After spending several seasons experimenting with different players at left tackle, the Kansas City Chiefs believe they’ve found a long-term solution.
On Thursday night, after trading back one spot with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs selected Ohio State left tackle Joshua Simmons with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
There was uncertainty about how far Simmons would fall in the draft due to a torn patellar injury he suffered against Oregon on October 12. Many experts agreed that without this injury, he would have been a top-10 pick.
Completing Medical Due Diligence
The Chiefs were quick to assess Simmons’ recovery. Their medical and personnel staff met with him at the NFL Scouting Combine in March.
“Early on we got back from the combine, everyone knew of the patella tendon injury,” said general manager Brett Veach. “Those injuries are obviously serious and they’re a six-to-seven month recovery, and I do remember early on (head athletic trainer and vice president) Rick [Burkholder] saying, ‘You know, this knee looks really good. You got a really good surgery and really like the way it looks.'”
After their initial meeting, the Chiefs decided to bring Simmons in for a top-30 visit, where he connected with offensive line coach Andy Heck. They also conducted several Zoom calls to test his football knowledge.
While other teams showed interest, Simmons acknowledged that none matched the Chiefs’ level of attention.
“A lot of [teams] were [interested], but nothing like the Chiefs,” said Simmons during a Zoom call with reporters. “There were teams reaching out a couple of days before, a few asked for my phone number the day before. But yeah, I had a Zoom meeting with the Chiefs and stuff like that. Nobody else really showed as much — at least to my knowledge — as much interest as the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Recovery and Progress
After his injury, Simmons underwent surgery and worked closely with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who created a rehabilitation plan. Simmons focused on eccentric work to restore strength and mobility, which he believes was key to his recovery.
“We knew what it was and the type of attention it was going to need,” said Simmons. “It’s a lot of eccentric work — getting that joint stiff, getting that range of motion. That all has to be attacked really, really early so you can kind of have that downhill snowball effect of getting your explosiveness back.”
Now, six months later, Simmons says he’s in a great place. His knee allows him to squat heavy weights and run sled drills. The Chiefs will be cautious during rookie minicamp and OTAs but are confident he’ll be ready for training camp.
“I still have to haul ass in recovery,” Simmons said. “But then, right after that, you’re going into a really, really, really good football club.”
Securing Left Tackle of the Future
Given the Chiefs’ success with seven consecutive AFC title games, they typically draft near the bottom of the first round, which makes it difficult to land a top-tier left tackle.
Veach explained: “Left tackles don’t typically become free when free agency starts, and sometimes it takes one of these scenarios — an injury or something out of the ordinary — for a guy like this to fall.”
Veach also mentioned that Simmons’ injury was the reason the Chiefs were able to select him.
“We only had 14 or 15 [first-round] guys,” Veach said. “He was in that weird landing space because prior to the injury, he would have been in that number count, but there was a little, ‘OK, there is going to be a rehab process there.’ But he was certainly a guy that made sense for us.”
Shortly before the Chiefs selected Simmons, quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted a smiley-face emoji on X, signaling his excitement.
“He’s the best player in the game,” Veach commented on Mahomes. “When Pat is upright, we have some talented weapons.”
The Chiefs have secured their left tackle of the future, and based on their medical evaluations, he may even be the left tackle of the present.
Watching offensive linemen in St. Joseph just got much more intriguing.
