Rank 20: Kansas City Chiefs
Grade: B-
Draft picks:
Round 1 (No. 32): OT Josh Simmons | 8 games/starts
Round 2 (No. 63): DT Omarr Norman-Lott | 5 games/1 start
Round 3 (No. 66): Edge Ashton Gillotte | 17 games/2 starts
Round 3 (No. 85): CB Nohl Williams | 17 games/5 starts
Round 4 (No. 133): WR Jalen Royals | 7 games/2 starts
Round 5 (No. 156): LB Jeffrey Bassa | 17 games/0 starts
Round 7 (No. 228): RB Brashard Smith | 17 games/1 start
Notable free-agent signings:
OT Esa Pole | 5 games/4 starts
Analysis:
Neither Josh Simmons nor Nohl Williams eclipsed 50 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive/defensive snaps in Year 1, but both impressed in abbreviated fashion. Having entered the draft with a recently torn patellar tendon, Simmons fell to the end of Round 1, where the Chiefs happily scooped up a potential steal. A Day 1 starter on Patrick Mahomes’ blind side, Simmons looked the part, yielding just one sack in the first five games of the season, per PFF. But then he missed four games while tending to a family matter. After returning to the starting lineup in mid-November, Simmons continued to thrive ... until a wrist injury ended his season on Thanksgiving. I remain high on Simmons’ raw talent, but he’s not gaining fans in the “availability is the best ability” crowd. Williams, on the other hand, was active for all 17 games, though his defensive snap totals varied during the first three months of the season. Then he received steady burn at outside corner in the last five games of the season -- starting the final four -- and performed well, recording four pass breakups, four tackles for loss and a sack in that closing stretch. With a number of Chiefs defensive backs hitting free agency this offseason, Williams could become a full-time starter in 2026.