Night 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft didn’t bring many surprises for the Kansas City Chiefs. First, they didn’t pick 31st, moving back one spot in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Second, they selected Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, who had been frequently mocked to the Chiefs throughout the offseason.

Simmons fell so far in the draft not because of a lack of talent but because of an injury during the 2024 season that sidelined him for the final few months of the Buckeyes’ eventual National Championship run. The Chiefs clearly need help on their offensive line and Simmons can help them with that.

While some might point to the Chiefs already having two tackles for the 2025 season in Jaylon Moore and Jawaan Taylor, Moore has started just 12 games in four years while Taylor has been mostly underwhelming since coming to Kansas City. It’s also worth noting that K.C. can get out of both of those deals after the 2025 season.

Yes, Simmons suffered a torn patella tendon during an October game against Oregon, he had proven himself as one of the best tackles in the league before the injury. The fact that the Chiefs were able to land a player of his caliber with the final pick in the first round is great value.

The fact of the matter is that the Chiefs absolutely had to address the offensive line this offseason and they’ve now done that in a variety of ways. Simmons might not be a starter from Day 1 but there’s an insurance policy in place if Moore doesn’t live up to the hype.

The two times the Chiefs got worked in the Super Bowl was due to the lack of protection up front for Patrick Mahomes. Hopefully Simmons helps the Chiefs build toward having an elite offensive line for many years to come.