The Kansas City Chiefs might be only four games into the 2025 season, but anyone watching closely understands the franchise has found its left tackle of the future.
Josh Simmons appears to be the steal of the first round, instantly stepping in and stabilizing a position that had been an area of concern for the last two seasons. With this in mind, it doesn't come as a surprise that veteran guard Trey Smith had some high praise for the rookie. A to Z Sports' Charles Goldman reported Smith's comment, with interior lineman offering the following:
""I really like Josh, man. What he's done. The talent level he has. The sky is the limit for him... It's fun watching 71 get out there and doing his thing. There's a reason that he got drafted where he got drafted.""Trey Smith
To receive this level of praise, this early in the season, from an accomplished Super Bowl champion is noteworthy. It demands that fans take notice of the level of play the rookie is providing. Simmons has had a handful of rookie moments or mistakes, but has shown enough consistency to leave every fan and pundit convinced that the position is secured for the future.
Chiefs OG Trey Smith Praises Early Performance of Rookie Tackle Josh Simmons
Simmons fell in the 2025 draft due to health concerns. Teams were unsure when the rookie would be able to take the field, or what he would look like when that happened. Safe to say there are a lot of front office decision-makers shaking their heads in frustration at Kansas City's rookie class. Not only did they lock down the most important offensive line position, but the emergence of third-round corner Nohl Williams must be noted as well.
The 2025 class is shaping up to be one of the better draft classes for the Chiefs in recent memory, based simply on the accomplishments of the two rookie starters. For Simmons, the path is only going to get easier as he continues to form chemistry with the rest of the offensive line and learns how to work best in Andy Reid's complicated offense.
This leaves room to wonder what the potential ceiling for Simmons might be, as Smith pointed out in his comments. These comments prove exactly how highly the rookie has been thought of throughout the first four weeks of the season. For such a respected and accomplished starter to go out of his way to heap praise on Simmons is telling.
Kansas City fans were already sold on the rookie, but now have even more fuel for excitement and speculation about what lies ahead. No question, the Chiefs nailed the first round and landed one of the most important pieces of stability any roster can have.