With the 66th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs might have surprised some people with their selection of Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte. One thing has become clear with their first three picks, however, and that's that the Chiefs are all-in on building in the trenches.
Gillotte, who was taken with the pick the Chiefs got in the L'Jarius Sneed trade, is an athletic prospect and should fit nicely into Steve Spagnuolo's defense. That unit now is pretty deep, as the starters on the defensive line consist of George Karlaftis, Chris Jones, Mike Pennel, and Mike Danna, with rotational pieces such as Charles Omenihu, Jerry Tillery, Felix Anduike-Uzomah, and recent second-rounder Omarr Norman-Lott.
Chiefs focused on building in the trenches in 2025 NFL Draft
The Chiefs' first-round pick was spent on Josh Simmons, an offensive tackle, helping to shore up the offensive line. Now their last two picks have been spent bolstering the defensive line in Gillotte and Norman-Lott. Gillotte's senior season wasn't nearly as impressive as his junior year where he had 11 sacks but he still had four sacks and 43 total tackles with 10 tackles for loss.
The importance here is that it's clear the Kansas City Chiefs are focused on getting better in the trenches and that's where championships are won. As fans have seen, it's hard to win when the quarterback doesn't have reliable protection or when the defensive line gets pushed around too much.
Even though Gillotte might have been seen as a surprising pick to some, Brett Veach saw something he liked in him so in Veach we trust. Let's see what Spags can do with his newest defensive piece.