KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rookie minicamp has begun for the Kansas City Chiefs’ seven NFL Draft picks and a flurry of other undrafted rookies looking to earn their shot.
Here are four observations from the opening day of minicamp, beginning with injury timeline news for the Chiefs’ first-round pick.
Simmons’ injury timeline
The Chiefs believe they got a steal in former Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons with the 32nd pick. Simmons was once projected as a top-10 talent, but a non-contact knee injury that sidelined him from mid-October through the end of the Buckeyes’ national championship run hurt his draft stock.
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Saturday, Simmons showed progress toward the return the Chiefs felt confident in when they drafted him. The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Simmons was dressed on the practice field and participated in position drills with the offensive linemen. He did not participate in 11-on-11 or individual drills, but it still looked positive after head coach Andy Reid predicted Simmons’ participation this weekend was unlikely.
Simmons said before practice that he was still rehabbing his injury and was following advice from team trainers on his return. He said he would prioritize taking mental reps and studying the playbook during minicamp, which he said is “not as complex” as he predicted, perhaps helped by his experience working in a pro-style offense under Chip Kelly at Ohio State.
The Chiefs rotated through four starters at left tackle last year and entered the offseason searching for a more permanent answer. They signed Jaylon Moore from the San Francisco 49ers in free agency but approached the draft hoping to find their long-term solution.
When asked if he was eyeing an immediate role as a starter, Simmons said he was content either way as long as he could help the team.
“(I want to) attack rehab as hard as I can. That way, when training camp does come around, I can be the most help that I possibly can be,” Simmons said of his expectations to fill a team need. “There’s nothing, really, I can do to kind of force — there are a lot of vets in here, and my thing is stay out of the way, work hard and be a helpful piece if I can.”
Royals shakes first-day jitters, other playmakers
Former Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals couldn’t find anything to compare to the feeling of showing up for your first day as an NFL rookie.
“It’s not even similar to the first day of school,” he said.
Royals said he felt “very anxious but also happy” since arriving in Kansas City. But he looked to shake that anxiety fairly well on the field.
Royals Spring Training: Chiefs edition. pic.twitter.com/rg6i3dzjYA
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 3, 2025
With Reid watching, the fourth-round draft pick showcased his quickness and strong hands in position drills. Besides a miss or two over his head, Royals looked mostly reliable. He took the first pass of team drills from veteran quarterback Chris Oladokun and lined up opposite fellow draft pick Nohl Williams for a few plays.
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Royals said he watches Los Angeles Rams receiver Davante Adams and Philadelphia Eagles receiver AJ Brown and tries to “piggyback off of what they do.” He said he would qualify rookie camp a success if he learned the offense and proved he can compete.
“Just taking it one step at a time, taking it day by day,” Royals said. “I know it’s the first day, but just trying to come in and work and take it step-by-step.”
Undrafted free agent wide receiver Elijhah Badger showed big-play potential in team drills. Badger led Arizona State in receiving in 2022 and 2023, then did the same after transferring to Florida for his final college season. In 2024, Badger was one of five FBS receivers to average more than 20 yards per reception.
Badger was quick to showcase that explosiveness, which the Chiefs hope to bring back to their offense in 2024, on the practice field.
Kansas City invited former SMU receiver Key’Shawn Smith to a minicamp tryout. Smith transferred to SMU after three seasons at Miami. He set career highs in catches (33), receiving yards (527) and touchdowns (five) in 2024 while working in an offense with Chiefs seventh-round draft pick Brashard Smith.
Toward the end of Saturday’s practice, Smith reeled in a deep pass from quarterback Zach Dabrowski (Central Missouri) along the sideline, letting out a celebratory yell to cap a fairly successful day.
Ready to prove it
Second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott was a rotational player at Tennessee. He’s explosive and disruptive but averaged just 17.3 snaps per game in 2024. Draft evaluators seemed to question how his proven athleticism might translate to a full-time role.
Saturday, Norman-Lott addressed his playing time at Tennessee and how he’ll approach a perhaps heightened role with the Chiefs under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
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“Of course, you want to play more, but we had a rotation of 60 tackles who could all start in the SEC, and my position coach, Rodney Garner, he believes in keeping his guys fresh,” Norman-Lott said. “I took my opportunities that I was given, and I made the best of it.
“It will be the same thing in the NFL. Whatever opportunities I have, I will make the best of it — more or less.”
Norman-Lott said he has been working to build a rapport with his new defensive line coach, Joe Cullen, and has already built a connection with fellow rookie D-lineman Ashton Gillotte, who is his roommate.
Norman-Lott said he believes he has a natural ability for getting off the ball and fine-tuned his pass rush abilities while playing under Rob Rodriguez at Arizona State. As for the doubters, he’s confident in his ability to prove them wrong.
“It’s quite literally my job,” Norman-Lott said. “I’m very excited to go do it and prove all the naysayers wrong, but I’m not the kind of guy that listens to all the outside chatter. I just focus on what I have at hand, stay where my feet are at and play hard.”
Happy Derby Day
Minicamp ended with a few hours to spare before the 151st Kentucky Derby. Gillotte, the Chiefs’ third-round draft pick, attended the Derby last year with a few of his former Louisville teammates and met Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Gillotte said they talked football and Kelce gave him some advice.
One year later, much more Kelce advice might be coming Gillotte’s way.
“He’s exactly how he seems on TV. He’s a real down-to-earth guy,” Gillotte said. “He probably doesn’t remember me, let’s just be frank, but he was a cool dude, and he gave us a lot of good wisdom.”
(Photo of Jalen Royals: Colin E. Braley / Associated Press)
This news was originally published on this post .
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