The Kansas City Chiefs came up short of making history this season, failing to complete the NFL’s first ever Super Bowl championship three-peat. The Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles helped shine a light on the missing pieces to Kansas City’s success. 

Holding almost $8 million in cap space this offseason, the task of signing free agents will be tall for General Manager Brett Veach and the rest of the organization. The majority of external improvements will likely come from incoming rookies in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

There’s plenty of opportunities for improvements, as Kansas City owns four picks in the top 100 this season. Here’s one player that the Chiefs should target for each of these selections. 

Round 1, pick 31: Offensive Tackle Wyatt Milum, West Virginia 

In a similar fashion to the 2021 Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers, the Chiefs offensive line was exposed in the biggest game of the season.  The unit allowed six sacks to the Eagles, very likely due to the revolving door at left tackle throughout the season. Four separate players started at left tackle this season: Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries and Joe Thuney. 

Milum would provide some stability for Kansas City at this position. The 2024 All-American logged 700 snaps at left tackle in his senior year at West Virginia, finishing with a 91.1 PFF grade. From 2022-2024, Milum played 1,155 pass block snaps without allowing a sack. His credited quarterback hurries decreased across his last three seasons. 

Milum has an intimidating frame, standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall and 317 pounds. With his relatively short 33 inch arms, coaches may be tempted to move him to the guard position. This is great versatility for Kansas City — if Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith leaves in free agency, Milum could fill in at guard instead. 

Round 2, pick 64: Defensive Tackle Deone Walker, Kentucky

The Chiefs are expected to lose depth along their interior defensive line because key rotation players Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel are all slated for free agency. The Chiefs have shown willingness to draft defensive linemen early in the past. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, George Karlaftis and Breeland Speaks were all selected in the first two rounds under Veach’s support. 

What makes Walker the perfect fit for this spot is his versatility on the defensive line. In 2024, he played 266 pass rush snaps and 273 run defense snaps. He lined up everywhere on the defensive line, including 247 snaps in the B-gap, 142 in the A-gap and 99 over center. 

He stands 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 345 pounds. This stature comes with a 97th percentile wingspan of 84.5 inches. It allows him to reach the quarterback from a greater distance, leading to 12 sacks over the past two seasons and three batted passes in the 2024 season. 

Round 3, pick 66: Running Back Cameron Skattebo, Arizona State

The Kansas City backfield severely lacked explosiveness throughout the 2024 season, ranking 31st in yards per attempt at 3.9. The combination of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt struggled in Super Bowl LIX, combining for 26 all-purpose yards. Hunt enters free agency this offseason, and Pacheco the next, likely making room for a new face in the backfield. 

Skattebo can carry a heavy workload if needed — he ranked third in the FBS with 293 carries. Skattebo turned those carries into 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns. He served as a receiving threat at Arizona State, hauling in 45 catches for 605 yards and three touchdowns.

If the Chiefs hope to improve their run game, it’s a necessity to spend the draft capital on a running back. Kansas City has not picked a running back in the first three rounds since they drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020. 

Round 4, pick 95: WR Tez Johnson, Oregon

The Chiefs’ wide receiver room contains nine players, but five will be entering free agency this season. Should they leave in free agency, depth will be needed to replenish the receiver corps.

Johnson is an ideal addition to the corps, as he can bring much-needed speed to the group formerly known as the “Legion of Zoom”. The quick wideout from Oregon runs a 4.33 second 40-yard dash. Alongside 2024 first round pick Xavier Worthy, Johnson can bring back Patrick Mahomes’ style of explosive downfield plays. 

Some may be concerned with Johnson’s lack of size, as he weighs 165 pounds. This shouldn’t scare off the Chiefs given the draft selection of the similarly undersized Worthy last season. 

The selections of Milum, Skattebo and Johnson can help revamp an offense in desperate need of change, while Walker can plug a gap on an elite defensive unit. 

The NFL Draft will take place April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com 

Copyedited by Caroline Sweet and Hannah Taylor | csweet@themaneater.com

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com