Opinions are mixed, as they should be, as to where Brett Veach and the Kansas City Chiefs might go with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. There are great needs along the offensive line. Defensive interior is another concern. Depth at corner, wideout, and tight end are possibilities. Running back is perhaps the biggest issue of all.
However, in his last mock draft before the official draft begins, former Raiders general manager and analyst Mike Mayock has given the Chiefs a potential premiere talent at edge rusher—giving the Chiefs one of the best pass-rushing units in all of football.
In his latest mock, given over at the Bleav in Eagles podcast, Mayock detailed his pick for the Chiefs: Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart. Here's what Mayock says:
“Well, they’re pissed off because all of the o-linemen are gone, so they’re probably going to have to wait and load up a little bit later. But they can’t believe Shemar Stewart, defensive end from Texas A&M, is still there.
“He’s a height/weight speed freak. The problem is his production; he only had 4.5 sacks in three years at A&M. People say, ‘Why?’ I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the kid. I just don’t think he’s an instinctive pass rusher. So you’re going to have to get him in a room with a really good coach, a bunch of people that undertsand and will help him develop.
Mike Mayock suggests the Chiefs could land Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart, adding a potential game-changer to their defense.
“I looked at Shemart Stewart and thought, ‘Hmmm, if you pair him with George Karlaftis, Chris Jones, [Charles] Omenihu, and bring him in the room—he can play inside and outside—that’s one of the most formidable defensive fronts in football.’”
Stewart recently turned heads with his comments about wanting to chse down Patrick Mahomes when he hits the NFL. Maybe Veach wants to give him that chance every day in practice instead of just waiting until he faces him in a scheduled competition.
Stewart is widely considered one of the draft's biggest wild cards—a potential game-wrecker or draft bust—so the Chiefs would be rolling the dice here. But for a team picking at the bottom of every draft, taking such wild swings to land premiere talent could provide a cornerstone that helps keep them at the top.
Going big is the same thought behind many other mock drafts that have the Chiefs making a move for Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons—one of the best tackles on tape who happens to be coming off of a patellar tendon injury.