What Analysts Are Saying About Chiefs' Ashton Gillotte

After 13 months, the L’Jarius Sneed trade is complete. Kansas City used the final piece of that 2024 trade on Friday night to take edge rusher Ashton Gillotte.

A 6-3, 264-pound defender out of Louisville, Gillotte joined Kansas City as the 66th overall choice, the third-rounder the Chiefs picked up from the Titans in the 2024 Sneed trade. That deal will go down as one of the best trades Brett Veach has made during his tenure as Kansas City general manager.

Here’s a sampling of draft grades handed out to the Chiefs for their selection of Gillotte.

Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated – Grade: A-minus

“At 6' 3" and 264 pounds, Gillotte has the ideal size to play as a 4-3 defensive end. Playing 52 games across four years with the Cardinals, Gillotte amassed 26.5 sacks, including a conference-best 11 in 2023. Earning first- and second-team All-ACC honors over the past two campaigns, Gillotte is a long-time producer who has played with smarts but lacks elite athleticism.”

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports – Grade: A-minus

“Thick, polished inside and outside pass rusher. Sturdy frame with shorter arms. Active hands and even at his heavier weight, demonstrated bend ability around the corner. Can get washed out against the run a bit too often yet has counter moves off his bull rush and he can get skinny between gaps. Another productive rusher for the Chiefs defense.”

Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic – Grade: B

“A relentless worker who uses his motor to overcome a lack of ideal length and speed, Gillotte had a combined 24½ tackles for loss the last two seasons and will be a great culture fit in Kansas City. He’ll be disruptive in the NFL, but does he have the traits to be a high-level finisher? It’s hard to bet against him — he’s one of the fiercest competitors in the draft.”

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News – Grade: B

“The Chiefs keep working more on their pass-rush reinforcement, this time behind George Karlaftis. Gillotte can be moved around well by Steve Spagnuolo to get to the QB as a hybrid end/linebacker.”

Charles McDonald, Yahoo! Sports – Grade: C-plus

“Gillotte is a decent rotational dice roll for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. He plays with power and violent hands, though he'll never win outright against NFL tackles consistently with his speed. He also doesn't have a deep bag of pass rush moves.”

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