Arrowhead Pride
Who are the defensive linemen Kansas City fans should watch during Thursday’s workouts?
In the 2025 NFL Draft, no positions are deeper in available talent than those on the defensive line. Both the defensive tackle and defensive end classes are good at the top — and are deep through the top 100 picks.
With the NFL Scouting Combine going on this week, here are eight defensive linemen — four defensive ends and four defensive tackles — for Kansas City Chiefs’ fans to watch during Thursday’s workouts.
If you told me I could only watch one workout, I would pick Stewart. If you remember watching Travon Walker blow up the Combine with his 2022 workout, Stewart might prove to be an even more athletic version of such a player.
Listed at 6 feet 6 and 291 pounds, Stewart is massive. He has tree trunks for arms. It’ll be interesting to see where his measurements come in, but he’s one of the strongest, most compact athletes you’ll ever see in the NFL.
But it’s not just his size. Stewart is a genuine all-time athlete. His first step, speed and agility are all rarely seen at his size; he legitimately moves like he’s only 260 pounds. I expect him to come close to records for the broad and vertical jumps — especially relative to his size.
There are a lot of questions about Stewart’s projection — but after his Combine, I expect there will be top-5 buzz about him.
While Burch has been underrated due to the depth of the class, I like his skill set. A tweener defensive lineman, he moves rather well for a guy who is 6 feet 6 and 290 pounds. He might not be super slippery, but he’s long and explosive — and can win from multiple spots. I think people will be surprised with how he performs at the Combine.
Jackson interests me because I’m a lot lower on him than most analysts. While I’ve seen some project him for late in the first round, I just don’t see that. A long-armed rusher with good motor and power, Jackson’s stiffness will be a major issue at the next level.
Since he’s not already an overly productive pass rusher, he needs a strong performance to be a first-round pick. I’m willing to be proven wrong, but his athletic testing will have much to do with whether he goes in the top 30 — or later on Day 2.
NFL defensive ends now need to be faster than ever so they can keep up with an increasing number of scrambling quarterbacks who make plays out of structure. The Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive end Nolan Smith is a great example. While his smaller body type limits some of his pass-rushing ability, as a cog in a unit, his 4.3 speed helps the Eagles negate fast quarterbacks.
That’s the kind...
