If the Kansas City Chiefs are hoping to pick up extra picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, their best bet is to find a suitable trade partner willing to slide up into the very bottom of the first round. Those chances might have taken a hit, however, with the latest news surrounding quarterback prospect Jaxson Dart.
Dart is widely considered one of the top quarterback prospects available in this class, typically after the top two of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
Originally Dart was scheduled to attend the first round of the draft in Green Bay on Thursday, April 24 with a number of other heralded college prospects in order to fulfill their dream of hugging NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after hearing their name selected in front of millions—both live and on television. Now, however, Dart has declined to attend, which brings forth questions about the meaning behind it.
Every bit of draft news is a domino that affects other teams.
It's entirely possible that Dart decided to avoid any potential embarrassing moments and stay with friends and family for the big event. It's also possible other plans simply got in the way. But it's also in the realm of possibility that those informing his decisions have caught wind of enough team grades on him to believe that Dart will be waiting for Friday's second round before being selected.
The same teams that might want to trade up to No. 31 overall, where the Chiefs select in the first round, are also going to pick in the top of the second round. Maybe the Cleveland Browns, for instance, feel like they can just hold on to day two of the draft and avoid having to give up any further draft assets in order to secure his services.
If Dart's stock is falling a bit—or teams just don't believe it's worth a move up into the first to grab him—then the Chiefs might be stuck with the penultimate pick in the first round. That's not the worst thing—and an aggressive general manager like Brett Veach is reportedly looking at moving up at the present time—but it'd be nice to have all options open on draft day.