The idea of immediate draft "grades" is it a bit of an oxymoron, as the real evaluation will take place over the course of the next several seasons, but at least so far, the Kansas City Chiefs appear to have earned high marks for their performance over the course of draft weekend.
Here's a look at what a handful of analysts thought of the Chiefs' selections.
The Chiefs were one of just three teams to earn an "A" grade in Pete Prisco's draft recap for CBS Sports. Here's what Prisco had to say about the Chiefs' selections:
"I really liked their draft. Simmons will be a star. Norman-Lott can be really good. Third-round edge Ashton Gillotte was one of my favorite players in this draft and was on my Better-Than team. Third-round corner Nohl Williams and fourth-round receiver Jalen Royals will be nice additions and I liked seventh-round back Brashard Smith."
The folks at PFF approved of the Chiefs' selections, which included picking up the No. 4 defensive tackle on the PFF big board in Omarr Norman-Lott. Here's more from PFF on the pick:
"Norman-Lott was arguably the best true pass-rushing defensive tackle in this draft class. His 18.9% pass-rush win rate led the nation, and his 88.3 true pass set pass-rush grade ranked above the 95th percentile. Norman-Lott plays with violence and speed and should provide the Chiefs with another pass-rushing force to rotate into their lineup."
NFL.com's Chad Reuter was impressed with the Chiefs' haul, notably Kansas City's top selection in offensive tackle Josh Simmons:
"Simmons will be an excellent pick at a major position of need for the Chiefs, if he's able to return to form after recovering from the knee injury that shortened his 2024 season."
Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports gave the Chiefs a high grade as well while pointing out the potential upside in each of Kansas City's seven picks:
"General manager Brett Veach did work in this draft. Simmons can be a long-term answer at left tackle. He just needs to get healthy. Norman-Lott and Gillotte are high-upside pass-rushing options at defensive tackle and edge rusher, respectively.
Williams is the pesky man-to-man cornerback Steve Spagnuolo will adore, and Royals has a game very reminiscent of Rashee Rice -- he rocks after the catch. Veach found quality players at clear need positions. I like the receiving upside of Smith in Round 7."
FOX Sports' Rob Rang provided a strong endorsement of the Chiefs' class in his breakdown. Here's a portion of his analysis:
"The advanced degree of difficulty in drafting for a team that has relatively few holes cannot be overstated. Veach and the Chiefs handled it masterfully, turning in one of the best classes of this year's draft."
Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame had kind things to say about the Chiefs' selections, too. Here's more from Verderame:
"The Chiefs authored one of the league's best drafts this weekend. General manager Brett Veach found a steal in Royals, who was widely projected as a Day 2 choice. Kansas City also nabbed three defenders on Friday, including Norman-Lott, who should contribute as a rookie on pass-rushing downs next to Chris Jones…If Josh Simmons works out, this draft will be a grand slam."
Mel Kiper Jr. from ESPN was also a fan of the Chiefs' seven selections, which included adding two offensive skill position players on Day 3. Here's what Kiper wrote about those two picks in particular:
"Kansas City pivoted back to offense Friday, getting a vertical receiver in Jalen Royals and physical running back in Brashard Smith. The Royals pick, in particular, was great. He was No. 72 on my board, but K.C. got him at No. 133 overall. He scored 21 touchdowns over the past two seasons. And Smith is a converted receiver with 4.39 speed. Mahomes has to be pleased."
The Ringer's Danny Kelly wrote the following in his breakdown of the Chiefs' performance over the course of draft weekend:
"…The Chiefs scooped up a bunch of soon-to-be contributors on every day of the draft."
