Chiefs Draft: 8 prospects the team could consider in 2025

Faculty soccer is again!

Whereas the pageantry, rivalries and pleasure of the 2024 season entertain soccer nerds like me, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs might be paying shut consideration. Their scouts might be scattered all around the nation, making ready for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Listed below are eight faculty gamers Kansas Metropolis followers ought to watch throughout the coming season.

RB Devin Neal, Kansas

The revival of Kansas soccer has been a pleasure to look at — and Neal is among the causes for its success. Whereas he has good dimension at 5 toes 11 and 215 kilos, his finest trait is his explosiveness. In open area, he can draw back from defenders.

Neal additionally has good imaginative and prescient and get in touch with stability. He’s capable of play in a number of run schemes; he’s proven he can run from the pistol, the shotgun or beneath heart. I feel he may very well be an excellent praise to the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco.

WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

Whereas the Buckeyes don’t have a participant like Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon-Smith Njigba, Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave on their roster, they do have Egbuka. He initiatives as a top-50 choose.

He’s a wideout who’s as reliable as they arrive. A great route runner with expertise operating a various route tree each inside and out of doors, he’s proven loads of potential to run routes over the center of the sector and be a reliable security blanket for a quarterback.

The primary concern about Egbuka is how athletic he actually is — and what ceiling he can attain. I don’t assume he initiatives as a No. 1 vast receiver, however he may very well be a high-end No. 2 expertise. He’s going again to high school this season to show he will be “the man.” It’ll be fascinating to see how he handles it.

WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford

Now that Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy are on the Chiefs’ roster, the crew may use a big-bodied wideout who can win on the skin and in contested catches. Ayomanor matches that invoice completely.

Throughout Stanford’s 2023 recreation towards Colorado, Ayomanor repeatedly dunked on the Buffaloes’ star cornerback Travis Hunter. Whereas his dimension and size give him a bonus on the sideline, he’s additionally an underrated athlete who can win from the slot. Should you appreciated Keon Coleman final season, you’ll like Ayomanor in Kansas Metropolis.

TE Colston Loveland, Michigan

The consensus No. 1 tight finish of the 2025 class, Loveland possesses good size and striding — and reveals the flexibility to win on all three ranges of the sector. Since Michigan requires all its tight ends to dam, Loveland has additionally demonstrated that ability. Nonetheless, the Wolverines’ offense didn’t have lots of dropbacks. Whereas this restricted the tight finish’s manufacturing, Loveland nonetheless has the traits he must be an excellent receiving tight finish.

Loveland isn’t fairly the prospect that Brock Bowers or Kyle Pitts have been, so I feel he’ll probably fall late within the first spherical or early within the second. For the reason that Chiefs will probably be seeking to exchange Travis Kelce, Loveland may very well be a candidate for his or her first-round choose. I’m unsure what his ceiling is — however with a bit extra weight, I’m pretty satisfied he may very well be a top-10 NFL tight finish.

G Tyler Booker, Alabama

At this writing, Kansas Metropolis hasn’t but given proper guard Trey Smith a contract extension. Ought to he attain free company, this offseason’s explosion within the guard market may make it troublesome for the Chiefs to maintain him.

In the event that they wish to exchange Smith with an identical participant, Booker can be an excellent substitute. At 6 toes 5 and 335 kilos, he’s a mountain of a person. His energy as a run blocker (and skill to push) ought to make him an excellent NFL run blocker — and he additionally has size and skill to cross defend.

DE Jordan Burch, Oregon

A DE/DT tweener, Burch may very well be a candidate to interchange Charles Omenihu, who might be a free agent in 2025.

Whereas he hasn’t actually damaged out but, Burch was a excessive recruit with plenty of expertise. Taking part in at 6 toes 4 and 294 kilos, he’s already proven that his size and energy make him an excellent run defender — however he has some wiggle as a cross rusher, too. We should not anticipate him to be a “flexible” man, however he has proven some agility and inside counters, too. If he breaks out in 2024, I feel Burch might be a top-50 choose.

NT Kenneth Grant, Michigan

I’ll all the time clamor for Kansas Metropolis to get a dominant nostril sort out like Grant. Coming in at 6 toes 3 and 335 kilos, he can destroy operating performs together with his sheer dimension. He can nonetheless transfer very properly, nevertheless, displaying stability and bend as a cross rusher. Grant is a a lot better prospect than even Mazi Smith was in 2023.

To get top-20 consideration, he should show he is ready to play extra snaps. However in Grant, the Chiefs may have a dominant nostril sort out to play alongside their celebrity Chris Jones.

DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss

Nolen has underwhelmed since coming into faculty because the No. 1 prospect in his class, posting solely 5 sacks in two seasons. However lately, Texas A&M hasn’t been an excellent spot for a lot of proficient gamers. Along with his switch to Ole Miss, Nolen may very well be in a extra steady scenario.

He has each trait you would ever need in a defensive sort out. He’s huge, explosive and fluid — and may rush the passer. He can align wherever and win in any means. If Nolen pops in 2024, he may very well be gone properly earlier than the Chiefs choose — but when he doesn’t, we will anticipate lots of conversations about his athleticism, profile and manufacturing. With line of defense coach Joe Cullen on the Kansas Metropolis employees, Nolen may very properly be a high-upside swing.