After a Humiliating Super Bowl Loss, What Does the 2025 NFL Draft Look Like for the Chiefs?
It has been just under two months since the Kansas City Chiefs’ humiliating loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX and I’ve finally stopped crying long enough to talk about it. The Eagles, completely revamped since their loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII just two years prior, completely dominated the Chiefs in almost every measurable statistic. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was utterly smothered by the Eagles’ defense, with six sacks, a lost fumble, and two interceptions, including a crushing pick-six to defensive back Cooper DeJean. The Chiefs wouldn’t get anything on the scoreboard until the very end of the third quarter, already down 34 points, courtesy of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ arm and kicker Jake Elliott’s leg. Somehow the word “blowout” fails to do it justice, as the dream of a “three-peat” turned into a horrible, horrible nightmare.
With all that said, the narrative of doom and gloom around the Chiefs feels almost too thick, even overdramatic. The Chiefs had a 15-2 record in the regular season, their best regular season record in franchise history. They’re one of only eight teams to even win the Super Bowl back to back, as well as the closest any team has ever come to the very idea of three in a row. Put another, more vengeful and petty way, they’ve won as many Super Bowls in the last three years alone as the Eagles have won in their entire history. They have one of the winningest head coaches in the history of football in Andy Reid, an incredibly competent general manager in Brett Veach, and the face of the league at quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. With that combination, the future of any given Sunday in any given season can only look bright. The only question is how the Chiefs can use this year’s NFL Draft to fuel the defining sports team of the 2020s.
The most obvious area the Chiefs will target in the NFL Draft is their offensive line. Any general manager who watches their franchise quarterback, with a history of playoff injuries, get sacked half a dozen times in the Super Bowl will inevitably have deep thoughts about upgrading the line. The Chiefs had particularly big problems at the offensive tackle position, with rookie Kingsley Suamataia struggling mightily and having to be replaced by moving Joe Thuney over from his natural position at guard. The Chiefs have already made a strong move toward addressing their tackle problems with the off-season acquisition of Jaylon Moore from the San Francisco 49ers.
Meanwhile, Joe Thuney, an elite interior lineman with back-to-back First Team All-Pro honors in his last two years with the Chiefs, was shipped off to the Chicago Bears for a 2026 fourth-round pick just a few weeks ago. This move is seen as a cap casualty for the Chiefs, who will likely struggle to replace him, given his significant contributions to the team. Simply put, the Chiefs are trying to get younger and cheaper everywhere on their line other than center, where Creed Humphrey sits freshly extended as the highest-paid center in the league. It is likely that in every draft for the rest of his career, defending the body of Patrick Mahomes will be a top priority, with this year being no different.
Elsewhere, the Chiefs will strive to keep their elite defense rolling. Ranked as the number four overall defense last season, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit has been the underappreciated core of the last several Chiefs seasons, making up for an offense that has transitioned from the big play-heavy, highlight-reel style of the Tyreek Hill years, to one based on Patrick Mahomes’ solid, consistent matriculation down the field. So far, the key offseason acquisitions of the Chiefs have been defensively focused, with the team signing cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive lineman Jerry Tillery. The Chiefs will likely primarily focus on beefing up the pass rush, pairing new blood alongside star defensive tackle Chris Jones and edge rusher George Karlaftis. It’s for the best, as the team struggled last year with getting to the quarterback when it mattered most, landing solidly middle of the pack league-wide in sacks despite ranking sixth overall in QB hits.
The Chiefs are, regardless of the result of Super Bowl LIX, the team to beat in the NFL. Their consistent excellence and postseason success have come down to sublime roster construction and top-tier coaching, drafting, and developing the right talent to keep them perennial Super Bowl contenders. Like many other Chiefs fans, I trust Veach and Reid to find the right personnel they need to keep the dynasty rolling. As long as Patrick Mahomes is properly protected on offense and the defense continues delivering at a high level, the sky's the limit, and Super Bowl LIX will become merely a bad memory on the Chiefs’ path of success.
