This offseason, the Chiefs made significant additions in free agency, including Jaylon Moore and Kristan Fulton, addressing some of their biggest needs coming into the offseason. Now, having addressed some of their biggest needs, the Chiefs' approach to the 2025 NFL Draft looks completely different.
The Chiefs are looking to bounce back from a Super Bowl loss and contend for the Lombardi Trophy again this season and this year’s draft will be an important place for them to get there again. Today I take a look at the Chiefs' biggest needs in the draft this April.
1. Defensive Tackle
As we get to the end of the offseason, defensive tackle is widely considered the biggest need for the Chiefs in the draft.
Currently, the Chiefs have five guys under contract at the defensive tackle position, only two of which were on the Super Bowl roster (Chris Jones, Marlon Tuipulotu) last season. Two guys were on the practice squad (Fabien Lovett and Siaki Ika) and Tuipulotu finished the season on IR and had minimal play time in the Chiefs scheme in 2024
The Chiefs did sign former first-round pick Jerry Tillery to a one-year deal about a week ago after a short stint in Minnesota last season. Tillery was once a first-round pick for the Chargers out of Notre Dame and has plenty of experience playing in the AFC West between his time with the Raiders and Chargers.
While the Chiefs may have hope for their young practice squad guys and their recent signings, there is still a clear need for a defensive lineman in the draft. This draft is incredibly strong at defensive line, and finding a quality player to play on the interior should be a relatively easy task this year.
I have mentioned many times previously that I have a first-round grade on five players in the defensive line class. If one of them is available when the Chiefs are up at pick No. 31, the team should not think twice about running the pick in on draft day.
2. Offensive Line
Coming into the offseason, offensive line was almost universally considered the Chiefs' biggest weakness. After significant struggles in the playoffs and Super Bowl, there was a lot of debate among fans and analysts about the future of the Chiefs' offensive line and how they should go about protecting Mahomes in the future.
Prior to the free agency, the Chiefs made moves on the interior of the line, using the franchise tag on Trey Smith and trading Joe Thuney. The loss of Joe Thuney made the Chiefs' offensive line need that much more apparent going into free agency.
The Chiefs made their most significant signing, adding Jaylon Moore on a two-year, $30 million contract with hopes he would help address the blindside position next season. The team will run back the rest of their roster from last season and will look to move Kingsley Suamataia to left guard to fill out the starting lineup.
But in a similar fashion to the defensive line, these moves should not prevent them from taking an offensive lineman early in the draft. Jawaan Taylor has struggled with penalties and between Jaylon Moore and Kingsley Suamataia, there is minimal experience on the left side of the line.
Adding a player along the line early in the draft will give the Chiefs options as the season goes on in case of injuries or poor play. Chiefs fans should not be surprised or upset if the team takes an offensive lineman within the top 100 picks to help fill out the trenches for next season.