One of the more exciting picks among the Kansas City Chiefs' rookie haul from the 2025 NFL Draft was Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals, a fourth-round find widely hailed by draft experts as a fantastic value at No. 133 overall.
Royals was ranked much higher on big boards—including No. 63 on Dane Brugler's list at The Athletic—coming into the event. The Chiefs waited until Day 3 to address the skill positions for a middling offense in '24, but their ability to grab Royals and Brashard Smith (along with the hoped-for better health for others) should help Patrick Mahomes and company rebound.
Amid all of the excitement for Royals, however, is a lack of conversation about the one angle that's troubling about his immediate future: a lingering injury that was still affecting him as recently as his pro day.
Royals went down with a deltoid tear in his right foot during a wild game against New Mexico in mid-October during the 2024 season. A deltoid tear occurs when the ankle rolls inward, which apparently Royals did on this play when returning a punt in a 50-45 loss for Utah State.
The Chiefs took a calculated risk on Jalen Royals, and it could pay off big.
At that point in the season, Royals was on the verge of a monster season with 55 catches for 834 yards and 6 touchdowns with five games to play. The 6-foot receiver was lost for the rest of the year, and he's been dealing with the after-effects ever since.
Shortly after the injury, reports emerged that the injury wouldn't significantly affect his draft status, but Royals fell far enough for the Chiefs to grab him at No. 133 overall in the fourth round.
Utah State held their pro day on March 20 and Royals admitted then that the deltoid injury was still a consideration for him.
“I’m still battling the injury a little bit. I won’t say it’s like, like, hurting me but there are days where it’s a little sore ... Getting back from that and showcasing what I can do when I actually can be healthy,” Royals said, “that would be amazing," said Royals at his pro day, per the Deseret News.
So what to make of this? It's important to acknowledge that the injury is something to watch for the Chiefs going forward, but with several months to go before the regular season begins, there's no cause for alarm. That said, the fact that no one seems to be talking about the injury at all is interesting since it was a season-ending concern in the first place.
The Chiefs undoubtedly did their homework on Royals in all facets—including his medical concerns—so fans should feel just fine about the pick. In the end, the short-term issues should reap long-term rewards for the Chiefs for multiple picks—including first-round tackle Josh Simmons. But the ankle injury will be something to monitor for Royals as the team gets him into minicamp.