Remember Omarr Norman-Lott? The Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he played just five games as a rookie before landing on IR with an ACL injury.
The pick was not a popular one at the time, and a lot of people wondered why the Chiefs were drafting him so high when he likely would have been available on Day 3 of the draft. Clearly, Brett Veach saw something he liked in ONL and wanted him to be a member of the Chiefs' defense.
It's understandable if Chiefs fans forgot about Norman-Lott, though. After all, he hasn't played in an NFL game since October of 2025, and we haven't heard much about him at all since his injury.
Well, it was recently reported that Norman-Lott returned to practice, marking the first official step toward being activated and getting back on the field for Kansas City. Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star was the first to report that ONL was returning to practice.
The return to practice opens up a 21-day window during which the Chiefs can observe ONL and see how he's recovering. From there, they can either activate him to the active roster, or he'll remain on the PUP list for the rest of the season.
Omarr Norman-Lott's career to this point
Norman-Lott played college ball at Arizona State for three years before transferring to Tennessee for the final two years of his eligibility. His sack numbers skyrocketed with the Volunteers, as he tallied 5.5 in 2023 and 4.0 in 2024, compared to the four total he had during his time with Arizona State.
As for where he was projected to go in the draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had him as either a third- or fourth-rounder. "Norman-Lott is an energetic pass rusher with a high pressure rate. He plays with harmonious hands and feet that work to and around edges, but he won’t offer much as a power rusher. His lack of size could hurt his draft slotting, but he has the potential to become a rotational defender and sub-package rusher."
Dane Brugler of The Athletic also had ONL as a third- or fourth-rounder, citing that a full-time role could be difficult for him. "There is no doubt about his NFL talent, but his ability to handle more of a full-time role is a tricky projection."
Bleacher Report's scouting team had plenty of negative things to say about ONL ahead of the draft, pointing to his age (23 entering the draft), injury history, and lack of playing time through five years in college as cons on his résumé. "The former Volunteer is a project despite his age and time spent in college. That could cap his ceiling with some teams as he might be viewed as an interior pass-rush specialist at the next level."
None of these blemishes on Norman-Lott's draft profile scared the Chiefs away, though. They likely reached on the Volunteer product, taking him when they did. He wasn't too effective during his rookie year, but he only played 73 snaps before his injury took the rest of the year from him. He had five tackles and one QB hit as a rookie.
What to expect from Omarr Norman-Lott if/when he returns
The good news for Norman-Lott is that the Chiefs have options to rotate in and out on the defensive line, so he won't need to rush back. He's never been someone who has been on the field during the entire game, and that certainly won't change during his second season in the pros, especially one in which he's returning from a major injury.
The pass rush has struggled this season, but the hope is that once this team gets into more of a rhythm, things will start to improve in that department. Norman-Lott is someone the Chiefs drafted for his interior pass-rush ability, but will he be able to help change the narrative there?
It's still good to be adding depth to this team at this point in the season. Norman-Lott was productive in college despite limited snaps, and the hope is that once Steve Spagnuolo finds an ideal role for him, he'll start to show that he was worthy of being a second-round pick.
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