Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs headlines for Saturday, May 3
8. Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Chiefs
Gillotte is simply one of those defensive linemen that produces. He’s not a freakazoid athlete. He doesn’t have outstanding measurables. He just learned how to defeat blocks efficiently while getting upfield — or bending the corner — in college, and that nuance is rarely seen in trench prospects.
At Louisville, Gillotte pieced together back-to-back seasons with more than 55 quarterback pressures on 363 and 373 pass-rushing opportunities respectively. At a hair under 6-3 and 264 pounds with shorter arms, he demonstrates a unique bend of speed-to-power conversion, an occasional flash of bendiness, and he plays with the pedal to the floor on every snap. Kansas City needed a secondary outside rusher beyond George Karlaftis, especially given the lack of development for Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Gillotte won’t be earning Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration in his debut campaign. He’ll be a steady producer from the jump as a rotational piece who can hold up against the run and flash as pass rusher without much attention on him in 2025.
NFL Draft 2025’s best undrafted free agent fits: One player to watch on each roster | The Athletic
Kansas City Chiefs: Esa Pole, OT, Washington State
A former basketball player who never played a snap of high school football, Pole (who learned the game from his older brother, Toni, a former Washington State defensive lineman) is a natural mover on the outside. His pass-protection instincts are better than what he can offer as a run blocker right now, but the 6-5, 323-pounder hasn’t come close to his ceiling yet.
13 - Kansas City Chiefs
SLEEPER
Jalen Royals, wide receiver. Just a well-rounded wideout with great YAC-ability, Royals caught 21 touchdown passes in his final 19 games at Utah State. Andy Reid will enjoy scheming up ways for Patrick Mahomes to utilize this new toy.
Kirk Cousins to the Steelers
Pittsburgh has a lot of work to do on offense if they want to achieve anything this season. Right now nobody has a worse quarterback room in the NFL — which consists of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Skylar Thompson.
At some point this team needs to cut bait with the idea of signing Aaron Rodgers and go in a different direction, and Atlanta is the perfect partner to make a deal. Kirk Cousins showed at the start of last season that there’s gas left in the tank, and his arm strength makes him a better match...
