The latest
NFL Draft 2025: 4 teams who aced the draft | SB Nation
Kansas City Chiefs
Good teams stay good by nailing the draft, and the Chiefs passed with flying colors. I thought they would have to trade up for Ohio State OT Josh Simmons, but instead they traded back and were still able to get him at 32. If Simmons’ knee is fully cleared, the Chiefs get a player who I thought was one of the 20 best players in this entire class. Their work on Day 2 was even better, adding more depth and impact on defense with perfect schematic fits. I think I like the selection of Louisville EDGE Ashton Gillotte the most, a hard charging edge defender who wins with heavy hands and power.
Omarr Norman-Lott and Nohl Williams on Day 2 are great fits, both have potential to start or play big roles right away. On top of that, the Chiefs selected Utah State WR Jalen Royals in round 4, when I thought he would go one day earlier. He’s going to bring more juice to the receiver room and give them a boost from the slot. The Chiefs have stayed at the top by winning the draft, and this year feels like another example of that.
2025 NFL Draft takeaways: Best, worst and most interesting picks for each AFC team | CBS Sports
Kansas City Chiefs
Best pick: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State. CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco has called Simmons the best lineman in the draft. If he’s right, Kansas City just answered one of its biggest needs with one of the biggest steals of the draft. Simmons just needs to get healthy after tearing his meniscus last year.
Worst pick: Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee. Never a bad thing to bolster the trenches, but Norman-Lott could prove to be a rotational piece along the defensive line. In the second round, you’re probably looking for a little bit more.
Most interesting pick: Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State. Whenever Patrick Mahomes gets a new weapon, we take notice. Royals was projected as a second- or third-round prospect, but was still available to Kansas City by the end of the fourth. During his final collegiate season, Royals was second-team All-Mountain West after posting 834 yards and six touchdowns in just seven games played.
NFL draft: Rookies could jeopardize jobs of these 17 veterans in 2025 | USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor
He’s been decidedly expensive since signing a four-year, $80 million contract two years ago yet decidedly average – at best – since. Since the Chiefs O-line was overrun in Super Bowl 59, they’ve added OT Jaylon Moore as a cheaper (2 year, $30 million) free agency hedge before drafting highly promising Josh Simmons in Thursday’s first round – his recovery from a torn patellar tendon likely the only thing to delay his entry into the starting lineup. Regardless, barring a dramatic turnaround, it’s appearing increasingly doubtful that Taylor reaches the final year of his deal in 2026.
NFL Draft 2025 team-by-team rankings: Best and worst classes, from 1 to 32 | The Athletic
18. Kansas City Chiefs
Favorite pick: Nohl Williams, CB, California
Getting Williams at No. 85 was outstanding value for the Chiefs, who have plenty of bodies but more questions than answers beyond Trent McDuffie on their cornerback depth chart. Given Williams’ competitive toughness, I’ll bet we see him become an important part of the rotation for Steve Spagnuolo in 2025. I could have said the same exact things about Ashton Gillotte at edge rusher, as well.
Day 3 pick who could surprise: Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
With Rashee Rice’s future uncertain, Royals gives the Chiefs options inside and outside. Thanks to his controlled strides and natural body coordination, he can be a weapon before and after the catch — no one in the FBS had more receptions of 50-plus yards over the past two seasons.
Biggest 2025 NFL postdraft questions for all 32 teams | ESPN
Did Kansas City solve its long-standing problem at left tackle?
Kansas City has tried to address its need at the position, signing Jaylon Moore in free agency and drafting Ohio State’s Josh Simmons in the first round. But each comes with questions. Moore has been a career backup, so can he be a better-than-adequate starter? Simmons is coming off a torn patella, so can he overcome the injury to have a long and productive NFL career? If the answer to both of those questions is negative, it will be difficult for the Chiefs to continue overcoming a liability at a critical position. — Adam Teicher
Around the NFL
How Aaron Rodgers influenced the Steelers’ draft strategy | ESPN
Aaron Rodgers isn’t a member of the Steelers, but the team assembled its 2025 draft class as if he soon would be.
“We’re still kind of getting the same signals that we’ve been getting recently,” team owner and president Art Rooney II told Steelers Nation Radio, the team’s flagship program, on Friday night. “He does want to come here, so I do think we may get word soon.”
Despite the Steelers’ repeated insistence that Rodgers would not influence their draft strategy, their actions in the 2025 draft speak louder than the words uttered by team brass. Passing on a quarterback four times before finally selecting 24-year-old developmental prospect Will Howard out of Ohio State in the sixth round suggests Rodgers was very much present in their decision-making process.
“We did not factor in whether Aaron is coming or not into that,” Rooney said of the team’s draft to that point. “If we do draft a quarterback — and we still might — it’s probably not going to be somebody who is going to start for us this year. It’s going to be somebody who is developing and may play down the road.
Derek Carr confirms he has shoulder injury, pushes back against critics | NBC Sports
Some answers arrived over the weekend, from an unlikely place. While speaking at a two-hour church service on Sunday, Carr addressed the situation.
“Yes, I have to say this,” Carr said. “I hate that I have to say this, but I have to say this. Yes, I have a shoulder injury, despite what ESPN says. And what some lady on a podcast might think, OK? I have an MRI report to prove it. The team knows about it. We’ve been in constant communication. There’s nothing wrong. We’re figuring it out, and we’re gonna go forward with that. Is that OK?
“And I’ve been dealing with this, and I’ve been dealing with people lying about me and I’ve been dealing with them saying this and this and that, and I’m like, ‘Lord, why do I have to continue to deal with this nonsense? Like, what is going on?’ And I said that to a preface with you never know what someone’s really going through.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Draft: When we should see Josh Simmons take the field
Ensuring health
Ensuring Simmons is healthy and ready to go will be the most critical factor in his development and should not be rushed. Patellar tendon tears like the one Simmons suffered in his left knee can range from anywhere between six to 12 months of recovery.
During the Night 1 press conference, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid noted that Simmons’ surgery had “looked good” and that they expected him to be ready for training camp — a good indicator of how his medical evaluation went with head trainer Rick Burkholder.
A small bit of footage showed that Simmons did some brief work at the Ohio State pro day despite sitting out all athletic testing, but this showed his progress.
The team will need to see how he performs on the football field before making a decision to clear him to play, but all signs indicate he is on the right track. There is no need to rush him back either, and with the kind of player he has a chance to become, this is a wise decision.
Social media to make you think
Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media