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When their first pick came in the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs hit a home run. That set the stage for a few good grades. But here are the Chiefs’ three biggest mistakes in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Nobody should say anything but positive things about the Chiefs’ first-round pick. They nailed it with Josh Simmons, who could be the best offensive tackle who was available in this draft.
But the first miscue came with their second pick. The Chiefs looked at the defensive tackle position and selected Omarr Norman-Lott.
Mistake No. 1 — Drafting Omar Norman-Lott in Round 2
First, let’s understand that Norman-Lott could be a solid player. He’s projected as a potential starter down the road by nfl.com. But some NFL observers don’t think Chiefs general manager Brett Veach got value with this pick at No. 63, according to espn.com.
“I was the lowest on Norman-Lott of our group of analysts,” Matt Miller wrote. “But the defensive tackle board has really been wiped out throughout the opening two rounds. Kansas City needed to identify a tackle who can play next to Chris Jones and maybe even serve as his eventual replacement.
“Norman-Lott’s high potential is backed by his explosive quickness and overall athletic tools. He’ll get to learn how to be more consistent alongside one of the best defensive tackles in the league.”
That kind of verbiage just doesn’t ring true for a second-round pick. And while Darius Alexander may not be a perfect fit for the Chiefs’ 4-3 defense, he rated higher than Norman-Lott and has more potential to develop into a standout, according to nfl.com.
“Interior lineman with the size, length, and physicality for consideration in odd or even fronts,” Lance Zierlein wrote. “Alexander is capable of destroying blocks, but he needs to do a better job of balancing his force to control the action at the point of attack.
“He can hold his ground when he’s staying low, but the pad level is inconsistent and causes his gap constriction to be hit-or-miss. Alexander has above-average rush acumen. His best football could be ahead of him.”
But there’s more to this miss than picking Norman-Lott over Alexander. And that’s the Chiefs passing on serious talent at another position.
Mistake No. 2: Chiefs waited too long for a CB
Not only did the Chiefs pick Norman-Lott over a cornerback, they came back in the third round at pick No. 66 with Ashton Gillotte out of Louisville. The edge projects as an average starter. The Chiefs could have gotten much better value looking at a secondary pick here.
Remaining on the board were Darien Porter (Las Vegas Raiders), Azaereye’h Thomas (New York Jets), and Shavon Revel Jr. (Dallas Cowboys). Any of those three players would have been a better pick. The division-rival Raiders were certainly happy the Chiefs didn’t pluck Porter away from them, according to raiders.com.
“It’s very easy to recognize that Darien Porter is an elite-level athlete,” Raiders GM John Spytek said. “From the testing numbers, the 4.31, to the vertical, which I think was around 40, to the shuttle times, which were elite, his size at almost (6-foot-3), there's so much elite physical ability in his body, but he's not a full-time starter. He’s making a transition.
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“When you have Coach Carroll and Joe Woods and ’PG’ (Patrick Graham) and all of them say, ’We would love to work with this guy. This is who we're looking for.’ As a scout, that really is empowering because it's like, OK, we can bring players like him to the staff, and they're going to work with them, and they can have a vision for them.”
CB Azareye’h Thomas was a better choice
Also, the Jets walked away pleased about the Chiefs’ decision not to get Thomas, who went in the first or second rounds in many mock drafts. His lack of elite speed pushed him down the draft board, according to ESPN’s Field Yates via newyorkjets.com. But there’s a catch.
“Scouts at Florida State's pro day clocked him between 4.57 and 4.59 in the 40-yard dash, which is below average for a starting cornerback in the NFL,” Yates said. “But Thomas does more than enough to make up for that speed.
“He has excellent size, ball skills, and physicality to get up in the face of wideouts. Like many of the picks highlighted here, the value was too great to pass up on a talented player (in the third round).”
This is the type of player who would have fit nicely into Steve Spagnuolo’s aggressive defensive approach.
The Chiefs instead went with Nohl Williams at pick No. 85. His press coverage ability will help the defense, but the Chiefs missed an opportunity here.
Mistake No. 3: The Chiefs waited too long to get a WR
Let’s face it. As great as Patrick Mahomes is, he needs weapons. An argument can be made that the Chiefs already have a strong wide receiver room. But can they count on Xavier Worthy as a WR1 at his size? Has Rashee Rice put all of the problems behind him? Can Hollywood Brown stay healthy?
Those are big “ifs,” and the Chiefs let a lot of talent wash away after they picked Nohl Williams. Most notably, they could have gotten Chimere Dike, a big receiver with excellent speed who went to the Titans.
Also, the Chiefs passed on Dont’e Thornton Jr. He’s another guy who landed with the division-rival Raiders. He has great size at 6-5 and 205 pounds.
Overall, the draft didn’t go poorly for the Chiefs. But it could have been better without these three mistakes.
