The Kansas City Chiefs will have a tall order in finding their way back to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have been to the big game in five of the past six seasons but several things have changed when it comes to the faces that have got them there.
Travis Kelce shrugged off retirement rumors to come back for another season. Andy Reid is coming back as he inches closer to age 70. Patrick Mahomes’s contract continues to limit Kansas City from going all-out in free agency and they still have a giant target on their back as the NFL’s premiere dynasty.
A lot of these are good problems to have but increases the importance of the draft. Picking from the back end of the first round, the Chiefs have shown a willingness to move up as they did to select wide receiver Xavier Worthy last year. In this article, we’ll look at the Chiefs’ draft picks and who they could be targeting in the 2025 NFL Draft.
- Chiefs Draft Picks
- What Happened To The Chiefs’ Original Draft Picks?
- How Did The Chiefs Gain Their Additional Draft Picks?
- Team Needs
Chiefs Draft Picks
Round | Pick | Overall | Traded From |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 | 31 | - |
2 | 31 | 63 | - |
3 | 2 | 66 | Tennessee |
3 | 31 | 95 | - |
4 | 31 | 133 | - |
7 | 10 | 226 | Carolina |
7 | 35 | 251 | Compensatory |
7 | 41 | 257 | Compensatory |
What Happened To The Chiefs’ Original Draft Picks?
The Chiefs own four of their original picks ahead of this year’s draft. The Chiefs will pick with the 31st overall pick in the first (31st overall), second (63rd overall), third (95th overall) and fourth (133rd overall) rounds.
Kansas City’s traded picks begin in round five when they traded their fifth-round selection to the Tennessee Titans for DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins was expected to be a top target in the Chiefs’ passing game but caught just 41 passes for 437 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games with Kansas City. Hopkins will not return in 2025 after signing a one-year, $5 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Chiefs sent their sixth-round pick to the New York Jets in a 2023 trade for Mecole Hardman. An original second-round pick by Kansas City in the 2019 draft, Hardman caught 26 passes for 208 yards and no touchdowns over 18 games in his second tour with the Chiefs. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Green Bay Packers this offseason.
Kansas City’s seventh-round pick was traded to the Carolina Panthers in a 2023 deal involving wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette. The Chiefs acquired the Panthers’ seventh-round pick (226th overall) in this trade as Smith-Marsette spent one season with Carolina before spending last year on the New York Giants’ practice squad.
How Did The Chiefs Gain Their Additional Draft Picks?
The Chiefs acquired an extra third-round selection in the draft when they traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans. Sneed signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Titans upon his arrival and appeared in five games before suffering a quadriceps injury. Kansas City also acquired the Titans’ 2024 seventh-round pick in the trade.
Kansas City also received a seventh-round pick from the Jets in the Hardman trade in 2023 but traded it to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Cam Thomas. A defensive end, Thomas appeared in four games for the Chiefs last season.
The Chiefs received two seventh-round picks in the NFL’s compensatory process for the losses of offensive lineman Nick Allegretti, linebacker Willie Gay and punter Tommy Townsend. The Chiefs offset these losses by signing Marquise “Hollywood” Brown during the free agent process.
Team Needs
The Chiefs’ biggest needs coming into the draft consist of offensive tackle, defensive tackle and tight end. Offensive tackle is a big need even after the Chiefs signed Jaylon Moore to a two-year, $30 million contract in free agency. Jawaan Taylor remains on the right side of the line but Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. is projected to head to Kansas City in NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus mock draft.
Defensive tackle is also a key need for the Chiefs after Tershawn Wharton signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Chris Jones will return in the middle but the Chiefs could use an upgrade over veteran Mike Pennel. Oregon’s Derrick Harmon or Mississippi’s Walter Nolen could be targets late in the first round.
Finally, the Chiefs could use a succession plan for Kelce. While the future Hall of Famer is still productive, he will turn 36 in October. With Kansas City’s extra draft capital, it could clear the way to trade up for Penn State’s Tyler Warren or Michigan’s Colston Loveland in the first round.
The 2025 NFL Draft will begin on Thursday, April 24 in Green Bay, Wisc.