Despite the jeers of some fans and the early struggles in his career, Kingsley Suamataia still has plenty of runway ahead of him for the Kansas City Chiefs. General manager Brett Veach made that clear in his press conference at the 2025 NFL Combine on Tuesday, giving positive remarks about the way the Chiefs were viewing him after his rookie campaign.
Suamataia, a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was projected to bolster the Chiefs' tackle position and earned the starting spot on the left side coming out of training camp into the regular season. However, early struggles against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 and Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 led to his ouster, as Wanya Morris replaced him for several weeks.
By the time the Chiefs' season was over, the team had supplanted Morris with D.J. Humphries who then gave way to a misplaced Joe Thuney, who kicked over from left guard to man the left tackle role for the duration of the postseason.
Looking forward, it's quite possible that Suamataia becomes the left tackle the Chiefs envisioned when they selected him out of Brigham Young in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was a known project coming in with the ceiling to grow into the role, so it's far too early to call it a failed experiment.
Kingsley Suamataia's potential could carry over to the Chiefs' offensive interior.
That said, the Chiefs might be thinking of shifting their own vision for Suamataia—as in sliding him inside. Veach said as much in his remarks that the team liked his potential to play in a guard role.
While Thuney is expected to slide back into his spot at left guard for the 2025 season (and perhaps beyond), the possible departure of Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith in free agency could make Suamataia's versatility all the more appealing. Smith is expected to attract significant interest on the open market, which could make him cost-prohibitive for the Chiefs at such a high price.
Suamataia initially committed to the University of Oregon, where he redshirted his freshman year in 2021, and appeared in one game. Seeking more playing time, Suamataia transferred to BYU in 2022 and started all 12 games in his first season without allowing a single sack. He made the All-Big 12 Second Team in 2023 as well.
Whether Suamataia secures the left tackle spot or transitions to guard will depend on his development and the team's roster decisions in the coming months. However it appears the Chiefs have some options given his versatility. The project might be shifting in nature but the potential is still there.