Arrowheadlines: Chiefs named 4th most complete team heading into draft

The latest

Pete Prisco 2025 NFL mock draft 2.0: Team trades into top five for Ashton Jeanty; three QBs taken in Round 1 | CBS Sports

Round 1 – Pick 31

Josh Simmons OT

Ohio State • Sr • 6’5” / 317 lbs

Simmons is coming off a torn patellar tendon, but he is the best left tackle in this class when healthy — and it’s not close. The Chiefs can afford to make this pick and wait with Jaylon Moore signed as a free agent.

2025 NFL Draft: Best Day 2 fits for all 32 NFL teams | PFF

Kansas City Chiefs

Prospect to target: G Tate Ratledge, Georgia

Joe Thuney‘s trade to Chicago has created a more pressing need on Kansas City’s offensive line. The current expectation is that the Chiefs will slide 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia inside, but given his poor showing at the spot in Week 18 (30.8 PFF pass-blocking grade), it’s unlikely he will be the long-term answer. Ratledge’s solid pass-blocking technique will allow him to compete for the spot in camp.

Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft 2025 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs | The Athletic

Chiefs’ key positions of need

Pass rusher: One of the most underrated parts of the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX was how disappointing the pass rush was. Don’t be surprised if Veach adds youth and talent around Jones and defensive ends George Karlaftis and Charles Omenihu. Entering the draft, the Chiefs have just five defensive tackles, none of whom are on a rookie contract. Adding another player who can learn and develop next to Jones would help.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid comments on BYU football’s success in 2024 | Chiefs Wire

“I had a chance to watch all their games last year. I just saw the way they stepped up this year compared to the year before,” said Reid. “They lost a couple of really good players, so they were able to fill in, and I thought offensively, defensively, and special teams-wise, they did a nice job.”

BYU finished the 2024 season at 11-2, ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press poll, and won the Alamo Bowl. The Cougars bounced back to prominence after a 5-7 season last year.

“The defense really stepped up. I thought really did a nice job with how they presented themselves. That’s a tough conference with a lot of speed. They were able to match up and play good, physical football,” said Reid. Likewise, on the offensive side, BYU is known for its offense. The defense (at BYU) doesn’t get a lot of credit for everything, but they sure deserve that this year.”

NFL Post-Free Agency Power Rankings: Bills Challenge Eagles for Most Complete Team | SI

4. Kansas City Chiefs

I’ve been quietly talking myself into free-agent guard Jaylon Moore all offseason, at least to the point where it allows the Chiefs to seriously woo me by taking North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel at the back end of the first round and end all my nonsense talk about a gap in the dynasty (it doesn’t take a lot to make me happy). In all seriousness, I think Moore could end up being one of the biggest fliers taken during free agency.

Around the NFL

Colts’ Braden Smith details struggle, recovery from severe OCD | ESPN

Colts veteran offensive tackle Braden Smith missed the final five games of last season because of a personal matter.

Now, he’s detailing just how intense the situation was.

Smith, in an interview with the Indianapolis Star published Tuesday, said he has a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder that prompted him to spend 48 days in a treatment facility and to ultimately turn to a psychedelic drug that he believes helped save him.

He was so tormented, Smith said, that he contemplated suicide.

“I was physically present, but I was nowhere to be found,” Smith told the newspaper. “I did not care about playing football. I didn’t care about hanging out with my family, with my wife, with my newborn son. “I was a month away from putting a bullet through my brain.”

Caleb Williams: Starting now, Ben Johnson pushing me is key | NBC Sports

To that end, Williams told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Johnson has already started making sure the young quarterback is on his Ps and Qs.

“[T]oday we had our first quiz as a QB room,” Williams said. “And it’s not like a real quiz where you go up and write stuff. It’s just us, we went over a few things yesterday, talked about a few things. And Ben walked in this morning, flung open the door, made a grand entrance, and then we got to work of him testing us about what we talked about yesterday and things like that. Already first day in and challenging us. And everybody loves a challenge in this sport. It’s one of the great things about the sport — every day is a challenge. And today, we got our first one.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs News: Rashee Rice says he’s been cleared for full route tree

“They just cleared the kid for the route tree!” wrote Rice. “Thank you to the man up above!”

Why is this noteworthy?

The “route tree” represents the full menu of routes — out routes, slants, comebacks and more — that a receiver can run within the passing plays of an offense. Because each route puts different stress on the knee, Rice’s ability to run all of his routes suggests he’s making solid progress.

In late March, Rice posted an encouraging weightlifting video, and in early April, friend-of-the-site Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reported that head coach Andy Reid considers him “on track” to be ready for training camp.

Of course, there is another aspect to Rice’s outlook: his scheduled court appearances set to take place this summer related to last offseason’s off-the-field incident.