The Kansas City Chiefs went to the 2025 NFL Draft with a mission: pick the right players that will help them get back to the Super Bowl and get the team another championship.
After their blowout to the Philadelphia Eagles on Super Bowl LIX 40-22, with one of the worst games of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his professional career, the team needed more protection for their leader.
Currently, the AFC champions, along with the Eagles, are the favorites to make it to the championship game once again. Kansas City played the final game of the last three seasons, so it’s not a surprise that fans and experts believe that the Chiefs have what it takes to make it to Levi’s Stadium at Santa Clara, California, on February 8th, 2026, home of the Super Bowl LX.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs brag about his new protection
The Kansas City Chiefs took advantage of the 2025 NFL Draft to get some new protection for Patrick Mahomes, by selecting offensive tackle Josh Simmons with the No. 32 overall pick. He is widely regarded as one of the top players at his position in all of college football.
And he also tallied 33 bench press reps during Pro Day, tying the combine record this year. The former Ohio State Buckeyes standout was considered a contender to be the first tackle selected in the 2025 NFL Draft before a knee injury ended his season early.
“He’s in a good place… It’s healed well,” said head coach Andy Reid about the injury. With all that power and skills, Mahomes is going to be very happy with his new protection that can ensure him more time to make smart decisions and take the Chiefs to new heights.
Simmons could be the Chiefs’ next big star
Josh Simmons surrendered just one hurry, with no quarterback hits or sacks allowed, on 158 pass-blocking snaps in 2024 before getting hurt in the Buckeyes’ sixth game of the season. He was also only penalized one time in 2024 prior to suffering the injury (a false start).
The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Simmons was excellent throughout the 2023 campaign as well, yielding just 10 hurries, four quarterback hits and one sack on 443 pass-blocking snaps. He didn’t allow more than three pressures to a single opponent all year.
Simmons has practical experience at both tackle positions courtesy of his time at San Diego State, where he spent the first two years of his career and started 13 games at right tackle. He logged 799 snaps at that spot for the Aztecs in 2022, and while he made the switch over to left tackle upon joining the Buckeyes, that experience could prove valuable at some point down the road in Kansas City.
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