Felix Anudike-Uzomah
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Kansas City Chiefs first-round DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the 2023 NFL Combine.
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach’s most disappointing first-round draft picks is easily defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
The Chiefs selected Anudike-Uzomah with the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. His Kansas City ties run deep, having played his high school ball at Lee’s Summit High School, then going on to play collegiately at Kansas State.
Anudike-Uzomah had a decorated career at K-State, winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, and twice being named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. Unfortunately, none of that has translated over to the NFL for him. As Aaron Schatz of ESPN wrote on Wednesday, that isn’t all Anudike-Uzomah’s fault, and a change of scenery may be best for fourth-year defender.
Kansas City Chiefs DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah Marked as Potential Trade Candidate
Anudike-Uzomah is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026. Here’s what Schatz had to say about his standing with the Chiefs:
“Anudike-Uzomah has not come close to living up to his potential as a first-round pick for the Chiefs. He barely played in his rookie year in 2023 and had just 2.5 sacks with three starts in his sophomore campaign. In 2025, he missed the entire season with a hamstring injury. At best, he is fourth on the Chiefs’ depth chart, behind George Karlaftis, Mike Danna and Ashton Gillotte. With one year remaining on his rookie deal, perhaps a trade would allow Anudike-Uzomah to finally find the potential that teams saw when he came out of Kansas State.”
It’s hard to put all the blame squarely on Anudike-Uzomah’s shoulders. He had a lot of proven veterans ahead of him as a rookie in 2023, giving the Chiefs the luxury to basically redshirt him. However, he certainly could have made more of his opportunities in 2024. Sustaining a season-ending hamstring injury during preseason in 2025 was really tough luck.
Chiefs May as Well Give Felix Anudike-Uzomah One More Shot
Chiefs' Felix Anudike-Uzomah suffers preseason injury.
GettyKansas City Chiefs defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Defensive line is arguably Kansas City’s biggest position of need, and it doesn’t currently have much depth there. The Chiefs are very likely to cut Danna, and veteran Charles Omenihu probably isn’t getting re-signed. Even if they beef the D-line up during free agency and the draft, they’ll still need bodies to compete.
It’s hard to envision a team willing to give up anything for Anudike-Uzomah. He has no significant NFL production, is coming off a major injury, and is carrying a fully-guaranteed salary cap hit of nearly $4 million. It is also probably in his best interest to remain in the same defensive system he’s been in for three years if he is finally going to make an impact.
Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen had big praise for Anudike-Uzomah during last year’s training camp before he got injured.
“He’s in great physical shape compared to a year ago,” Cullen said. “He was injured with a hamstring and his wrist. Didn’t have much practice time during the offseason until training camp, and just mentally, I mean, he knows the playbook. He’s playing faster. I was really pleased; he did some really good things in the game against two of their better tackles in his pass rush. And he’s continuing to develop and get better.”