Arrowhead Pride
Kansas City has acquired seven new players through the draft. How can we expect them to be used as rookies?
Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have taken seven players in the 2025 NFL Draft, let’s project the role each one will play during their rookie season.
Round 1, pick 32
Predicting Simmons’ role is tricky, because we don’t know how he will ramp up to playing. According to head coach Andy Reid, he’s expected to be healthy by training camp. But how much does the team want to put on him right away?
I think the best approach is to have Jaylon Moore begin camp as the starting left tackle. That will give Simmons time to pick up the offense and get himself physically ready to play. If Simmons looks good, then he should play immediately. Moore is a career backup — and Simmons has more talent.
But this shouldn’t be the expectation. Simmons is coming off a serious injury. If he’s not ready, that’s okay. As he recovers, Moore can start. But once Simmons is available, the Chiefs shouldn’t hesitate to put him in — unless Moore (and the rest of the offensive line) are playing well. We’ll just have to see how well Simmons can play during camp and preseason.
Round 2, pick 63
Among these rookies, I actually think Norman-Lott has the easiest path to playing on Day 1. Kansas City remains thin at defensive tackle, so he’s going to play. I think he’ll get 20-25 snaps a game as a 3-tech, giving Chris Jones a breather.
Still, I could see Norman-Lott getting an expanded role if he can provide an immediate boost to the pass rush; it would be intriguing to see him line up as a nose tackle and rush the passer on third downs. The Chiefs don’t put Jones there because it’s easier for offenses to double-team him. But Jones still gets doubled when he’s out wide, which means Norman-Lott could be one-on-one against a center. That’s a way he can make an impact as a rookie.
Round 3, pick 66
Gillotte’s role could depend on his weight. If he plays between 275 and 280 pounds — as he did with the Cardinals — he’s likely to be a run-defending defensive end who can play tight to tackles and deal with double teams.
But since he did his athletic testing at 265 pounds, Kansas City may see him as more of a pass rusher. While Gillotte was mainly a power rusher in college, he has shown some other moves, too. There’s a chance that with these moves — and his athleticism — Gillotte could help the Chiefs as a third-down rusher around the corner. That’s something the team lacked in 2024.
Round 3, pick 95
Right now, Williams is seventh on the depth chart. When the Chiefs play dime, Trent...
