Kansas City Chiefs: Free agency moves should make draft plan clear

The Kansas City Chiefs had a ton of holes to fill when free agency opened on March 12. The Chiefs had just a single defensive tackle under contract, along with losing starters at running back, left tackle, defensive end, and wide receiver. Without a strong free agency effort, the NFL draft was going to be crucial for the success of the Chiefs in 2025 and beyond. However, the Chiefs have quietly had one of the better offseasons in the league, which should help make their plan of attack in the NFL Draft much more clear.

Kansas City Chiefs Free Agency Recap

General manager Brett Veach and the rest of the front office have brought back nearly every contributor from 2024 that wasn’t already under contract. The biggest names that will be back in 2025 include Marquise (Hollywood) Brown, Kareem Hunt, and Mike Pennel. A couple of under-the-radar names that either were contributors or are nice depth pieces for the team include Mike Caliendo and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

There will also be a couple of new faces that should be significant contributors for the team in 2025 who have joined the team via free agency. The biggest new name to know is offensive lineman Jaylon Moore. Not only will Moore be asked to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career, but he will also be asked to protect the blindside of the most valuable asset in the entire league. The 27-year-old has started just 12 games across his first four years in the league, but he has proven himself during that time. He started five games in 2024 and garnered a very respectable 74.9 PFF grade, which was fairly evenly distributed across both run and pass blocking grades.

Meanwhile, Kristian Fulton, who has been a starting cornerback for each of the past four seasons and spent 2024 with the division rival Chargers, is the other big free agency addition. In his lone season in Los Angeles, he earned a solid 71.1 PFF grade, which includes an above-average 67.9 coverage grade and very good 79.3 run defense grade.

What might be most important is the fact that Fulton primarily plays as an outside cornerback. If he is a capable starter, it would allow Trent McDuffie to move back to the slot, where he was a First Team All-Pro. That, in turn, would allow Chamarri Conner to move back to a safety role and further solidify a group that will be without either Justin Reid or Tyrann Mathieu for the first time since 2018.

With all of these players back, there are a few significant contributors who will be wearing different uniforms in 2025. Joe Thuney has been one of the best interior offensive linemen over the past handful of years. However, his big salary cap hit would have made it tough and maybe even impossible for the Chiefs to bring back everyone they did. Instead of keeping him and trying to go bargain bin hunting in free agency, they traded him to Chicago for a 2026 fourth-round pick. If I had to guess, Kingsley Suamataia will be the front runner to replace him at left guard, with Mike Caliendo being the fallback option.

DeAndre Hopkins will also not return after putting together a modest 41 catch, 437-yard, four-touchdown season in 2024. Instead, he will join AFC rival Baltimore as he continues to pursue that elusive Super Bowl win. The previously mentioned Justin Reid is the only other big departure. He will go to New Orleans and join a few other former Chiefs (Tyrann Mathieu, Khalen Saunders, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire).

All of these moves should help clear things up as far as a draft plan goes for the Chiefs during the draft this week. There are really only a few questions left to be answered for the 2025 season.

Questions for the Chiefs Entering the 2025 NFL Draft

Do the Chiefs feel comfortable with Jaylon Moore starting at LT?

The Chiefs will shell out $30 million dollars over the next two years to have Jaylon Moore on their roster. That alone should be enough to show how much they trust Moore to hold down Mahomes’ blindside. However, he does only have 12 career starts under his belt and isn’t on a long-term deal. Even if he is serviceable over the next couple years, he may not be on the roster past next season.

There have been rumors swirling about the Chiefs moving up in the first round of the draft, presumably for a tackle they like. Whether or not it has anything to do with how they feel about Moore, it is significant news to keep an eye on.

Who is the long-term solution at running back?

Isiah Pacheco had a solid first two years in the NFL. In 31 games, he rushed for nearly 1,800 yards and scored 14 total touchdowns. However, a fractured fibula caused him to miss more than half of the 2024 season. When he did return, his efficiency was nowhere near where it was the previous two seasons.

Pacheco has a tremendous attitude and will run through a brick wall if asked to, but he doesn’t have the most diverse skillset. With this being the last year of his rookie contract, don’t be surprised if this is his swan song in Kansas City.

Meanwhile, Kareem Hunt took the league by storm as a Chief back in 2017. As a rookie, he led the league in rushing yards and was well on his way to another 1,000-plus yard season before legal issues ended his original tenure in Kansas City. After re-signing with the Chiefs following the Pacheco injury, Hunt appeared to find a bit of that 2017 spark again. In seven games without Pacheco, he averaged 90 yards from scrimmage and scored five times. In the playoffs, Hunt more than doubled Pacheco’s touches. However, he will play in 2025 on a one-year contract, so the soon-to-be 30 year old may also be done in Kansas City after this season.

The other notable running backs on the roster, Elijah Mitchell and Carson Steele, have shown no evidence of being a lead back. That means the starting role could very well be up for grabs next season.

Veach has already stated how much they like this year’s running back class, so one being taken at some point is a likely scenario. The Chiefs have had success recently with running backs drafted outside the top two rounds (Hunt in the third round and Pacheco in the seventh round), so they may try that strategy again. However, don’t be surprised if pick number 63 is the next feature running back lining up next to Mahomes.

What does the DT rotation look like next to Chris Jones?

Chris Jones is one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the entire league, having been named an All-Pro in six of the past seven seasons, including three straight First Team honors. The Chiefs have always surrounded him with serviceable but never exceptional talent on the interior defensive line. Barring a surprise move, that trend will continue in 2025.

Mike Pennel has been a consistent force next to Jones, even registering a career-high sack total in 2024. He will be a welcomed returnee in 2025.

Other players like Tershawn Wharton and Derrick Nnadi had been staples in the Chiefs defensive tackle rotation during their run of dominance. However, both will be suiting up for new teams in 2025.

Jerry Tillery was brought in via free agency and should provide a nice boost to what was a depleted position group. Aside from Jones, Pennel, and Tillery, there aren’t any other proven contributors on the roster.

Along with left tackle, defensive tackle has been the most popular first round selection for the Chiefs in mock drafts. In fact, I would say the most logical and expected first two selections on Thursday and Friday night are those two positions.

If the Chiefs are able to hit on just a couple of their early draft selections, they should once again be a favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. If they miss on their early selections, there could be a couple notable holes to monitor.