Super Bowl LIX will be coming into view soon enough, but most NFL teams have already turned the page toward remaking the roster for the 2025 season and many in the Kansas City Chiefs front office are also anticipating the frenzy of activity of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, it makes sense for us to pay attention to what is happening in terms of pre-draft stock and how the Chiefs might approach the big weekend with their cadre of draft choices—including four of the top 100 picks in the draft.
While the final order has yet to be set, the Chiefs will be picking at either No. 31 or 32, depending on the outcome against the Philadelphia Eagles in the big game, so we can get a good idea at the present time as to which prospects might be in range for general manager Brett Veach to submit when the time comes.
Let's take a look at the latest mock draft from Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic, a two-round affair, to see what the start of a Chiefs' draft class might resemble and how it would fit in with the current roster.
Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
A product of Ruskin High School, Aireontae Ersery would not only be an impactful addition to the roster but it would also make for a heartening story of a K.C. native coming home to play for the Chiefs at Arrowhead.
Ersery is a top-flight tackle out of Minnesota who was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and was a third-team All-American. With three seasons of starting experience on the left side (38 total games), he comes to the NFL as ready as any prospect with an impressive body of work against elite programs.
According to Baumgardner and Dochterman, "He was a late bloomer who blossomed with the Gophers and could become a Year One candidate at right tackle." That would be an interesting play for the Chiefs to consider there since Jawaan Taylor is installed at right tackle and his cap hit remains far too great to make him a candidate for release.
That said, if Chiefs scouts like Ersery's ability to stay on the left side, it wouldn't surprise anyone to see the team make another high-level investment to compete with Kingsley Suamataia on the left side (and Wanya Morris) to finally solve the long-term issues along the line. In addition, it gives the Chiefs plenty of long-term flexibility at both bookend positions.
Sebastian Castro, DB, Iowa
The Chiefs will be looking for further help in the secondary as several players come into their contract seasons in 2025. Not only is Justin Reid set for free agency as one of the team's starting safeties, but Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson, Bryan Cook, and Joshua Williams are all entering that last year of their slotted rookie deals.
While the Chiefs have continued to build up the secondary over the years, keeping the pipeline flowing makes a lot of sense and that's why Sebastian Castro is here in the second round in this mock.
Castro is an experienced safety out of Iowa who has served as hybrid defender for the Hawkeyes with impressive positional versatility. Perhaps a good way to think of him is as Chamarri Conner with a higher ceiling, although there are differences. However, as tough, aggressive defenders who can play between safety and nickel roles, the similarities are there.
The Chiefs have Cook and Jaden Hicks already slated for safety roles going forward with Conner also around. But with the way Steve Spagnuolo utilizes three-safety looks, it shouldn't surprise anyone to see the Chiefs take another one earlier to keep the secondary stocked and adaptable going forward.