Did the Chiefs get the steal of the draft?
The Kansas City Chiefs spent their late first-round pick on Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons and it’s a move that’s been applauded in NFL Draft circles. It’s not crazy to see why, as the Chiefs have a need at tackle and Simmons likely would have been one of the top tackles off the board had an injury not shortened his 2024 season with the Buckeyes.
One NFL analyst who loved the pick was Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, who couldn’t help but praise the pick. Breer not only loved where Simmons landed but said that the Chiefs might have found their left tackle of the future.
“I think Ohio State OT Josh Simmons landed in exactly the right place to fulfill his considerable potential. And the Kansas City Chiefs might have their left tackle for the next decade.”
Josh Simmons’ Chiefs fit has NFL insider buzzing with sky-high expectations
Chiefs fans will love hearing this from Breer and there’s a reason Simmons continued to be linked to Kansas City leading up to the draft. It truly felt like this pick was meant to be and now fans just have to hope that Simmons recovers and steps right back into the dominant player he was before the injury.
The good news is that K.C. is prepared if Simmons can’t play this year, having signed Jaylon Moore in free agency to play left tackle. Now, of course, there’s a small sample size for Moore as a starting left tackle but the Chiefs now have a better plan for the future when it comes to the guy who will protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.
In the two Super Bowls the Chiefs have lost, the offensive line has been a big reason why and Brett Veach went to work in fixing that problem after the Super Bowl LV defeat. It shouldn’t be shocking that he put in the work to improve this unit after the Super Bowl LIX loss either.
As Breer noted, this is the best possible spot for Simmons too because he’s not going to be expected to step in and immediately be the same guy he was before the injury. He’ll have time to recover and then, when the time is right, he can slide into the line and show if he’s ready to be a full-time starter or not.
The hope is that the Chiefs drafted their long-term starting left tackle and got the biggest steal of the draft in Josh Simmons. We’ll know if that’s the case in a few years.
