With the Kansas City Chiefs locking up the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a week to go, we’re going to start seeing plenty more 2025 NFL draft content.

The A to Z Sports NFL draft team has been hard at work throughout the 2024 NFL season, providing you with your NFL draft fix through rankings, big boards, mock drafts, and more. Their latest collaborative three-round mock draft includes four picks for the Chiefs, starting with their first pick at the bottom of Round 1. Last year, the Chiefs prioritized offense in the first round of the draft, but this time they could give the defense another weapon.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Shemar Stewart, EDGE Texas A&M

Shemar Stewart is a “swing for the fences” type prospect and the Kansas City Chiefs are in a great position to afford a gamble or two. Stewart is a twitched up athletic freak at 6’6″, 290 pounds who should be one of the best edge rushers in the class. However, as of today he simply isn’t there (yet). Stewart should win in pass rush situations much more often than he does given his traits. He just needs some refinement. If Stewart puts it all together he could be an absolute steal at 32.

You’ll often hear me mention this draft class as Steve Spagnuolo’s dream when it comes to defensive end prospects. The exact archetype that he likes at the defensive end position exists in bulk in this class. Stewart is certainly one of the many who could be valued at the end of Round 1, along with Texas A&M teammate Nic Scourton, Georgia’s Mykel Williams, Ohio State’s J.T. Tuimoloau, Oregon’s Jordan Burch, Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer, Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, and Penn State’s Dani Denis-Sutton.

Chiefs fans might be hesitant to take a “project” defensive end after the experience that has been Felix Anudike-Uzomah (even though the 22-year-old is starting to come along), but the burst off the ball, power, and length with the 6-foot-6 and 290-pound Stewart make him a surefire first-round prospect. With Charles Omenihu slated to become a free agent, they need to be looking for more firepower in the pass-rush department. They also have George Karlaftis entering a contract year. The pick makes a lot of sense when it comes to foresight at the position.

Chiefs add some heat at undervalued offensive positions

In 2025 mock drafts, everyone and their mother is sending the Chiefs help at the offensive tackle position. I like that this mock draft doesn’t do that. Yes, Patrick Mahomes needs better protection, but K.C. has been struggling to find that in recent years. They need to invest in a veteran protecting his blind side, and they’re not finding that in the second and third rounds of the draft.

With pick No. 64, they took Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton. I know that fans aren’t keen on the idea of taking a running back this highly in the NFL draft, but they need reinforcements here. Isiah Pacheco is entering a contract year, and injuries have started to become an issue for him this season with his physical running style. I think Singleton is pretty underrated as a runner and pass-blocker. His 184 touches for 1270 scrimmage yards and 13 TDs ranked 32nd in the nation among all players this season. I might be a little skeptical of the pick with Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson still on the board, though.

As for the tight end position, I get why Kansas City would grab a player like Texas TE Gunnar Helm atop the third round with the pick from the L’Jarius Sneed trade with Tennessee. Jared Wiley and Jody Fortson had season-ending knee injuries, and Peyton Hendershot was on IR with a calf injury before recently returning. If Travis Kelce rides off into the sunset this offseason, the only reliable player you have at the position is the recently re-signed Noah Gray. Helm is coming off a career year at Texas with 55 catches for 688 yards and six touchdowns.

The final pick might be the most Chiefs pick of them all

With the final pick in this three-round mock draft, the Chiefs took Texas DB Michael Taaffe. Brett Veach and his staff have shown an uncanny ability in recent years to identify and draft some under-the-radar defensive back prospects. Taafe plays safety for Texas after joining the team as a non-scholarship walk-on, but in high school, he played the outside cornerback position and won two state championships. Frankly, I think he could play any number of positions at the next level from cornerback to slot to safety, as well as become a key contributor on special teams. The 6-foot and 182-pound DB has 111 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, five interceptions, 10 passes defended, a fumble forced, and a fumble recovery over the last two seasons with the Longhorns.