The Kansas City Chiefs don’t need the NFL to do them any favors.
They’ve advanced to at least the conference finals for seven consecutive seasons and won three Super Bowls during that stretch.
That level of consistent success has only one small drawback – Kansas City has to pick at or near the back end of each round of the NFL Draft every year.
But that my not have been an issue this April, as it appears Kansas City has already secured the steal of the event.
With the 32nd overall pick in the draft the Chiefs selected Ohio State Buckeyes left tackle Josh Simmons, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Oregon Ducks in October.
This week, coach Andy Reid indicated Simmons has transitioned from individual work to team reps and will be good-to-go for training camp in July.
Andy Reid talks about first-rounder Josh Simmons’ progress so far.
Reid smiled, saying, “He’s in good shape, he’s here quite a bit. He’s one of those guys that you gotta kinda, kick out of the building.”#Chiefs l #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/1OEFJ1qOG8
— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) June 12, 2025
“You can see his athletic ability,” Reid told ESPN. “You can see his want-to. He’s got a great attitude. He’s approached everything the right way plus a little bit extra. You could tell if you just want to look at his rehab, you can see that he’s got a mindset that, ‘I’m going to get in there.’
“He worked his tail off to get there. So, we respect that part. He’s done a nice job, he’s worked well, and we’ll just see what training camp does. It’s different when things are flying fast up there and you’ve got full contact and pads on. We’ll see how he does.”
While the Chiefs obviously invested a lot – a first-round pick – in the talented left tackle, Simmons was perceived as arguably the top offensive lineman in the draft class prior to his injury.
He fell to the end of Round 1 due to the injury and concerns about his recovery time.
The 2025 NFL Draft class was a unique group – with major questions about many of the top offensive linemen.
LSU’s Will Campbell, the No. 4 pick to the New England Patriots, was viewed as possibly a guard or center because of his historically short wingspan.
Missouri’s Armand Membou, the No. 7 pick to the New York Jets, is a right tackle who rose up draft boards late but wasn’t viewed as a true left tackle prospect.
Texas star Kelvin Banks, the No. 9 pick to the New Orleans Saints, was similarly viewed as a possible guard at the collegiate level.
All three could be great picks, but they didn’t profile as no-questions-asked left tackles.
Fellow first-round picks Tyler Booker (No. 12, Dallas Cowboys) and Grey Zabel (No. 18, Seattle Seahawks) are interior linemen.
The lack of a true left tackle prospect was widely discussed during the lead-up to the draft.
But that spot had previously been filled by Simmons before his injury.
If the draft were held today, it’s possible the Ohio State star’s clean bill of health would’ve made him a top-five pick.
“Before Simmons was injured he was viewed as OT1,” NFL analyst Geoff Schwartz posted to social media. “If Simmons is able to live up to those expectations the Chiefs have found their left tackle for the duration of Mahomes career.”
If true, that would represent a massive upgrade for Kansas City’s offense, as last season was a headache-inducing revolving door at the spot, low-lighted by former second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia’s play.
In other words, the Chiefs may already have a steal on their hands in Simmons – and Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Co. may be thanking the league for letting him slide.
