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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs hold steady in post-draft power rankings

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2025 NFL Scouting Combine
Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

Chiefs headlines for Wednesday, April 30

The latest

NFL Power Rankings for Every Team After the 2025 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report

2. Kansas City Chiefs

After watching Patrick Mahomes get beaten to a pulp in Super Bowl LIX, it was abundantly clear that the Kansas City Chiefs needed help along the offensive line—especially at tackle.

The Chiefs addressed that need in both free agency and the draft, but while addressing the media quarterback Patrick Mahomes admitted that this offseason’s motivation is all about washing the stink of that blowout loss to the Eagles off.

“I’m pretty motivated anyways, but I think when you get some of those tiring sets or tiring reps that you’re in the workout, you have something in the back of your mind that you’re kind of pushing towards,” Mahomes said Wednesday, via team transcript. “You have that bad taste in your mouth from the last time you stepped on the football field and you kind of have to hear about it all offseason, so it gives you the push that you want to go out there and be better and show what we’re really about.”

Given how the Chiefs have dominated the AFC of late, an extra-motivated Mahomes should terrify the rest of the conference.

Analyst’s Take

After the Eagles pummeled the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, general manager Brett Veach had one major objective in the offseason: solidify the offensive line. Kansas City traded guard Joe Thuney and added first-round tackle Josh Simmons, who’s coming off a knee injury. If Simmons is ready to play early in the upcoming campaign, the Chiefs may have a draft steal with the 32nd pick. On the flip side, Patrick Mahomes may feel the consequences of Kansas City’s decision to trade Joe Thuney if Kingsley Suamataia or Mike Caliendo struggles to fill the vacant spot at left guard. — Moton

Biggest steals from every round of the 2025 NFL Draft | PFF

No. 32. Kansas City Chiefs: T Josh Simmons, Ohio State (Big Board Rank: 18)

After watching Patrick Mahomes get pressured on more than 40% of his dropbacks in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs look to give their franchise quarterback some time to do what he does best. Simmons is coming off a season-ending knee injury but showed impressive movement skills, flexibility and balance at the left tackle position. He allowed just one sack the past two years and posted an 82.2 true pass set pass-blocking grade in 2024.

Way-Too-Early 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Who Is Next Year’s Top QB? | The 33rd Team

28. Kansas City Chiefs

Selection: Christen Miller, DL, Georgia

We don’t know enough about Miller to know that he will be ready to make this kind of leap.

However, the Georgia kids usually do, especially when they’re highly coveted recruits. Miller is a redshirt junior in 2025, coming off a sturdy and productive season as a member of Georgia’s rotation.

NFL Power Rankings: Which teams were helped/hurt most by 2025 draft? | NFL.com

3 – Kansas City Chiefs

With four picks in the top 85, the Chiefs did a decent job of filling some voids while also planning for the future a bit. Josh Simmons is great insurance for Jaylon Moore at left tackle. The DL rotation looks a little stronger and deeper with Omarr Norman-Lott and Ashton Gillotte coming aboard. Nohl Williams is a very Chiefs-y corner. I even liked all three Day 3 picks they made. Are they fully stocked at receiver? We’ll see. But for the most part, Kansas City addressed a few issues and did what it does in the draft. I don’t know that anything that happened over the weekend among AFC West teams dramatically shifted divisional reign away from the Chiefs. Their mission remains the same as it was in the 2021 season: bouncing back after a jarring, blowout loss in the Super Bowl. Kansas City started that ‘21 campaign at 3-4, got white hot and then lost to Cincinnati in the AFC Championship Game. It won’t be easy doing better, but they’re the Chiefs, and they’ve earned the respect to sit this high in the rankings

Around the NFL

Commanders to sign K Matt Gay, release K Zane Gonzalez | NBC Sports

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Washington is signing Matt Gay to a one-year deal and releasing Zane Gonzalez.

Gay, 31, was recently released by the Colts. He played the last two seasons for Indianapolis, connecting on 82.1 percent of his field goals for the club over that span. In 2024, Gonzalez was 31-of-37 on his field goal attempts, with all six of his misses coming from at least 50 yards out. He made all 33 of his extra points.

Gonzalez joined Washington midway through the 2024 season after not kicking in a regular-season game since 2021. He connected on 5-of-7 field goals and 19-of-19 extra points in the regular season, plus 7-of-8 field goals and 8-of-8 extra points in three postseason games.

49ers TE George Kittle signs extension through 2029 season | ESPN

Kittle took a significant step toward reaching that goal as he signed a four-year contract extension that will keep him with the only NFL team he has ever known through the 2029 season, the Niners announced Tuesday. Kittle told the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast earlier that the deal was worth $76.4 million.

The extension includes $40 million in guaranteed money, Kittle said, and will almost certainly lower Kittle’s previously scheduled 2025 salary cap number of $22,085,000. That cap hit would exceed his previous highest cap hit by a little less than $10 million.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs Draft: Jalen Royals, Brashard Smith are great after the catch

Jalen Royals

Nutt believes Royals is similar to third-year wideout Rashee Rice, who was headed to stardom before a serious knee injury a month into last season — particularly in their run-after-the-catch (RAC) ability. In 2024, Royals was also off to a monster start before a ligament sprain ended his season.

“When I say he’s like Rashee,” Nutt explained, “he has big hands — strong hands — and he’s very good after the catch. You saw him downfield in some of those clips. The kid had seven 50 [yard] plus touchdowns in 2023. He was on pace in 2024 to smash the 2023 production before he got injured.

“RAC is a big part [of] our offense. That’s something we look for in our receiver. We look for speed; the kid had that. We look for strength. He has that. He’s got RAC. And we look at route running. That’s probably an area where Rashee had to develop a little bit. So, we kind of thought they were similar in that respect.”

Royals got the team’s attention at the Senior Bowl — and also at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“He goes to the Senior Bowl,” Nutt recalled of Royals, “and we thought he did well. He got even more on the radar. He goes to the Combine, and he runs a 4.40 [40-yard dash]. He jumps a 36 [inch vertical]. We’re like, ‘Oh, this kid’s explosive.’

“You get the coaches involved, and we Zoom with them and we talk, and we’re like, ‘We could use this kid.’ With Rashee coming back from injury and trying to get right, the hopes are this kid can step in and get some playing time and help us out.”

Nutt seemed unconcerned with Royals’ main scouting concern: being used almost exclusively on one side of the field.

“That’s how some offenses in college work,” observed Nutt. “They want to go fast, so they will have the receiver line up on the same side every time to do that. You’re wondering, ‘Alright, he’s always playing on the left side, is he going to be able to move around?’ And he does. He plays outside, but he primarily plays inside in the slot.”

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