Chiefs get defensive on Day 2 of the draft, add youthful energy to their pass rush

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The day after landing their highly coveted left tackle, the Kansas City Chiefs turned their attention to the other side of the ball, landing three defensive players in the second and third rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.

With a pair of high-motor pass rushers in Tennessee defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (63rd overall) and Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte (66th) and a four-year starter in California cornerback Nohl Williams, the Chiefs hope to have shored up both the front and back ends of a defense that ranked among the stingiest units in the NFL, holding teams to 320.6 yards per game (ninth fewest) and 19.2 points (fourth fewest) during the 2024 regular season but surrendered 40 points in their Super Bowl LIX loss to Philadelphia.

Despite the heavy defensive theme on Friday night, Chiefs senior director of player personnel Mike Bradway said Kansas City entered the second and third rounds intent on taking the best player available, and it just so happened that the draft board unfolded favorably for the team.

“We kind of reset the board (after the first round), and it was clear those guys were rated pretty highly,” Bradway said. “Then we thought it was an opportunity to get those guys (Norman-Lott and Gillotte) back to back. You know, you can never have enough of them. And I think, you know, (Norman-Lott) with his inside rush and (Gillotte), just with his versatility, those guys are just too hard to find. So I think it was one of those things where you didn’t know how the board was going to come off in the second round, but we were surprised and, obviously, really excited.”

Despite playing different positions, Norman-Lott and Gillotte share several similarities. Both are considered somewhat undersized for their positions. Norman-Lott is 6-foot-2 and 291 pounds and Gillotte is 6-3, 264. But both play with a tenacity and relentlessness that helps them compensate for any physical deficiencies and make an impact.

Offering a scouting report on Norman-Lott, Bradway said, “Really explosive. The kid shows up on tape. It was really explosive, athletic, he can run. He really disrupted. A really good interior rusher. We watched and like we saw on tape, but also at the Senior Bowl. You know, we brought him in for a visit; really fun kid, personable kid. I think he’ll  fit really well in the room.”

Of Gillotte, Bradway said, “This kid plays 100 miles an hour. I mean, he is, he is everything we want in a football player, from makeup to how he plays the game inside, outside, when you turn the tape on, the guy is absolutely relentless. Probably one of the higher characteristics we came across all year. … And then we turned the tape on. He’s got the athletic traits, the physical traits and he’s a very skilled player, too.”

Both players should carve out roles in a rotation spearheaded by six-time Pro Bowl/three-time All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones, who lines up all along the line to take advantage of mismatches, and fourth-year defensive end George Karlaftis, who has recorded 24 1/2 sacks in three seasons.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is famous for terrorizing opposing defenses with his creative schemes while rotating defensive linemen to ensure steady pressure on quarterbacks. So, even if they initially serve as rotational players early in their careers, both Norman-Lott and Gillotte should find opportunities to make meaningful contributions as rookies.

Meanwhile, Williams’ versatility and polish as a four-year starter at Cal impressed Chiefs brass to the point where they traded up from 95th overall to 85 (sending New England the 95th pick and next year’s fourth-round pick) to position themselves to draft the defensive back.

“Williams is a guy that we had relatively high on the board,” Bradway said. “An outside corner, but he can play inside. He plays safety. He’s a really good special teams guy. He can return. He’s got 14 career picks, you know, another really high-character kid that I think you know in terms of versatility, depth. He’s what our coaches are looking for, and we thought it was a great opportunity to, you know, be aggressive again, to get it, get it, get a corner — get a premier guy at a premier position that can really help our team. So, we’re really excited.”

Fortifying the defense has ranked high on the Chiefs’ list of priorities for a number of seasons now. While they rose to elite ranks with prolific offensive attacks while in pursuit of their first Super Bowl of the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs have evolved to the point where the defense is asked to shoulder a heavier load. In the last two seasons, while boasting top-10 defenses and dealing with injuries at the wide receiver position, Kansas City’s approach largely centered on relying on the defense to keep things close and then turn things over to Mahomes for late-game heroics.

With their offense dismantled in Super Bowl LIX because of deficiencies along the offensive line, left tackle ranked high on general manager Brett Veach and Reid’s shopping list this offseason. Landing Ohio State’s Josh Simmons in the first round met a big need for a leadership group intent on better supporting Mahomes and maximizing the MVP-caliber passer’s abilities. However, with AFC rivals and their own supremely talented quarterbacks seemingly gaining ground, Chiefs officials remain mindful of the importance of steadily investing in the defense through the acquisitions of high-impact, youthful players.

Entering Day 3 of the draft, the Chiefs own five more picks (a fourth-rounder, a fifth- and three seventh-rounders). Additional needs remain. The Chiefs could look to add help at running back and additional offensive line and/or wide receiver depth in those final rounds of the draft.

(Photo of Omarr Norman-Lott: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)

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