The Kansas City Chiefs’ latest draft class is starting to come into focus, and there’s a lot to like on paper. Matt Derrick joins The Starting Lineup to break down a group that’s earning solid marks for addressing key defensive needs, especially along the defensive line and in the secondary. There’s also some real late-round value in the mix, with names like Emmett Johnson and Garrett Nussmeier standing out after both slid further than expected.

Full interview breaks it all down, including the biggest surprises and what it means for KC moving forward.

One of the biggest talking points coming out of the draft is size, with several selections coming in undersized for their positions, which naturally raises questions about durability and long-term fit at the NFL level. It’s the kind of detail that doesn’t show up on highlight reels, but absolutely matters when the season wears on. Beyond the defensive upgrades, there are still some lingering roster questions the draft didn’t fully answer. The Chiefs didn’t come away with a clear long-term successor for Travis Kelce at tight end, and the need for a bigger-bodied receiver to balance the offense is still there. That leaves room for development projects like Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas to carve out roles, but how they fit into the system is still very much in progress.

Now the focus shifts to rookie minicamp, where everything starts to feel real. It’s the first look at how this class adjusts to the speed of the NFL, how the coaching staff envisions their roles, and whether this group can translate potential into production. And with cap constraints looming, any additional roster moves may be more calculated than aggressive, making this draft class just one piece of a much bigger offseason puzzle.