The Chiefs continued the trend of building in the trenches as they drafted Ashton Gilotte with pick No. 66 in the third round of the NFL draft. A pick that surprised me and several other evaluators, as he was not someone many thought would go until early on tomorrow in the fourth or fifth rounds.
This is not to say that Gilotte is a bad player, but more so that he was a bit of a reach for the Chiefs at pick 66, a team with a very solid defensive end room coming into the 2025 season. Gilotte feels very similar to other defensive ends on the Chiefs roster because of his size and power off the edge, and it seemed that they could have moved down or waited to make this selection.
A skilled run, defender and relentless pass rusher, Gilotte is a warrior off the edge, giving maximum effort every down of the game. He uses his violent hands and dominant will rush to get to the quarterback, but is inconsistent with speed moves to get around the edge. Some teams were concerned with his positioning, but in Kansas City, Steve Spagnolo will be able to use him as a 4-5 tech defensive end.
The Chiefs love to use their defensive ends inside and out on the defensive line to give different looks and rush the passer. Gilotte can absolutely provide this, similar to Mike Danna who sometimes lines up as a three tech defensive tackle, but stunts to the outside as the play develops. But with the depth on the Chiefs roster with guys like Karlaftis, Danna, Omenihu and FAU, Gilotte will have to earn his role if he wants to get on the field early in his career.
I love the Chiefs' approach to this draft, as they have done a great job building in the trenches and taking positions that hold high value in the draft. Pick 66 felt like a spot where the Chiefs were gonna reach for their guy, so I'm not opposed to the idea of taking Gilotte, but at the end of the day, it was a bit of a surprise and a reach for the third round. I look forward to seeing him on the field, and with his athletic upside could make a significant impact at defensive end in Kansas City