The Kansas City Chiefs’ director of player personnel and college scouting Ryne Nutt joined media members via Zoom on Monday to wrap up the NFL Draft. Over the course of draft weekend, the club selected seven new players (who you can read about here) — none more important to the franchise than their first-round pick: Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons.
Nutt opened by echoing the words of general manager Brett Veach — and aligning with the many national draft analysts who graded the Chiefs’ class favorably.
“I’m going to say Josh is one of the better tackles in this draft class,” said Nutt. “You could make your case for the best, but he’s definitely in the top three in this draft class in terms of what he provides. The only difference maybe between him and some of the other guys is he started two years — and some of these other guys, like the LSU kid (Will Campbell), I think started more, and you can say experience and stuff like that.”
Due to the torn patellar injury in his left knee, Simmons only played six games for Ohio State in 2024, but Nutt explained that those performances would be among the best for any year’s draft class.
“When he was healthy — this year, this tape — would be one of the better ones in the last few years,” said Nutt. “He kind of reminds me of Christian Darrisaw, who’s done really well for the Vikings. He’s got a little bit of [Rashawn] Slater in him, who plays for the Chargers.”
Much has been made about head coach Andy Reid’s preference for an arm length of at least 34 inches in his tackles, and Nutt revealed that Simmons reached that measurable threshold when he visited the facility (he had measured 33 inches at the Scouting Combine).
Prior to the draft, there were several reports that raised concerns about Simmons’ maturity — but Nutt quickly refuted them, citing Kansas City’s extensive homework.
“We did a ton of work on this kid,” described Nutt. “We had people call San Diego State (where Simmons played from 2021-22). I went into Ohio State along with two other scouts — and you talk to the coaches, the strength coach, you talk to the academics. We Zoomed the kid twice. We brought him in, so we’ve done so much work on this kid. We felt good with the character.
“You know, was there some immaturity — maybe in 2023? It’s really, ‘Are you seeing this kid grow?’ When you go from San Diego State — where you’re the big fish — to Ohio State, now you’re like a small fish in a big pond. It’s different because you’re still programmed to act like you did at San Diego State.
“I think when he got to Ohio State, his first year, everything was so new. I don’t think it was necessarily a case of him being immature. I think it was just him trying to adjust — this is a West Coast kid going to the Midwest in a different area [with a] different coaching staff [and] different demands.”
Nutt explained that Ohio State is run like an NFL program — an environment Simmons eventually grew to thrive in. The general consensus remains that had it not been for his injury, he would not have been available for Kansas City at No. 32 overall.
“That’s the only way we would have gotten him, because that kid, he was a top-20 pick,” said Nutt. “It stinks for the kid, it hurt him on his wallet and money, but things happen for a reason — and it’s kind of not where you start. It’s where you finish.”
