As a lead-up to the 2025 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Kansas City Chiefs.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2025 NFL Draft Hub.
Who Did the Kansas City Chiefs Select in the 2025 NFL Draft?
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Josh Simmons (OT, Ohio State) with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Chiefs also selected:
- Omarr Norman–Lott (DL, Tennessee)
- Ashton Gillotte (EDGE, Louisville)
- Nohl Williams (CB, Cal)
- Jalen Royals (WR, Utah State)
- Jeffrey Bassa (LB, Oregon)
- Brashard Smith (RB, SMU)
Kansas City Chiefs Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2025
- Offensive Line
- Edge Rusher
- Defensive Line
What Picks Do the Kansas City Chiefs Have in 2025?
The Kansas City Chiefs have 8 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (31)
- Round 2 (63)
- Round 3 (66)
- Round 3 (95)
- Round 4 (133)
- Round 7 (226)
- Round 7 (251)
- Round 7 (257)
Preorder The Best Analytical 2025 Football Preview
Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2025 NFL season.
The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.
This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to get you prepared for the 2025 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.
Preorder the 2025 Football Preview now!
Kansas City Chiefs 2025 Draft Capital Stats
The Chiefs have the 24th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.
Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
Kansas City Chiefs Draft Value vs. Other Teams:
The Chiefs’ draft value is 15% lower than the league average of all 32 teams.
Kansas City Chiefs Draft Prediction:
Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Chiefs to draft:
- Brendan Donahue's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
- Ryan McCrystal's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #8 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
Kansas City Chiefs Strength of Schedule, 2025
The Kansas City Chiefs have the 27th-easiest NFL strength of schedule for the 2025 NFL season.
Kansas City Chiefs Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Kansas City Chiefs, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Patrick Mahomes
- Gardner Minshew
- Bailey Zappe
- Chris Oladokun
Patrick Mahomes had another “down” season last year, based on the illustrious bar he set early in his career, but the Chiefs remained the elite team in the AFC.
Kansas City has played in 7 consecutive Conference Championship games and has made the Super Bowl in five of the past six seasons.
Mahomes set career lows in passing yards per game (245.5) and yards per pass attempt (6.8).
He threw 26 passing touchdowns over 16 games, matching a career-low in 2019 when he played 14 games.
We will hit on this further when we get to the offensive line, but Mahomes took a career-high 36 sacks.
He was hit on 108 dropbacks this season, the most times in his career.
Mahomes threw 30.8% of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage (only ahead of Tua Tagovailoa), his highest rate ever in a season.
Only 26.3% of his throws were 10 or more yards further downfield (ahead of only newly added Gardner Minshew), his lowest career rate.
For as lackluster as his top-down stats look compared to his early-career production, Mahomes closed the year strongly.
He threw 18 touchdowns to 2 interceptions over his final 9 games.
Mahomes is signed through 2031, so there is nothing much to say about Kansas City adding a quarterback via the draft.
He has a cap-friendly $28 million hit this season, but the Chiefs will likely need to maneuver when Mahomes has cap hits of $78.2 million in 2026 and $74.3 million in 2027.
The Chiefs added Minshew on a one-year deal, continuing their rotation of veteran insurance behind Mahomes.
Running Back Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Isiah Pacheco
- Kareem Hunt
- Elijah Mitchell
- Keontay Ingram
- Carson Steele
This was not a pretty run game last season.
Kansas City running backs ranked 30th in yards per rush (3.7).
They failed to gain yardage on only 15% of their runs (5th) and could not generate any explosive plays on the ground.
Their backs had a run of 10 or more yards on a league-low 4.7% of their runs.
They had only 17 runs all season of 10 or more yards from their running backs, last in the league.
Their running backs only had 2 runs of 20 or more yards on the year.
Kansas City running backs averaged 2.46 yards after contact per rush, 31st in the league.
The Kansas City backfield ended the season with a timeshare between Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt in the running game.
Pacheco fractured his leg in Week 2.
He rushed 49 times for 175 yards (3.6 YPC) after returning in Week 10.
Over that span, he posted a 34.7% success rate with a gain of 10 or more yards on 2% of his runs.
He had zero touchdowns and caught 5 passes for 25 yards on 46.2% of the backfield touches.
Pacheco can bounce back with a fully healthy offseason, but he is in the final season of his rookie contract.
As a seventh-round pick with a limited sample size of leading a backfield, Pacheco is not safe heading into the draft.
The only running back signed beyond 2025 is Carson Steele.
Kansas City did retain Hunt on a one-year deal.
Hunt rushed 45 times for 151 yards (3.4 YPC) over the five games he shared with Pacheco.
Hunt posted a 33.3% success rate with an explosive run on 6.7% of his rushes.
They took a low-leverage flyer on Elijah Mitchell, signing him to a one-year deal.
Mitchell missed all of the 2024 season with a hamstring injury.
After handling 226 touches as a rookie, Mitchell has 129 touches over 16 games played in the past three seasons.
The team is primed to add a back to play in the passing game after losing Samaje Perine.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Rashee Rice
- Xavier Worthy
- Marquise Brown
- Juju Smith-Schuster
- Skyy Moore
- Tyquan Thornton
- Jason Brownlee
- Nikko Remigio
- Justyn Ross
Kansas City threw the ball to wide receivers 49.5% of the time last season, 29th in the league.
Part of that is because they have Travis Kelce, but they also could not get the top of this depth chart on the field at the same time last year.
Marquise Brown missed the opening 14 games due to a shoulder injury.
Rashee Rice was lost for the season to an LCL injury in Week 4.
Rice, Brown, and Xavier Worthy never played a game together.
Rice was on his way to a significant breakout after a strong finish to his rookie season.
Before his injury, Rice averaged 6.0 receptions for 72.0 yards per game with 2 touchdowns.
At that point, Rice was targeted on 33% of his routes (3rd) with 3.27 yards per route (3rd).
Rice could still face disciplinary action from off-field incidents last offseason, but things have been quiet and slow-moving.
Xavier Worthy ended his rookie season catching 59 of 98 targets (60.2%) for 638 yards (10.8 yards per catch) and 6 touchdowns.
He rushed 20 times for 104 yards and another 3 scores.
Worthy’s 1.25 yards per route run ranked 11th among all first-year wide receivers to run 100 or more routes.
Even though Worthy did not stuff the stat sheet overall, he closed the season positively.
It was not at the same level as Rice in 2023, but Worthy played a more significant role in the passing game and progressed down the stretch.
Over the final 7 games of the season, Worthy led the team in receptions (39), receiving yards (392), and touchdowns (3).
He had 55 targets in those games (20.8%), just two fewer than Kelce.
He was targeted on 23.2% of his routes with 1.65 yards per route run after receiving a target on 15.8% beforehand with 0.90 yards per route.
Worthy caught at least 4 passes in all seven of those games after catching 4 passes in a game just one time before Week 11.
Worthy had games of 5-45-0, 6-85-1, and 8-157-2 in the postseason.
Rice and Worthy are the only receivers signed beyond 2025.
Brown was only active for two games to close the season, leaving him and the Chiefs wanting to re-roll things on a one-year contract this offseason.
He only ran a route on 33.3% and 48.7% of the dropbacks in those games, but he was targeted on 44.1% of his routes with 2.68 yards per route run.
With all three planning to be ready to open this season, we should expect the Chiefs to run more 3WR sets in 2025.
In the games after Brown’s return, Kansas City played 11 personnel on 55.7% and 62.8% of their snaps after having a 45.4% rate before Brown’s return.
Before Brown's return, they had only run 11 personnel on more than 55.7% of their plays twice all season, the last time with a higher rate coming in Week 4.
JuJu Smith-Schuster has shown up as a spot player for the Chiefs and was brought back on a one-year deal.
The lack of contractual depth here could mean the Chiefs add a player as competition, but it would be a surprise if they used premier capital on a wide receiver.
Tight End Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Travis Kelce
- Noah Gray
- Jared Wiley
- Robert Tonyan
- Anthony Firkser
- Baylor Cupp
At age 35, Travis Kelce ended last season with 823 yards, his fewest in a season played.
After averaging 65.6 yards per game in what was considered a down season in 2023, he averaged 51.4 yards per game in 2024.
His 8.5 yards per catch and 3 touchdowns were career lows.
We were waiting to see if Kelce would turn things on for the postseason.
He opened the playoffs with 7 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, but he only had 2 catches for 19 yards in the AFC Championship and 4 for 39 yards in the Super Bowl.
Kelce will be 36 in October and is only signed for 2025.
The Chiefs will surely let him play as long as he wants, but this feels as close to the end of his career as ever.
The positive spin is that the Chiefs may not need Kelce to carry this passing game if they can keep the wide receiver intact and allow him to play an ancillary role.
We saw that to open last season, but Rashee Rice‘s injury, paired with Marquise Brown‘s absence, pushed Kelce back up as a player to lean on.
With Rice on the field, Kelce was targeted on 16.2% of his routes and 16.7% of the team's targets.
Then, with Rice off the field, that rate jumped to a target on 24.4% of his routes with 24.2% of the team targets.
If Kelce does ride off after this season, the Chiefs still have Noah Gray signed through 2027.
Gray had a minor breakout this past season, setting career-highs in targets (49), receptions (40), receiving yards (437), and touchdowns (5).
A grain of salt for only a two-game sample size, but Brown's return did impact Gray.
Gray had only 2 passes for 16 yards in those games with Brown, running a route on 40% and 38.5% of the team dropbacks.
The Chiefs ran 12 personnel on 28.6% and 32.8% of their snaps in those games after utilizing it on 40.8% of their offensive snaps over the 9 games before Brown returned.
Jared Wiley was selected in the fourth round last season, another piece of depth with plenty of contract room.
It could end up being cosmetic, but the Chiefs did use a top-30 visit on Harold Fannin.
Offensive Line Depth Chart, Chiefs:
LT: Jaylon Moore, Ethan Driskell
LG: Kingsley Suamataia, Mike Caliendo, McKade Mettauer
C: Creed Humphrey, Hunter Nourzad
RG: Trey Smith, C.J. Hanson
RT: Jawaan Taylor, Wanya Morris, Chukwuebuka Godrick
The interior of the Kansas City line was still a strength last season, but they had a handful of issues at the tackle spots.
Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Joe Thuney were all anchors again last season, but injuries and poor play at left tackle forced Thuney to end the season moving out to that position.
Thuney was traded this offseason to Chicago, creating a void inside.
Kinglsey Suamataia was selected in the second round last year to play tackle down the line, but his initial run did not go well.
He played 160 snaps at left tackle, allowing a 10.7% pressure rate that ranked 96th out of 101 tackles to play 100 or more snaps last season.
The Chiefs are looking to slide him into that vacated spot at left guard in hopes of an improvement in year two.
Humphrey remains one of the best centers in the league.
He was second in overall grade per Pro Football Focus.
He did not allow a sack in protection, only had one penalty, and was the second-highest graded run blocker at his position.
Humphrey is still under contract for two more seasons.
The Chiefs used the franchise tag on Smith.
Looking to work out a long-term deal with Smith played a role in why they chose to move Thuney when they did.
In an effort to shore up left tackle, the Chiefs signed Jaylon Moore, who played swing tackle for San Francisco last season.
Moore made 12 starts over four years with the 49ers.
He played 259 snaps at left tackle last year, allowing only one sack, but his 6.3% pressure rate allowed was 63rd among tackles.
Jawaan Taylor is still at right tackle, but he continued to struggle after signing a huge contract with the team two years ago.
He ended the season 65th in overall grade among tackles per PFF.
His 5.3% pressure rate was 36th at the position, and he racked up another 19 penalties, tied for the most at the position.
Taylor still has cap hits of $27.3 million for the next two seasons, but the Chiefs can move on after this season, regaining $20 million in cap space in 2026 if they do.
Kansas City Chiefs Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Kansas City Chiefs, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Defensive Line Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Chris Jones
- Mike Pennel
- Jerry Tillery
- Marlon Tuipulotu
- Siaki Ika
- Fabien Lovett Sr.
Kansas City did well against running backs in 2024, allowing 3.8 yards per carry to the position (2nd) and finishing second in yards before contact allowed per RB rush (2.6).
That said, the Chiefs lost a lot from the defensive line room in free agency, watching Tershawn Wharton sign with the Panthers and Derrick Nnadi join the Jets.
They did re-sign Mike Pennel, and Jerry Tillery joined in free agency.
Chris Jones remains the star of this unit coming off another outstanding season.
He made plays in the running game, recording 8 run stuffs, and as always disrupted the quarterback with 5 sacks and an outstanding 14.6% pressure rate.
That rate ranked 15th among all eligible pass rushers — not just interior linemen.
Jones earned his third All Pro nod in a row.
Pennel was not heavily involved last year, playing 320 snaps on defense, and he did not really stand out in any area on those looks.
Tillery did fine against the run as a rotational option for the Vikings last season, but he offered nothing as a pass rusher.
Kansas City might be able to get by with the current top three, but a starter-level addition to play next to Jones would be a big upgrade for this defense, especially since both Tillery and Pennel are on one-year deals.
EDGE Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- George Karlaftis
- Mike Danna
- Felix Anudike-Uzomah
- Charles Omenihu
- Janarius Robinson
- Malik Herring
- BJ Thompson
The Chiefs finished 11th in pressure rate in 2024 (35.7%) but were slightly worse with just 39 sacks, the 18th most in the league.
George Karlaftis led the team with 8 sacks, but his 11.9% pressure left a lot to be desired and was a step back from his sophomore season.
Still, Karlaftis is clearly the best option in this group, and the Chiefs will likely pick up his fifth-year option to keep him under contract through the 2026 season.
Mike Danna played the most snaps opposite Karlaftis, getting 3.5 sacks in 13 games.
Danna's 7.8% pressure rate ranked outside the top 90 eligible pass rushers, and it was only 9.3% when he got 6.5 sacks in 2023.
A first-round pick in 2023, Felix Anudike-Uzomah did get on the field a bit more in 2024, but he still posted a disappointing 8.2% pressure rate with 2.5 sacks.
He is looking like a wasted pick.
Charles Omenihu missed most of the 2024 season recovering from injury, but he played 57% of the defensive snaps in the playoffs, getting a sack in three games.
Omenihu had 7 sacks and a 12.2% pressure rate in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2023, so there is a chance he can be an impact player again after another offseason to recover.
As things stand, though, it looks like Kansas City needs a starter-level addition opposite Karlaftis before even considering the long-term future of the 2022 first-round pick.
Linebacker Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Nick Bolton
- Drue Tranquill
- Leo Chenal
- Jack Cochrane
- Cam Jones
- Cole Christiansen
- Blake Lynch
- Shaun Bradley
The Chiefs have no questions at linebacker after bringing back Nick Bolton ahead of free agency.
Bolton led the team with 15 run stuffs a season ago and recorded a tackle on 17.9% of his run defense snaps, adding 3 sacks, an interception, and 6 passes defensed in the passing game.
Drue Tranquill was the No. 2 option last season.
He allowed just 5.5 yards per target and an 83.6 quarterback rating in coverage.
Tranquill has yet to allow a touchdown in coverage during his two seasons with the Chiefs.
Leo Chenal rounds out the rotation after playing 445 snaps on defense last season.
Chenal is headed into a contract year and will likely be searching for the chance to play more on his next contract, but the Chiefs have him as great depth for at least another season.
Perhaps that will prompt Kansas City to add some developmental depth later in the draft, but this unit is in a great place heading into 2025.
Cornerback Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Trent McDuffie
- Kristian Fulton
- Jaylen Watson
- Robert Rochell
- Joshua Williams
- Nazeeh Johnson
- Chris Roland-Wallace
- Darius Rush
- Eric Scott Jr.
The Chiefs allowed 7.0 yards per pass attempt (11th) and a 4.2% touchdown rate (12th) in 2024.
Trent McDuffie continued the great start to his career, allowing 6.1 yards per target and an 82.9 quarterback rating in coverage while intercepting 2 passes and finishing with 13 passes defensed.
It would be surprising if the Chiefs do not pick up McDuffie's fifth-year option for 2026, and the two sides will likely work on a long-term deal this summer.
Kansas City had a lot of moving parts behind McDuffie last season, so they shored up the position in free agency by signing Kristian Fulton away from the division-rival Chargers.
Fulton was not stellar in his one season with the Chargers, allowing 5 touchdowns and a 103.6 quarterback rating in coverage, and he also struggled in his final seasons with the Titans.
He has played well in the past, though, and DC Steve Spagnuolo might be able to get the best out of him.
Technically a safety, Chamarri Conner saw the majority of his snaps last season in the slot, but he was not outstanding in that role.
McDuffie could handle the slot in the nickel if the Chiefs are comfortable with their No. 3 option playing outside.
Jaylen Watson was limited to just six games last season, but his return prompted a great run for this defense.
His individual numbers also look good with 6.9 yards per target and a 75.4 quarterback rating allowed.
Watson has always had good per target numbers, but he did give up several touchdowns through his first two seasons.
That was not an issue when he was on the field in the regular season last year.
Watson is entering into a contract year, and the same is true for Joshua Williams and Robert Rochell.
Williams has consistently put up good coverage numbers when given the chance in his career, but he also has not played more than 450 snaps in any of his three seasons.
Added in free agency, Rochell has played 27 snaps on defense in the last three years.
There are a lot of guys here, and the Chiefs could certainly view this position as set.
Still, a high-end addition to play next to McDuffie would be a welcome addition.
Safety Depth Chart, Chiefs:
- Bryan Cook
- Jaden Hicks
- Chamarri Conner
- Mike Edwards
- Deon Bush
- Jason Taylor II
Justin Reid‘s time with the Chiefs is over, with the veteran safety leaving for the Saints in free agency.
A 2022 second-round pick, Bryan Cook was a 17-game starter in 2024, and while he has left something to be desired in coverage to this point in his career (119 quarterback rating against), he should be locked into a starting spot.
Cook is scheduled to be a free agent after this season.
With Chamarri Conner playing more at corner, Jaden Hicks was the third option last season, and he was quality in coverage on his limited snaps.
The 2024 fourth-round pick allowed a minuscule 59.2 quarterback rating in coverage, albeit on a small sample.
Depending on how the defensive staff wants to use Conner this year, he and Hicks could compete for that No. 2 spot.
The Chiefs also added some veteran depth in Mike Edwards in free agency, and Deon Bush remains on the roster, as well.
Kansas City has enough here to get by, though there should be at least a few concerns about how good the players at the top of the depth chart really are.
2025 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams
