The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books and for the most part, Kansas City Chiefs fans feel good about how Brett Veach did in his eighth draft as the general manager of the team. The Chiefs ended up drafting seven players (three on offense, four on defense) and the early part of the draft was spent building up the trenches.
The Chiefs took Josh Simmons at the end of the first round to help bolster their offensive line. On Day 2, the Chiefs added a pair of defensive linemen in Omarr Norman-Lott and Ashton Gillotte to help keep the defensive line dangerous.
The third day, which is where Veach notoriously is known for cooking, saw the Chiefs add playmakers Jalen Royals and Brashard Smith while also helping the defense with picks like Nohl Williams and Jeffrey Bassa. All in all, it felt like a good haul for Veach and the Chiefs but how did ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. feel about Kansas City's draft?
Well, Kiper gave the Chiefs a B+ and mostly raved about what they did. The only blemish and what he said prevented them from getting an A grade was that they failed to draft a tight end. Kiper said that Travis Kelce is 35 years old and the Chiefs need to find an answer to replace him.
Mel Kiper says Chiefs' draft would have been A-material had they added tight end
It's true that Kelce is 35 years old and nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career but was that really worth knocking the Chiefs down an entire letter grade for? I'd say no, especially since A) Kelce is still playing well and B) They have other options at tight end and can always spend a high draft pick on one in next year's draft.
Kelce likely will play for at least one more year and the most notable name behind him on the depth chart is Noah Gray. The Chiefs were active in the undrafted tight end market, signing both Jake Bringingstool and Tre Watson. K.C. also spent a fourth-round pick in last year's draft on Jared Wiley, who unfortunately didn't play much in 2024.
While tight end will eventually be a position the Chiefs need to shore up, Kelce is still playing well. Veach has time to find a replacement for Kelce next offseason so docking this year's draft seems silly but hey, that's fine if this draft slides under the radar a bit.