The 2025 NFL Draft is approaching and the Kansas City Chiefs have the 31st pick. This is a breakdown of their team needs and potential players they could select in the Draft.
State of the Union
The Chiefs came up one game short of winning three straight Super Bowls. Despite how brilliant they have been over the past few years, there are key holes in their roster that need to be addressed this offseason. The Chiefs were utterly dominated by the Eagles in the Super Bowl. It shouldn’t have been an overly surprising result based on how their regular season went. Despite their 15-2 record, the Chiefs could have easily lost a lot of games in the regular season. They had a lot of close calls against bad teams and used their experience to squeak out games at the end. They need to step up a level on both sides of the ball in the hyper-competitive AFC if they want to stay ahead of the pack.
Potential Departures
S Justin Reid – Justin Reid has been a standout performer for the Chiefs since they signed him in 2022. He played a pivotal role in their two Super Bowl victories, but his contract is up this offseason. The Chiefs seem unlikely to re-sign Reid and that leaves a massive hole at the back-end of their defense, both in a leadership role and on a production level.
LB Nick Bolton – Bolton is another major player that the Chiefs could lose from their two-time Super Bowl winning defense. Bolton was drafted by the Chiefs and is likely to demand a massive contract this offseason. The Chiefs would love to keep Bolton, but they might not be able to afford to keep him.
WRs Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, DeAndre Hopkins – The wide receiver situation was a disaster for the Chiefs this season. The Chiefs signed Hollywood Brown in the offseason, hoping that he would be an elite receiver to join Rashee Rice and their first-round draft pick, Xavier Worthy. Unfortunately, Brown got injured in the offseason and missed a majority of the season. He attempted a late-season comeback, but never got up to speed. Rashee Rice also missed most of the season with an injury. The Chiefs acquired Smith-Schuster and Hopkins to fill those roles, but both were mostly non-factors by the postseason. Justin Watson has been a solid contributor for the Chiefs the past couple of seasons, but is more of a depth player than a starting receiver.
Brown, Smith-Schuster, Watson and Hopkins are all out of contract this offseason and there is a chance that the Chiefs let all four of them walk away. The Chiefs will hope that Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy stay healthy next season to be their top returning receivers, but they will need to fill out their receiver room more with all of these depth pieces leaving and injury potential.
RB Kareem Hunt – The Chiefs signed Kareem Hunt to a one-year deal when their starting running back Isiah Pacheco went down with an injury early in the season. Hunt ended up being their starting running back even after Pacheco returned because he was much more effective. However, the Chiefs are likely to return to Pacheco once he gets back to full health in the offseason.
Team Needs
Offensive Line – The Chiefs were mauled on the offensive line in the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes had virtually no time and that was a major reason for their destruction in New Orleans. Kansas City did have injuries on the offensive line, but their personnel is also not good enough for a Super Bowl-winning team. The Chiefs should make a major investment into their line this offseason, both in the draft and free agency.
Pass Catchers – The Chiefs need to fill out their wide receiver room after last season’s disaster. They need to add more depth, but they could also invest in a top-level receiver to join Worthy and Rice. The Chiefs could also go for a tight end in the draft to be the heir to Travis Kelce, who is likely to retire in the next couple of seasons.
Defensive Line – The Chiefs have Chris Jones anchoring their defensive line and George Karlaftis on the EDGE, but they need more help. They couldn’t get pressure on Jalen Hurts in the Super Bowl and need more help up front. Jones is aging and outside Karlaftis, they need more top-level pass-rushers, especially if Nick Bolton leaves.
Secondary – If Justin Reid departs, the Chiefs need a lot of help at safety. They didn’t have a great passing defense overall last season and need to add some more depth to their cornerback room to stop the league’s top passing offenses.
Potential Draft Picks
With the 31st pick in the first round, it’s hard to predict who could still be on the board for the Chiefs. However, these are a couple of players that could be picked in that range who would be goos positional fits in Kansas City.
OGs Jonah Savaiinaea (Arizona), Donovan Jackson (Ohio State) – These are two dynamic interior offensive linemen who could be Week 1 starters for the Chiefs next season. Savaiinaea is a great athlete and has a lot of starting experience. He is built like an NFL guard but played some tackle in college so he has great flexibility on the line. Donovan Jackson is fresh off of a national championship and ready to win a Super Bowl next. He is an elite athlete and has faced top-tier competition throughout college and held up to the test.
WR Matthew Golden (Texas) – Matthew Golden is a wide receiver garnering a lot of attention but could make it to the 31st pick if some teams prefer the likes of Luther Burden III. Golden is a good athlete and can be used anywhere on the field. He could add some extra muscle and improve his mindset to be more aggressive, but with good coaching, he could be a solid NFL starter.
EDGE James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee) – The EDGE class is loaded this year and the Chiefs can take advantage of it in the first round. James Pearce Jr. is a player with great raw skill and athleticism that just needs to be molded by good coaches. Steve Spagnuolo is one of the best defensive coaches in football and could make Pearce into a monster. Pearce has all of the physical features you could want out of an EDGE, he just needs to improve his technique.
