacker room to improve in 2025 and could even push for some playing time in sub-packages.
