NFL Draft: Chiefs Take Star OL in Sports Illustrated Mock

The Kansas City Chiefs are in need of a big man to protect Patrick Mahomes this upcoming season, and the franchise addresses the need in a latest mock draft. Could it be Josh Simmons?

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State University offensive lineman Josh Simmons (OL37) answers questions at a press conference during the 2025 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the more dominant offensives over the last three seasons with quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading the charge. However, going into the 2025-26 campaign, the franchise is in need of adding more protection for the franchise quarterback.

The Chiefs do possess the likes of Jaylon Moore and Jawaan Taylor respectively in their right and left offensive tackle positions, but given the ups and downs of the production from those two talents last season, it wouldn't hurt for the franchise to solve a future issue by addressing it in the 2025 NFL Draft.

According to Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick's latest first round mock draft, the Chiefs would address that exact scenario by taking offensive lineman Josh Simmons out of Ohio State. In his two seasons as a Buckeye, Simmons has shown the talent necessary to make a giant impact in the NFL, no pun intended.

"Before suffering a torn patellar tendon in Ohio State’s loss to Oregon on Oct. 12, Simmons was playing perhaps better than every offensive tackle in the country. He didn’t allow a sack as Will Howard’s blindside protector, and with experience at both left and right tackle, he projects as an early starter in the NFL—which should be music to the ears of Patrick Mahomes," Flick wrote.

Simmons spent 306 snaps as the left tackle before his injury sidelined him for the rest of the campaign, but as Flick noted, the Ohio State product has experience from both ends. In his collegiate career, Simmons collected 1,130 snaps as left tackle and 800 snaps as right tackle.

Given a 6.39 grade from NFL.com's evaluation of Simmons from the NFL Combine, he could easily slide into a future starting role, as the grading system says. After all, the big man would be able to protect Mahomes more, allowing him to increase his rushing numbers of have more time to find his wide receiving targets.

"He’s a consistently fluid mover both inside the box and when asked to play in space, and he has the slide quickness to compete against NFL edge speed. He’s more positional than powerful in completing his run-blocking tasks, but he can fit into all schemes," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote.

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